Racing with or without abs is a subject that had been discussed many times without a definitive answer. In this blog we will tell what are the advantages and disadvantages of racing with ABS.
The most important argument you will hear is that driving without abs will have a shorter braking distance than with abs. However they compete two different things together. That situation describes braking perfectly without abs, and just brainlessly mashing the pedals with abs. If you brake in the same way your braking distance will be the same or shorter if your car has installed ABS. It is a fact that the Porsches in the Porsche cup with abs have shorter track times than the ones without. These professional racers you can describe as good racers, so still there is something good to the ABS. However there are some things you have to pay attention to to see wether you can better use abs or not.
What type of ABS are we talking about?
The one is ABS is not the other. Most of them are good enough for an emergency situation, but not to improve your time. The most important factor is the frequency of the system. The higher the frequency the more stable the car is and you will be more able to control it. Also the ABS should be adjustable per wheel. Older systems are not independent which will result in unbalance while braking. Modern cars usually do not have problems with it. If your car has an electric gas pedal then make sure that you can floor it after you stop braking, as the modern systems usually have a several second delay after going in abs mode. This will decrease your times.
What is the condition of the surface?
ABS works the best at whet and dry weather on good asphalt, but as soon as you get in a different situation you will get better times with a car without ABS. Some examples of this are racing on gravel or snow for example. While driving on snow its better to lock the wheels, as you plough through the snow and reach the tarmac below so you will get grip. Also bad tarmac will usually lead to worse abs performance.
Whats the type of race?
Using abs is dependant on the type of race. For example you will prefer to drive without abs when you are drifting, as you want to block your wheels. At endurance races such as Le mans you need ABS as your tyres will last longer and you do not have to get to the pits that many times.
Nostalgia
An argument to not use abs is is where to draw the line. With abs your pet dog could brake as good as you and this has nothing to do with talent anymore. A lot of people think racing is a a fight between man and machine and you shouldnt use too many tools with that. If you want to use abs, why not use an automatic racing transmission, electronic throttle, launch control etc. It also makes you a bit lazy during races.
klik om bericht in nederlands te lezen