Is ABS in vehicles usefull on roads ?

► More about ABS & EBD Braking system

An anti-lock braking system or anti-skid braking system (ABS) is an automobile safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to maintain tractive contact with the road surface according to driver inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up (ceasing rotation) and avoiding uncontrolled skidding. It is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking and cadence braking which were practiced by skillful drivers with previous generation braking systems. It does this at a much faster rate and with better control than many drivers could manage.

► Why ABS is Important ?

For some people, skidding and sliding on the road is supposed to be fun. This is especially true for racers, and more so for drifters. But for all other “normal” people, wheels locking up on the road is a very bad thing. Because:

► You are not using the full braking potential of the tires, so braking distance will increase substantially.

► You will most likely lose some, if not all control of your vehicle when the wheels lock up.

► Your tires will wear out much more quickly.

Let me share with you a practical example of how useful ABS can be in real life.

During my recent 4000 km trip around India on my Duke 390, there were quite a number of occasions where I had to panic brake from 120-140 kmph down to a dead stop, and quite quickly. Like when I was going from Kota to Indore, a stray dog suddenly came in front of my bike and I could do nothing but push both the front and rear brake with everything I had.

Because my Duke 390 comes equipped with ABS, even braking so hard at such high-speed didn’t cause me to skid and kiss the tarmac. This is extremely important, especially for the crazy road conditions in India. The best part about ABS is that it is sensitive to where you are riding. Like if you are on a stretch with sand and small pebbles, it is much more likely that you will skid easily, so the ABS will start intervening quite heavily. On a good piece of asphalt, you may never even feel it is there.► More about ABS & EBD Braking system

► Should you buy an ABS vehicle ?

Absolutely! I can’t even imagine riding a bike now that doesn’t come with ABS, it would be such high stress on my tiny brain. Unfortunately, ABS doesn’t come as standard on almost all vehicles in India. In bikes it is available only on very high-end machines, in cars only on the top variants. I don’t think I would every buy any vehicle again without this sweet piece of tech.

ABS is a true hero in my book, from the outside you can’t even tell it is there, but on the inside it is like your savior angel. Working in the shadows, saving your life and others as well!

► Why is it important to have ABS brakes in cars in India ?

Many new car buyers in India are not willing to pay the extra costs for the option of ABS brakes in the new car they are buying. We want to highlight the importance of ABS brakes and how it can be a life saver in emergency braking situations, especially during the rainy season in India, when the roads are wet.

ABS brakes prevents the car wheels from locking and skidding when braked hard on a slippery road. With ABS brakes you can steer the car with full brakes applied, even on very slippery roads. With ABS brakes the braking distance for a car to come to a full stop is much shorter than if there where no ABS brakes.

Another advantage of ABS brakes is that it increases the life of tyres on Indian roads. When you brake hard a car without ABS Brakes the tyres skid and the area of the tyre in contact with the road gets worn out. Frequent use of hard braking on Indian roads lead to the tyre getting worn out in different areas on the tyre and this leads to the tyre getting out of balance and causing vibrations. Also the life of a tyre in a car with ABS brakes is much longer than on a car without ABS brakes.

► New developments in ABS brakes :

New developments in ABS brakes are 'Electronic Brakeforce Distribution' or EBD, Traction Control System or TCS, Emergency Brake Assist or EBA and Electronic Stability Control or ESC. These are all improvements on the basic ABS breaking system. Electronic Brakeforce Distribution EBD electronically adjusts the break force on each wheel individually to just below the skidding point of that wheel, Emergency Brake Assist EBA assists the driver in applying full force on the brake pedal when he applies brakes in a panic during an emergency.► More about ABS & EBD Braking system

►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

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