ABS brakes / Would you buy a Yaris without them?

[carnageehw]

Originally Posted by PK198105

pI mean if your ABS is constantly kicking in , maybe you should ask yourself :"what am i doing wrong?" i

I agree with this, even though it's kind of besides the point.

To whomever that said:" Do you have facebook/gas gauge/video editing/etc". You cannot compare technology that is used by an individual as a tool (facebook, OBD codes, pvr's) to technology that effectively takes the user out of the loop (traction control, abs, esc). Once a machine makes the decisions for the user it is no longer a tool but a replacement and the user becomes neutered. A gas gauge doesn't make a decision for you it merely informs you that your fuel level is low, it is a sensor and not a brain.

First off, it was a response to someone who said "why do you want computers to do everything for you?". Computers do many things for us, and are usually very helpful. So deriding someone who likes ABS as someone who needs a computers help is a strawman argument.

What you are saying is in fact a much better argument, in that the ABS takes control away from the user. However, all ABS does is prevent the wheels from locking. Something most people don't want to happen. When you need ABS, it's in an emergency situation, and most people (myself included) don't want to have to think about the exact threshold of when the brakes may or may not lock up. There's more important things to do.

You might be an awesome driver who never needs the ABS. I never, ever need it when I'm driving by myself. But what that means is that we don't have the practice of feeling the threshold. Honestly, how many times do you practice braking as hard as you can without the wheels locking up?

Fact is, in normal road conditions (re: no loose surfaces) studies have shown ABS to be a faster way of stopping your car than trying to not lock the brakes yourself. And in an emergency, why the hell would you even want to THINK about how to manipulate your foot?