Dayton Daily News

Wheels: An e-mail from Bruce says, “A family member (sister-in-law) made a comment to me one day that she could wait to apply the brakes because they stop faster and in a shorter distance since she has all four wheels with ABS. I told her she was nuts. The ABS only prevents skidding and keeps the car in line by not allowing the wheels to lock up. This allows her to keep control of the car, but waiting longer to apply the brakes is just asking for an accident, because ABS brakes do not stop the car in a shorter distance and especially, not shorter if you simply wait too long to apply the brakes. Can you help explain this to her?”

Halderman: I agree with you that a driver should not delay applying the brakes. As you indicated, antilock braking systems (ABS) are not a type of brakes, but rather include sensors and the hydraulic control unit that controls the operation of standard brakes. The brakes at each wheel are almost the same as the brakes on a similar vehicle not equipped with ABS. So what are the differences? If equipped with ABS, the additional components include:

Wheel speed sensors located at the wheels or differential assembly in the rear on many trucks; and

An electro-hydraulic control unit that pulses the brakes on and off if a skid is detected by the wheel speed sensors.

As you stated, vehicles equipped with antilock brakes cannot stop in a shorter distance than non-ABS-equipped vehicles. The major purpose of antilock brakes is to provide vehicle control during braking. In fact, a vehicle can stop in a shorter distance in deep snow and gravel if the vehicle is not equipped with antilock brakes. Under these conditions, the wheels tend to cause the gravel and the snow to build up in front of the tires, reducing the stopping distance. The bottom line: Always drive cautiously and brake early to save gasoline and reduce wear on brakes and tires.

Wheels: Dave writes, “I own a 1987 Fiero GT. After resetting the clock for the time change in April, I noticed that I lose my station settings when the car is shut off. The radio plays OK. I checked the fuse and it appeared to be OK. The horn also ceased to operate at about the same time. Could the two failures be related?”

Halderman: Yes, the two items are related. There are two circuits to the radio, and each is protected by a separate fuse. The radio fuse that you checked was the one that provides power to operate with the ignition on. The other circuit receives power from the battery at all times, and it is this circuit that feeds the clock, maintains the radio station and feeds the horn circuits. When you reset the clock, something may have occurred that caused the fuse to blow. This fuse should be checked and replaced if needed, and then the radio checked for proper operation.