I have a feeling this post might be quite long and rambling
ABS is something nice to have for those unforseen times when people pull out etc. However, as a driver, you should always know that you can stop within the distance of your line of site. In other words, its no excuse that you rounded a bend and there was a horse or a cyclist - these are just things you have to expect as a driver. Expect the unexpected. Dont get me wrong, I give my 182 death when conditions allow, bt I'll always drive within my limits and my line of sight. If I cant see far ahead enough to stop at the speed I'm going then I'll be driving like Miss Daisy. I think this is something you learn with driving experience, and GENERALLY (discalimer) younger, less experienced drivers have not yet learnt this skill, which leads me on nicely to...
...the notion that all the Cups are getting written off because they dont have ABS. The Cups are not crashing, their (GENERALLY) younger drivers are crashing*. If you are about to crash because you've taken a bend too quickly, then you're going to bin it in a hedge regardless of whether or not you have ABS. ABS doesnt perform miracles. It wont make you stop any quicker. It doesnt mean your braking power remains the same as it was before the tyres lost grip. You'll still end up in the field. The only difference being the pedal will be hammering under your foot. Granted, ABS allows you to steer, but if you have already gotten out of shape then the odds are you're still going to be toast. My thoughts are that it certainly cant harm your chances of making it out the other side of the bend with a full compliment of wheels and no soil and grass jammed in your grill, but if you're a decent driver, you dont actually NEED ABS. The irony is that the people who do NEED it probably dont have the reactions to steer around an obstacle anyway.
ABS does have one massive drawback. Snow. In the Clio, at least, the ABS is so sensitive you literally cannot brake in the snow. Without it, the fronts dig into snow and cause a plough effect which slows the car. With it, you just sail on with almost zero braking effect at all. The Clio is my first car that has ABS and I was shocked at its braking in these conditions. You have to almost completely use gears to slow a Clio 182 in the snow. More so than in any other car I've driven (without ABS) I was a doubter of this concept until I first drove the 182 in snow...it's quite weird just feeling the pedal bounce back at you on the slightest feathering of your foot, while the car glides on regardless. Also the 182 is a DOG on compacted snow, zero grip, traction control on or off. Several months ago I was going backwards down a slight inlcine while trying to pull away in 3rd & even 4th, with traction on or off. Anyway thats a different topic...
ABS can also be a pain in the 'arris when you're driving even reasonably close to the limits. It'll often kick in when a wheel passes over a ripple or a bump when you know full well you have ample stopping distance left. I would prefer the Clio system to be slightly less sensitive, although I dont really have a frame of reference, as I've never given death to someone elses ABS equipped car :clown:
*These are the general views of Mr R Munson Esq. They are in no way linked to Cliosport.net. Cliosport.net will not accept any responsibilty if these views trigger 30 pages or discussion of young drivers
