Home Education & Training Short Course Catalog Applied Brake Controls Test Track Experience: ABS, TCS, and ESC

By attending this course, you will be able to:

• Define the trade-offs between ABS stability, ABS steerability, and vehicle stopping distance
• Analyze the compromises made during ABS transitions and split-coefficient deceleration
• Explain the benefits and limitations of engine-only TCS, brake-only TCS, and full-function TCS
• Evaluate the effectiveness of engine-only TCS, brake-only TCS, and full-function TCS
• Interpret ESC metrics and assess overall system performance
• Experience moding interactions between ABS, TCS, and ESC

Take notes.  Take a spin.  Repeat.  Six classroom modules (2 each for ABS, TCS and ESC!) are paired with six driving modules on a real-world ice and snow development test track in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  There's no better way to reinforce classroom learning than by grabbing the steering wheel.  All of the driving exercises have been specifically developed so that anyone can hop in the car and immediately link what you have just learned in the classroom.  As an added benefit an SAE Instructor will be riding along side you in the passenger seat to encourage, coach and answer any questions that you may have regarding the learnings in real time.  

Experience the vehicle dynamic enhancements afforded by anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control (TCS), and electronic stability control (ESC) with this highly interactive two-day course.  Designed to get you out of the classroom and on to the test track, a total of six 60-minute structured learning experiences behind the wheel will vividly illustrate the benefits, limitations, and ultimate compromises that must be made when designing and implementing modern brake control systems.

Vehicles used for demonstration will be capable of allowing participants to directly compare their best-unassisted driving performance to the enhanced vehicle dynamics provided with the systems fully enabled.  The course concludes with a brief exposure to the complex interactions between these technologies on a specially-prepared low-coefficient handling course.  Detailed course notes and illustrations are provided for on-the-job reference.  In order to cover all content and provide effective driving exercises, this course requires eight hours of instructional contact per day versus SAE's normal 6.5 per day.

The course has been approved by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR) for 16 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Upon completion of this course, accredited reconstructionists should email a copy of their course certificate of achievement to actaradmin@actar.org and pay the $10 participant CEU fee to ACTAR, using this link.