Hello all,

As you know I got a 2004 Mustang GT for my first car and I was wondering if you could give me some tips for driving without Anti-Lock Brakes and Traction Control, as my car did not come with them. I am not really worried about driving in dry weather, but what about when I have to make an emergency stop in the rain? As you know we get a lot of rain in Houston so I was wondering about your opinions.

 

Simply put, slow down in the rain.

Not good enough answer? Ok...

Pretend you're a motorcycle. Better yet, go take an MSF course. I recommend Awesome Cycles, simply a great experience. That will give you some of *the* best information about how to handle a motorcycle... which really does an excellent job of translating into how to handle your car in all aspects... rain included.

Because a motorcycle is all about traction, and managing it. So is a non-abs, non traction control car: You have to manage your traction.

And the best reason I tell you about the MSF idea is this: They'll reinforce the idea of the 12-4-2 zones. As in: Keep your eyes looking for reasons you might have to be stopping suddenly... and maybe you'll take preventative action to not be in the situation in the first place, and therefore you'll keep in the traction.

Which all boils down to... slow down in the rain.

 

Just keep a long distance in the rain and you'll be fine.

 

In addition to those bits of advice, keep your tires properly inflated and make sure they are in good shape (tread depth) and good condition.

 

I didn't know you could get a GT without those features? Are you sure you don't have them?

 

This! I wish I could cite the study (IIRC I saw something about this during a "field trip" to Michelin's LPG), but tire pressure and the way it effects the contact patch while treading water is critical.

 

Yeah, IIRC the GT's fitted out with the Premium option came with ABS/TCS standard while on the Deluxe or whatever they called it either wasn't available or it was an extra cost option.

 

Pump the brakes. Even on snow & ice you can usually regain traction if during one of the pumps you feel slippage because you applied too much pressure. [Unless you were driving crazy around a sharp turn on the edge of a cliff... ] Then pump again continuously until you've slowed down to traction speed.

Heck I still do with ABS. Years of habit from driving SRA's in snow.