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Re: Brake Trouble! UPDATE!

To: Paul Hunt <paul.hunt1@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Brake Trouble! UPDATE!
From: Charles & Peggy Robinson <ccrobins@ktc.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:55:22 -0500
   Seems like you're making a lot of assumptions here.  Do you actually 
know of any cars the were thrown "under the wheels of a truck" by ABS? 
I have to comment that the ABS in your '89 Celica can't be all bad. 
After all, you're still alive!  ;^)

   Let's face it, nothing's perfect.  ABS tries to make the car stop in 
a straight line, that's all.  The driver still has the ultimate 
responsibility.

   CR

Paul Hunt wrote:
> But the pulsing does involve releasing as soon as it starts to lock, and 
> reapplying as soon as it is rotating freely.  Thus over time one wheel 
> could easily be applying much less retardation to the car than the 
> other.  Unless you are saying that the modulation is applied to *both* 
> wheels equally.  But I was under the impression that 4-channel ABS, 
> which is pretty-well universal now and has been for some time, controls 
> each wheel independently. My 89 Celica has independent hydraulic lines 
> from the actuator to each brake, but it isn't clear that they are 
> controlled fully independently or not.  The manual does state "The 
> function of the ABS is to maintain directional stability and vehicle 
> steerability on most road conditions". Note 'directional stability'.  It 
> seems that any system that throws you under the wheels of a truck as 
> soon as you get a bit of ice under one wheel is fundamentally flawed.  
> Mind you, I've always thought the concept was flawed anyway.  the manual 
> also states "Enables steering round an obstacle ... even when panic 
> braking".  Anyone who is 'panic' braking is unlikely to have the 
> presence of mind to steer round something that has suddenly appeared in 
> front of them.  I hate the bloody thing.
> 
> PaulH.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
>>   The answer is that ABS pulses the brake application instead of just 
>> releasing the brake on the wheel with lesser traction.
>>
>>> So what *does* stop ABS throwing your car into a ditch or under a 
>>> truck if one front wheel has grip and the other doesn't?




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