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Comment Re:Lets skip to the heart of the matter (Score 1) 260

I choose a vehicle WITHOUT ABS, and a vehicle with a driver who knows how to use the brake pedal to stop the vehicle in a distance shorter than ABS ever can and with far more control.

Do you spend the majority of your time driving in thick gravel or snow? If so, then yes, you actually will be better without ABS. Of course, the reason won't be that you are such an expert driver, it will simply be that locked wheels will stop you faster in conditions where the tires can dig in. In fact, stopping in the shortest distance in such conditions takes no skill at all; just press the brakes hard to lock your wheels and keep them locked.

However, in circumstances where locking your wheels is not fastest way to stop, ABS will beat you. Why? Well, wheels kept just at the threshold of locking should provide the best braking power. Both you and the ABS try to achieve this. However, the ABS can 1: react faster than you can and 2: brake the wheels independently. An ABS that can do this (not all can, but the better ones have independent braking) does not have to sacrifice braking power on 3 wheels to avoid locking one (or, loose braking power on one wheel because it's locked in order to keep the others at the best level).

So, on hard surfaces any ABS can probably best you, and a good ABS can definitely best you. On excessively loose surfaces you may be able to stop in a shorter distance than the ABS, but at the cost of loosing maneuverability.

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