[s-cars] Stopping - Tire patch questions

[Linus Toy]

Richard wrote ...

> I don't know if I follow you on the modulation. On my car w/o
> anti-locking brakes modulation is important. But on my S2
> with anti-locking brakes on the car I don't understand the
> need. You can stomp on the brakes as hard as you want and the
> electronics do the modulation for you i.e. keep you at or
> near the threshold. Or am I missing something as usual?

For 90-95% of the people/time, I agree...ABS does the necessary modulation to
keep from locking up the brakes, leaving the driver with directional control.
BTW, I'd put myself in the 90-95% of the people.  What the big brakes do,
though is make the heavy application of brakes less of an on-off switch,
crossing you over into ABS mode.

A practiced, skilled driver can beat ABS stopping distance results, at least
for the ABS systems on cars of our era (though I can't speak to what's on later
cars--technology has surely improved since the early 90s, hasn't it?)

ABS systems are not likely programmed to take the car to the very threshhold of
maximum braking effectiveness...in large part (I believe) due to the many
variables to contend with--road conditions, tire compounds, brake pad
differences, production tolerances, owner maintenance & skill, etc.  If the ABS
system were programmed right to the limit, one of these things a bit beyond
tolerance might result in a locked wheel and lower directional control.


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Linus Toy, linust at mindspring.com, Mercer Island, WA
For Sale:  '91 Audi 200q, IA ///+, big red brakes, H&R, Bilsteins, more :)
www.mindspring.com/~micarnut
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