No Breaks for Noise

This article highlights the fact that engineers who design and test anti-lock brake systems (ABS) have been trying to come up with ways to minimize the noise and vibration that drivers hear and feel when they stomp on the brake pedals. The ABS engineers want drivers to do during a panic stop is to let their feet off the brakes. According to the engineers, braking should be the concern, because the less time the driver worries about stopping the car, the more time there is to concentrate on steering it. The mechanical components in both systems are functionally identical, consisting of a brake pedal, a master cylinder and booster, hydraulic lines and fluid, wheel calipers, brake pads, and rotors. In fact, unless the system is actuated by hard braking, ABS acts just like an ordinary disc brake system. Engine noise would only mask the ABS noise reaching the binaural head, which sits inside the passenger compartment where a driver would normally be.