I'm afraid that Simon is misrepresenting this link. I quote directly from
the page
-------
Do cars with ABS stop more quickly than cars without?
ABS is designed to help the driver maintain control of the vehicle during
emergency braking
situations, not make the car stop more quickly. ABS may shorten stopping
distances on wet
or slippery roads and many systems will shorten stopping distances on dry
roads. On very
soft surfaces, such as loose gravel or unpacked snow, an ABS system may
actually lengthen
stopping distances. In wet or slippery conditions, you should still make
sure you drive
carefully, always keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you,
and maintain a
speed consistent with the road conditions.
--------
This is exactly what was discussed on the list and is consistent with
reports from those
well versed with ABS in practice. The cases where ABS lengthens stopping
distances
(loose gravel, unpacked snow) were discussed on the list.
To make the blanket statement "NHTSA says ABS increases braking distance!"
is a gross
case of misrepresenting the NHTSA and its site
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Matthews" <simon_atwork@hotmail.com>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2000 4:47 PM
Subject: NHTSA says ABS increases braking distance!
> Check out this link:
>
> http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/equipment/ABSBRAKES.html
>
>
|