Grand plan in theory, but when you are trying to avoid 1) a concrete
wall to the left 2) a car shedding parts and bashing into other cars in
front and 3) traffic going 50 mph faster than you on the right, I'll
settle for antilock brakes and standing HARD on the pedal. I'm not a
race car driver, I'm a 50 year old commuter, and when there is an
accident IN PROGRESS one car ahead of me I don't have time to get fancy
in heavy traffic.
Ditto for when the deer stepped out from behind a car going the other
way --
My tires have NEVER slid with the antilocks, this isn't 1977 -- lots of
groans and some pedal vibration, but no tire slip at all.
The system detects incipient wheel lock and REDUCES brake force just
enough to prevent the wheel locking, then allows full pressure again,
couple dozen times a second at least, far faster than is possible by
human intervention. Dodging around and playing race driver sounds
great until a move either direction results in serious damage, it's
just not possible in heavy traffic.
Stopping distance with modern antilock brakes is the same as without
these days, as I said, this isn't 1977, when Chrysler anti-lock brakes
WOULD increase stopping distance.
Peter
