Hi,
Last week there was some snow over here. Driving with my company car (Opel Astra stationwagon) I had a scary experience. This car is the first one with Antilock Braking System that I ever drove in snow. I had to slow down from a speed of about 40km/h (25mph) to stop for a red trafficlight to turn right. The lane for turning right was filled with snow, and about 40 meters long. The main lane which I was driving on, was less snowy, due to the tons of salt they put on the roads here if they suspect its going to be slippery. I started braking gently, but the ABS immediately came into action, resulting in a situation that I could indeed control the car, but I could not STOP the car. I tried to release the brake pedal even further, but ABS kept working. No brake action at all, and the only thing I could do was to turn right, even though the traffic light was red. Fortunately there was no other traffic on the junction. This whole thing left me with the feeling that without ABS it would have been tricky to not start sliding, but that I would have had a better chance to slow down, and probably stop the car in time. ABS worked fine for me on a few occasions, at much higher speeds, in wet conditions. But I seriously doubt the benefits of the system at low speeds in snow or ice. A colleague of mine had a similar experience the very same morning. Just thought I would write this down, and I am interested in your opinions and experiences.
Eric. The Netherlands.
93 Camry 2.2 auto.