Doing a handbrake turn to avoid an accident in an ABS vehicle?

[gopinathann]

I wanted to know how do we handle a situation when we don't have enough time to stop with an ABS fitted car, identifying an sudden object coming in front of us, say a lorry comes and stops in the middle of the road. Is it possible to drift the car to 180 to reduce the speed and stop it(when both the sides are empty).

Please throw your thoughts on this.

[revvedup]

Wrong section mods please move this to the appropiate section. BTW,What you are talking about is actually a handbrake turn and not a drift although there is something called a handbarke drift, but anways here you go from the master Tiff Needell himself. Although be careful doing this on a car with a high C of G at too high a speed can make your car go turtle.
YouTube - Fifth Gear - Handbrake Turn
For more extreme driving techniques refer to this thread
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/collec...e-driving.html (The Manual On Extreme Driving!)

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by gopinathann

I wanted to know how do we handle a situation when we don't have enough time to stop with an ABS fitted car, identifying an sudden object coming in front of us, say a lorry comes and stops in the middle of the road. Is it possible to drift the car to 180 to reduce the speed and stop it(when both the sides are empty).

Please throw your thoughts on this.

Yikes!! Terrible idea!!!!

Ill tell you why i think so :

1. ABS is designed to let you STEER so you can avoid obstacles during hard braking if you have the chance to steer around them / change lanes etc.
>> if you are going sideways - its useless.

2. Crumple zones are designed to decelerate the car as gradually as possible to reduce the impact on the passengers as much as possible.
>> you wont get to use these if you are going sideways. Not to mention that there is about 3" between you and the object you are about to hit when you are going sideways, instead of 3-4feet!

3. Seatbelts.....
>> ...wont help you if you crash into a lorry sideways

4. Front airbags....
>> ...wont help you if you crash into a lorry sideways

5. Curtain airbags (if you are lucky enough to have them) will provide some protection...
>>.... but nowhere as much as a seatbelt + front airbag

6. Going sideways is not going to slow the car down any faster than locking your brakes and going striaght IMO - so then why even bring ABS into the equation.

cya
R

[RPMPKDMFF]

Originally Posted by gopinathann

I wanted to know how do we handle a situation when we don't have enough time to stop with an ABS fitted car, identifying an sudden object coming in front of us, say a lorry comes and stops in the middle of the road. Is it possible to drift the car to 180 to reduce the speed and stop it(when both the sides are empty).

Please throw your thoughts on this.

Brake as much as possible, then turn the steering enough to go around and continue on your way... that is why you have ABS, it is there so that you will not get you brakes locked, which you will end up doing if you go into the handbrake turn.

[headers]

Have not tried as none of my cars have ABS..someone pls lend an ABS car to try Handbrake turns!!

[dadu]

Thats what the ABS is meant for, steer away, why would you want to use the handbrake and IMO you wont have the reflexes to do it in time too.

But assuming you manage to...

- A SUV will definitely topple

- Side impact beams will give you some protection (if your vehicle has those) apart from what Rehaan posted.

[Cyrus43]

Double Yikes!!
Sound like you are trying to get a part in the New Fast and Furious movie??
Anyways people above have already explained the Advantages of ABS so i need not say anything more.

[simplythebest]

CArs with ABS have a normal handbrake. Atleeast my skoda does.

I can do a normal handbrake turn just like my old esteem.

Overcoming the 205 tyres and better balance of the car to do it on tarmac is another story. Easy enough on a wet road or sand.

OT: while driving the skoda car on the track, I tried a bit of handbrake to help bring the back around. It didn't snap like an esteem at all. I could hear the wheels locking, but very little oversteer.

[SirAlec]

With handbrake if you are in great speed there is a great chance that you will topple your car.

Cut maro yaar!!!

[drkhalsa]

It seems to be interesting topic as I never knew how ABS worked .
Actually person using ABS should be educated about it to use it effectively as in Case of ABS you have apply constant Pressure on Brakes for best results Instead of Pumping brakes on conventional braking system( non ABS)

There is very good ABS education article FAQ here if some body want to read

ABS Frequently Asked Questions