Originally posted by XKontour98:
Originally posted by Y2KMondeoSVT:
You're better off pushing in the clutch & using the brakes & taking advantage of something nice that came standard on your Contour/Mystique ... ANTILOCK BRAKES .
Best tip ... BLIZZAKS !!


Yep, no ABS on this 98Se, but do have the blizzaks!



My own experience is that ABS can actually *prolong* braking distances in a straight-line near- or zero-friction stop because the tires do *not* lock up. This has been verified in numerous independent tests. The reason is that when you lock the tires when coming to a stop, a wedge of slush/ice/snow or whatever slippery things happen to be under your tires forms on the leading edge of the tires' contact patch, helping you to reduce braking distance.

Of course the story would change in a curve, where in most cases ABS would be an advantage if you have to combine braking with turning..normally not a good idea, especially in slippery conditions. Mind you if your tires have too high of a slip angle ABS will just make it a slower trip into the ditch or a head on collision with that guy in the opposing lane of traffic. There's no substitute for smoothness. Make sure you look to where you want to go and a smooth, confident technique and incremental changes of steering angle and throttle position will get you there. Sawing the wheel will just upset the car's balance.

As has been numerously recounted, finish your braking before you turn the wheel. This goes for downshifting too. This is especially true on front-wheel drive cars where the steering and traction chores are shared by the same drive axle.

I've heard a lot of good things about Blizzaks, but must say my Finnish made Nokian WR's are an excellent choice. I have them in size 205/60HR15. They are severe winter service-rated and look pretty cool too

Nokian Tires

This is one of those things where everyone has an opinion (including me ) The reason some of the advice sound repetitive is because it's either a) true; or b) a good myth. You have to choose which is the case and only your own experience will tell you.



/Eric

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada '96 Mystique GS, ATX