rabakshoe brought up an important and often neglegted point. a few threads over the past year have had ppl post this. the most effective way to use the ABS. in fact, THE way to use it.
you're supposed to panic with the ABS. slam and pin the brake pedal to the floor and swerve away of whatever object that is in front of u by turning the wheel.
when in our average road car, with our average driver skills, most of u will agree that when a real emergency situation occurs, we will almost always brake until the tires lock up and screech. in this typical situation, u have to forgive that 99% of us will SURELY never manage to react quick enuff to modulate our foot pressure to keep traction (utter panic hence the term "jam brake"). this leads to the steering rendered useless to help u move left/right to avoid whatever is in front. hai lat.
yes, im sure most of u know this already. for the sake of comparison, i felt the need to mention it and u know we get new drivers everyday who dont know these things yet. now the problem is, even ppl who got ABS are sometimes not properly educated in the way to use it effectively. whenever a person slams the brake on an ABS equipped car, he/she will definitely feel a vibration in the pedal. many ppl who arent accustomed to this "feedback" will make the mistake of letting go (mostly due to the feeling that something is wrong. like "WTF??") this is the most common mistake ABS users make. with ABS, u're supposed to plant your foot on the brake and forget about it. all u need to do is turn the steering if u have room to maneuvre ur car out of the impending danger in front.
that vibration is actually not meant as a feedback to the driver, it is the side effect of the ABS at work. when a person lightens his foot pressure out of surprise, the threshold whereby the ABS is supposed to kick in is not reach, in other words; its the same as not braking at all. like rabakshoe said, got ABS oso no use :D its funny how in reality, most of us do the opposite of how each braking system is meant to use :lol:
in regards to ABS in motorsports,
the governing body of most motorsports events disallow ABS equipped cars from several "reasons" (rest assured, i dont understand and agree on some of them either :D hehe).
1. Despite popular conception, ABS does help a racer race better. a car that doesnt have it tires locking can brake much later and trail braking into a corner is ultimately easier to do; u can full throttle on the straights longer before starting to brake.
2. One consequence from no. 1 is; overall racing speeds are higher. with higher speeds, risks increase. you've heard of certain events that impose maximum speed limit. they dont always state it obviously, but its for safety reasons.
3. In the case of the FIA, braking was decided to be left as the "sternest test" of driver skill; thus ABS was banned (like active suspension before it) as it was acknowledged as "Driver Aids". the full information can be read here
http://www.formula1.com/insight/technicalinfo/11/477.html
i know that most of the other aspects of these regulations doesnt correlate to lesser track events or road race cars, but i strongly advise u guys to read up on other technical ruling and aspects of F1 racing (on the navigation bar to the left)
*There are other reasons that I am not able to cover here (some i oso dunno lah :p hoping others would add)
The advances in R&D and technology have churned out unbelievably good ABS systems nowadays. believe me when i tell u that if given a choice, raceteams would definitely keep the ABS in their racing cars. mind you if the regulations werent as they are now, these will NOT the everyday ABS u see. its the law that prevents a development of a RACE bias ABS, not bcoz ABS suck in the track, as many would tell u. the advantage of predictable and controllable trail braking (in-corner) and more speed time on the straights FAR outweigh the weight or cumbersome issue of typical ABS control units and pumps.
And then there's pride. in the end, a driver gets to choose which system he is most comfortable with. in these days where there are still super sifus around in their golden years, some shun ABS out of pride. its totally personal choice and attitude. a driver may think that braking without ABS is cooler and earn bragging rights. some believe in staying true to the sport and strive to hone 'true' braking skills, while others who care about nothing other than winning may accept whatever makes them faster, including ABS. the human side is the biggest variable in the whole issue. at the end of the day, its up to you. the only difference is how well educated u are to talk the talk AND walk the walk. the question of whether "race drivers dont need ABS" is totally up to individual taste. Driver A cant simply generalize what drivers feel. Drivers are bound to the regulations. if ABS were allowed, some drivers would definitely like it and be good with it.
This may piss some of u, but in conclusion, the "Driver A" 's statement of "ABS is for stupid ppl" is not entirely false. I dont agree with his choice of word bcoz "stupid" is too strong and harsh. however I do agree that ABS is for the unfortunate lot of us (me included) who are less skilled at braking during emergency situations. if that can be called stupid la..
to me it is a driver's aid and a safety aid/precaution on the road. and a race aid too. the only mistake is, Driver A yelled his sentiments out of rage while trying to defend his pride on "Say NO to ABS" :lol: i bet he'll jam his brake and his balls in a near collision situation :D
