(January 1, 2015 at 8:43 pm)professor Wrote: Thanks Cthulhu, for your input. I stand corrected.
Racers don't like it, but for most drivers you're right.
Most drivers aren't nearly as skilled as professional race drivers, of course.
You'd be surprised what a little automation can do. My Mustang has both four-wheel ABS and traction control (which can be turned off). Despite being a rear wheel drive car with a high horsepower to weight ratio (compared to typical passenger cars), it actually is damn difficult to lock up the wheels or lose traction on ice. I mean, you've got to really work at it. You'd never run with TC on in a drag race, of course.
On slick driving surfaces, I'll trade a little control of my brakes over to a computer when I screw up and cause the wheels to lock to a computer any day if it means I'll keep directional control. You really learn to appreciate ABS the first time it kicks in because it allowed you to retain control of your vehicle, when you otherwise wouldn't have.
Your point regarding having more parts to break has merit. However, I have had to twice replace a wheel sensor (which is the weak point of the system), and in both cases, the failure was detected, and the onboard computer just shut off the vehicle's ABS control, and the brakes continued to function fine.
