The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is the most important active safety system for passenger cars, but unfortunately the literature is not really precise about its description, stability and performance. This research improves a five-phase hybrid algorithm based on wheel deceleration and validate it on a tyre-in-the-loop laboratory facility. Five relevant effects are modelled so that the simulation matches the reality. Two methods to deal with the time delays are proposed. It can be verified that the limit cycle of the ABS encircle the optimal braking point without having any tyre parameter a priori known.