ABS or No ABS

Do you still have ABS in your car

  • Yes it's working

    Votes: 51 68.0%

  • No I took it out

    Votes: 9 12.0%

  • I'm not sure if it's working or not

    Votes: 15 20.0%
  • Total voters
    75
S

Stephen@NCAutoUSA

Legendary Member
Joined
15 November 2006
Messages
4,161
Location
New Orleans
I'm wondering who has and hasn't removed their abs system and if there's any benefit or other drawbacks other then locking up your tires easier.

Also a side note, my cars so loud I can't tell if my abs system is working or not. I'm going to assume not because on the wet my tires lock up and I slide.
 
I've been debating this for awhile as well. Theres been lots of discussion and many think losing the ABS is a terrible idea. It's big/ugly/heavy and something I've never needed. My only concern is resale value way down the road when it's time to sell.
 
the more elegant solution that reduces weight and simplifies the solenoid problems is the later year abs upgrade kit.
 
docjohn said:
the more elegant solution that reduces weight and simplifies the solenoid problems is the later year abs upgrade kit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who is going to go out and buy such an expensive thing just to upgrade a seldom needed application? Oh, wait..... :-!
 
Last edited:
The problem is the 1st gen just doesn't work very well. The pulse rate is much much slower.

It's ideal to swap to the newer units but as you noted.. Expensive $$$

I'll be taking mine out until I can find a newer one for sale. I find that with BBKs the brakes are easier to modulate anyway. I use to lock them up more often on the stock calipers. The last time I took my NSX out in foul weather was probably 4yrs ago. I worry more about hydroplaning than panic stops in the wet.

Hope this helps.
 
Will running a F/R BBK feel any different without ABS than with stock brakes without ABS.?
RYU said:
The problem is the 1st gen just doesn't work very well. The pulse rate is much much slower.

It's ideal to swap to the newer units but as you noted.. Expensive $$$

I'll be taking mine out until I can find a newer one for sale. I find that with BBKs the brakes are easier to modulate anyway. I use to lock them up more often on the stock calipers. The last time I took my NSX out in foul weather was probably 4yrs ago. I worry more about hydroplaning than panic stops in the wet.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
 
davidf said:
Will running a F/R BBK feel any different without ABS than with stock brakes without ABS.?
Click to expand...

they will still lockup either way. i just feel that with the bbk i can brake harder before lockup. the modulation of the pedal is better.

- - - Updated - - -

the feel with 4 corner bbks is noticeably diff btw. tires make a big difference too. I'll lock up nall season tires equally as badly on any brake setup i reckon.
 
I have 91 and I did 2002+ ABS upgrade and it's night and day difference. It's spendy but IMO, it's worth the money.
One of the reason I didn't go with ABSless is I track rain or shine. Also, having ABS gives me an extra peace of mind.
 
Agree with the pros for the newer ABS comments. When my 98 ABS gave up, I was able to lock-up the front tires at will with BBK. With the new ABS (I was the first guinea pig on a 97+ model year, one key design change part turned out be needed), the modulation is very subtle and there is a night and day difference (when compared to no ABS scenario).

With BBK, the lock-up scenarios with no ABS will be magnified because you have more clamping torque and yet using the same tires.
 
Greg-TT said:
I have 91 and I did 2002+ ABS upgrade and it's night and day difference. It's spendy but IMO, it's worth the money.
One of the reason I didn't go with ABSless is I track rain or shine. Also, having ABS gives me an extra peace of mind.
Click to expand...
ditto, night and day difference in my mind now that i have done this and have had several track days before and after install this would be my first ever upgrade when it comes to the brakes, i think it is a great option even at that price way better than a BBK
 
The new ABS is much better.
The original does not pulse as fast, and will run out of pressure at turn two. So on the track you only really have ABS for one consecutive turn. In the wet, that may be an issue, because two turns in a row the brakes will react differently. (not good)
The new ABS is better, pulses faster, doesn't depend on pressure to operate, is consistent, and doesn't require flushing or any other maintenance. But it is a fairly expensive route. Approximately the price of a set of wheels, or maybe a new exhaust.

My solution, was to remove the original ABS, rebuilt the modulator, sell all the components (accumulator, pump, modulator as rebuilt) to people that need it, and use the funds to pay for the new system. I believe it cost me <$900.00 to get the new ABS system on my '91, and others were able to get their system working as well. (win, win) It is pretty easy to rebuild the early modulator.
 
I just bought the upgrade kit and hope to install it before I ship my car from Hawaii to California in a couple of weeks. I'm working on many other upgrades/refinements to my car.
I plan on doing a cross country iLIFT(TM) demo tour and driving to NSXPO where I hope to track the twin turbo car for the first time. (thought to myself... breaks might be good!)
Then I'll drive to the north west and down to Vegas to attend SEMA in November before driving it back to San Diego to ship the car back home to Hawaii.
A couple of years ago I got to ride for 20 minutes in a very fast (550 WHP) race-modified NSX built by Shad and it had upgraded ABS. I used to race winged formula cars and I never experienced that level of late and hard braking as I did in that modified NSX. Made me think it might be worth the upgrade.
 
RYU said:
I think we all can agree the updated/newer ABS system is better.

How do you guys feel about no ABS vs. old ABS? This can either be a no BBK or with BBK discussion.

I've been going back and forth on this for years now.
Click to expand...

Id like to hear all of you guys opinions on this post as well.
 
On our LoveFab car (which has Stoptech front and stock rear calipers), Cody deleted all the heavy ABS hardware and went with a race car like dual Tilton Master setup with cockpit adjustible bias.

I got it dialed in on a road course in the wet and it now works well on the track or street in all conditions.

Don't know what it might cost to duplicate, but it's a thought.....

Brian
 
getting back to the original question, the only times i have used abs in the 4 years i've had the car are when i slam on the brakes very hard on purpose just to exercise it so it won't seize up from nonuse.i know there may be one panic stop when i'm glad i have it ,but i have thought seriously about disconnecting it, so i would also like to hear from those who have removed it.
 
im considering removing the fuse for a while to see how o like it. will also keep it disconnected at the next rrack event.

whats the best way to disable w/o causing cel or limp mode issues? funny... i feel like i should know this. pulling the fuse is the answer i reckon.
 
I used to pull the fuse(clock upfront) and found no real benefits the way i drive on track so I have it enabled.I'm pretty easy on my brakes,thats my style.
 

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