Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)

When you brake hard on a slippery road surface, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) prevents the wheels from locking, so you can still steer safely. When wheels lock they cannot transmit cornering forces, meaning you lose control of the car. To stop this from happening, the ABS control unit uses wheel speed sensors to monitor the rotational speed of each wheel. If it detects a wheel about to lock, a solenoid valve (an electromechanical valve that regulates the flow of fluid to the brakes) in the anti-lock braking system's central control reduces the brake pressure at the wheel in question until it starts to rotate freely again. The pressure is subsequently increased to the lock-up threshold again. As a result the car remains stable and is still fully steerable, letting you avoid obstacles or a collision, while still slowing down as fast as possible. The latest anti-lock braking system, fitted in all our models, repeats this process many times a second.