How ABS works

[Jackalope]

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.

[Exian]

I haven't done the research, so I'll just ask here: Will the google cars do anything to prevent traffic jams? (The irony that I'm not googling this isn't lost on me)

[JuliaL]

I haven't done the research, so I'll just ask here: Will the google cars do anything to prevent traffic jams? (The irony that I'm not googling this isn't lost on me)

By networking the cars and the city traffic control, congestion should be reduced. There is also the coordination and cooperation between cars at points like red lights, stoplights and merging. I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see only video displays inside (no windows) to avoid scaring the occupants with what appear to be close calls or near misses.

[fr0d0]

Playing inside are videos, web sessions and communication services. Who cares about what's going on outside

[Surgenator]

Why did the dog with ABS-ON take longer to stop? Was he going faster?

This depends if your comparing tires that would of locked up or not. If the tires lock up, the breaking force would drastically decrease since the tires are slipping. If the tires would not lock up, the constant pulsing of the breaks produces a lower average braking force compared to no pulsing.

[JuliaL]

Why did the dog with ABS-ON take longer to stop? Was he going faster?

This depends if your comparing tires that would of locked up or not. If the tires lock up, the breaking force would drastically decrease since the tires are slipping. If the tires would not lock up, the constant pulsing of the breaks produces a lower average braking force compared to no pulsing.

I was kidding.
Clearly the dog on the right was locked up for the full drag.
The idea of ABS is that you don't ever halt the wheel. The system is supposed to detect wheel slowing and release the brake so as to not skid. You're right that a skidding wheel provides less braking force. Thus the average braking for the ABS system (non skidding) is greater than the non-ABS (skidding) system and the dog on the left should have stopped shorter. The joke was supposed to revolve around the fact that dogs don't really have ABS brakes so the ABS/nonABS stopping distance question was absurd. Clearly it didn't work. Sorry.