Originally posted by Cool Blue Mystique:
To the person (persons) who recommended threshold braking...when you're driving 70 in the freeway and an animal bolts across the road infront of you, what do your instincts tell you to do? Pump the brakes? I think not!
Of course you think not, your 15. You need ABS. After your driving for, say, 20 years, or after taking a few Bondurant Courses or such, your instinct may be to threshold brake rather than panic like a teenager (Assuming you are better than the unwashed masses). Have you thought about what would happen if a fuse blew at a crucial time and you had to make an emergency stop without ABS? Would you be prepared?
This recently happened to me (in October) in my Escort (no ABS). A car suddenly backed out of a driveway in front of me. I was doing 35 in a 40, so speeding was not the issue. I didn't lock em up, I braked very hard (Tires protesting but not skidding), went over to the other side of the road, veered back into my lane (to avoid oncoming traffic) and managed to stop shaking 5 minutes later. If I was like you are now,young, inexperienced, without ABS, I probably would of locked them up and slid into him. If your ABS went out, you would be unable to control your vehicle.
I tell you what, if you have a blow out at high speed, with one wheel turning faster than the other, the ABS will think your skidding and refuse to give you the braking you may want. I have had blowouts, front, rear (rear are hairy) and if you panic and jam the brakes you will lose it. And ABS may not let you get all the braking you want either. Takes a experienced driver to avoid panic and bring their vehicle to a controlled stop.
Try driving an 80,000Lb GVW Tractor trailer. Stopping is difficult. You need to drive a 1000 ft ahead of yourself and plan all your moves. Sudden moves are a guarantee of a jack-knife or rollover. Braking is even more fun with 5 axles and air brakes are much more difficult to modulate than our little cars. And if you hit someone in a car, you are more than likely to kill them. A Professional Driver (which you are not, yet) learns to control his vehicle and not panic in an emergency.
This calmness under pressure comes from practice, training and experience. These things take time. You may be better at 20, you may not. But you aren't near there yet.
