SilberGrauE60

An AW E60 slides past the camera on a slippery hill in Colorado Springs Thursday. It is the second car in the shot. All wheels appear locked. I thought ABS would pulse the brakes and you would see some slip, then release, then re-apply? Maybe traveling too slow for any effect?

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jm545i

ABS usually cuts out below a certain threshold, usually something like 2.5mph. That car looked like it was going faster than that, but I suppose once the wheels locked up fully, the ABS would have assumed the car was stopped. Looked like it might have accelerated a bit going down the hill.

jasperxli

what does ABS have to do this sliding around? your question should have been wasnt DTC/DSC working. and when you lose traction like that nothing will work because its like hydro-planing, your tires are already ON the water or in this case snow, so not even our intelligent e60s could prevent something like this

jm545i

Umm, presumably the guy wasn't sideways until his wheels fully locked up, something that ABS, in normal circumstances, seeks to prevent. I agree (and obviously the video shows, unless the guy turned DSC off!) that electronic systems won't do much of anything under zero traction. I think the question was dead on, and highlights the fact that ABS/DSC/DTC, ESP or anything else can't change the laws of physics, like you said.

Richard in NC

My only guess is ABS felt the car had stopped but gravity continued to slide the car. I wonder if the driver had tried letting up on the brake. Once rolling, ABS should have tried to prevent lockup.

luigi524td

Actually, depending on a number of factors, locked brakes will slow a car faster than cycling ABS - though cycling ABS will enable some steering.

That said, IMHO ABS, DSC, or even XYZ can only do so much when there is absolutely no traction and the laws of physics take over.

As slippery as that road appears nothing short of studded tires or chains would have prevented that car (YES, EVEN A BMW) from losing control. Of course, if the driver had been driving a little slower there might (just might) have been a better chance to recover from the slide than resulted in a collision.

aretardedorange

That is not a E60...that is a 8th gen accord.

stel_i79

finally...someone..notice that too!/// i play the video 3 times...all the way..and i did not see any e60..

jaycal3

Good catch... I think someone was still in a New Years Eve fog when posting this am!!!

jasperxli

LOL!!! well theres your reason!