ABS

It can be very frightening. I keep meaning to fit an over-ride switch in the Lexus, instead I just avoid using it when the weather is freezing.

It can be very frightening. I keep meaning to fit an over-ride switch in the Lexus, instead I just avoid using it when the weather is freezing.

Yes it was rather alarming, as it seemed to reinforce the idea you should be using brakes on ice. The car was out of control.

Gareth.

I'd guess the Mazda 3 is similar to a Focus? My old 08 Mazda 3's ABS was quite violent on ice - a continuous locking of each wheel. And on electronic safety, I got a right crack on the head-against-door-frame when my 08 Mini's skid control kicked in as the car started to drift mid-corner.

My current Audi A3 (07) the ABS is more subtle, but comes on far more often - even relatively slow, coming up to a junction in the wet.

ABS must have improved a lot since the early days, I had an RS Turbo, and the abs made me worry it wouldn't stop on dry roads, releasing the brakes seemingly well before lock up, almost like having dual controls that could over-ride yours, most unpleasant for the driver. On dry roads locked wheels will stop the car in the shortest distance, no directional control of course .

Life saver when there is an opportunity to steer out of trouble, though.

Only once had to use it in earnest, I was closing at 70 on a convoy of cars doing 50 mph in the middle lane of a duel carriageway on a dead straight road at night; moved to the fast lane to pass and as I was passing the rear wing of the last one, he started to pull out. This left me with the brakes full on, ABS operating, two wheels on the gravel of the central reservation and six inches from the crash barrier, hoping he would stop before hitting me. The car (Mondeo IIRC) just went where I steered.

I had a similar thing happen on a single carriageway road, no where to swerve to, only braking available, so the hire van that had pulled out on me got the left hand side a bit, that cost me 500 quid 20 odd years ago, and I hope that the driver of the hire van got a similar bill.

The 06 Mazda 3 ABS and DSC was much more intrusive than the 08 Focus, even before the cunning Teves design failed after the warranty ended.