Originally Posted by
CarNut
Don't mean to nitpick or to hijack the thread, but ABS won't stop you from sliding. If the tires don't have any traction, then ABS won't help you stop, just like all or four wheel drive won't help you go. ABS is designed to allow you to control (steer) the car, and in SOME circumstances to stop in a shorter distance.
Couldn't agree with you more. I've had many situations in newer cars with the brakes applied full, and I'm still rolling towards what I need to avoid. I had a situation last Christmas in a Volvo S40 which had low-pro tires. I applied the brakes in snow and went sliding sideways. In the case of this Venture, I'd be willing to bet the tires were balder than Homer Simpson, yet I know it didn't have ABS because the front tires locked up when braking in snow. I felt no pulsation at all that one would feel in an ABS-equipped car. Like an earlier poster said, it was likely a fleet model.