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RE: ABS Question

Ira,

Do you ever have to drive in snow and/or ice or on wet pavement?  ABS is the
best thing to happen to automobiles since the seat belt.  It means that in
situations where the driver would otherwise be incapable of making the
correct braking maneuvers, the car can do the best it can at avoiding a
collision.

Example:  You're driving in cold/wet conditions, keeping your distance and
speed well within safe limits and suddenly the road beneath you turns to a
sheet of black ice.  Been there, done that.  ABS keeps all four feet in sync
and provides a best-fit braking profile to keep from sliding into all the
folks in front of you who tap their brakes, downshift, whatever, trying to
maintain control on this stuff and you just drive on through at 2mph until
you get past the ice patch.  Limited slip doesn't hurt in these situations
either.  

Yes you have to use your noodle, but you can't humanly manipulate a brake
pedal the way the computer can and keep all four wheels in agreement.  Do
you want four brake pedals?  For normal circumstances ABS is moot, but in
extreme conditions, i.e. New England where I'm from, ABS is great and I'll
never drive another car without it.  Period.

BTW, has anyone seen the "black ice sensors" that SAAB used to have?  It was
a photo-electric thing that lit a light on the dash if you encountered icing
conditions--probably a day late, but a cool idea.  Has BMW ever tried this?
I suppose a dozen cars into the guard rail provides a pretty good black ice
indicator. :-)



   Erich Whitney      ________
1989 E24 635CSiA    o/________\o
    Alpine White    (oo==OO==oo)
                    [ o= == =o ]