I'm prefacing this with the fact that I have dunlop wintersport 3d's 225/45/17's at all 4 corners.
Last night I got caught out on an ice covered patch of road in a braking zone leading up to an intersection. Even with minimal to moderate brake pressure the ABS kicked in completely and nearly all brake pressure and performance was lost. The only way I avoided plowing into the intersection was by steering hard right. This caused the DSC system to kick in and the car was able to do a right quarterspin and the car slid to a stop sideways. Apparently, the DSC has the ability to override the ABS and selectively lock wheels when appropriate to maintain directional control.
ABS is wonderful in virtually all situations but I find that it hinders braking on ice. I've found that momentarily locking a wheel when you need to brake in a straight line is preferred. When driving a front wheel drive car, I was able to get around this problem by downshifting to 2nd or even 1st and slowly engage the clutch to use engine braking to effectively "lock" the fronts and slow. This same strategy would likely lead to a spin or loss of control in a RWD car.
While my snowtires have been fantastic in snow covered roads, their ice traction is still a bit lacking.
Does anyone have any thoughts/advice for braking on ice?
Last night I got caught out on an ice covered patch of road in a braking zone leading up to an intersection. Even with minimal to moderate brake pressure the ABS kicked in completely and nearly all brake pressure and performance was lost. The only way I avoided plowing into the intersection was by steering hard right. This caused the DSC system to kick in and the car was able to do a right quarterspin and the car slid to a stop sideways. Apparently, the DSC has the ability to override the ABS and selectively lock wheels when appropriate to maintain directional control.
ABS is wonderful in virtually all situations but I find that it hinders braking on ice. I've found that momentarily locking a wheel when you need to brake in a straight line is preferred. When driving a front wheel drive car, I was able to get around this problem by downshifting to 2nd or even 1st and slowly engage the clutch to use engine braking to effectively "lock" the fronts and slow. This same strategy would likely lead to a spin or loss of control in a RWD car.
While my snowtires have been fantastic in snow covered roads, their ice traction is still a bit lacking.
Does anyone have any thoughts/advice for braking on ice?