abs delete? worth it?

[richard.bratton]

The ABS system in E30s may be old but works really well. I've driven with and without in the same car and there is no change in pedal feel. I can't think of any compelling reason to remove the ABS system...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC

[M3 Ryan]

Most cars and drivers are better off with ABS. I removed mine in my M3 about 9.5 years ago and have never missed it. I have brembo's all around with 4 pistons each...
I prefer a fully functional system in a daily driver. My car sees sprited driving and car shows so it's fine without ABS...

[nrubenstein]

tossing the idea around. it would be another system to not have to worry about, supposed to have more control supposebly. any truth to this?

keep in mind it is my DD, any situation where not haveing ABS is better?

or is this a HORRIBLE idea

Under ideal circumstances, you can have very, very slightly shorter braking distances without ABS. Under most circumstances, they will get longer. If you're not a very good driver, they get a lot longer. The crappier the tires you run, the more you want ABS as well.

If you want a classic example of a no-ABS victim, think of white325is' sepang. "I hit the brakes and it just slid" is the indicator.

[browntown]

Lack of ABS means inevitable rear-ending? I'm clearly older than you because I've only driven cars with ABS in the last decade of my life. Every car before that (and there were many) did not have ABS and I've managed not to rear end anyone.

That said, modern ABS is a wonderful safety feature. My honda and subaru have wonderful / reliable / and Predictable abs systems. I just don't like the way my e30's abs works and I'm not sure if it is just my system or the platform itself. Either way I'm too lazy to deal with it, so out it goes.

Because RaceCar ken. c'MON. Yes I know racers love a good ABS system too, let's not get into that.

And that's the secret of modding cars anyways. Half the crap on an e30 is over-engineered, there is a lot of convenience that can go away in these cars. Deleting is generally easier than repairing or replacing. My A/C, P/S, P/A, OBC, etc were all victims of my "well that is simply in the way and doesn't work like it should -- in the trash it goes"

Lazy modders unite.

[KenC]

I feel bad for the person that the OP inevitably rear-ends.

You'd better check with your insurance company before you remove a factory installed safety system. Apologies, I mean implement your "ABS Delete Mod."

[jlevie]

Do big brake kits affect abs operation? My abs in inop right now, but I may look into repairing it. I have a massive race kit up front, stock in the rear.

ABS is independent of what brake kit is on the car. Tough its operation will be affect by brake balance. In this case I'd suspect that you have way too much front bias and the front wheels are going to cause ABS activation too soon. Plus, under hard braking, the rear of the car is going to want to come around.

The stock brake system on an E30 (and most other BMW's) is biased toward the front. Putting a BBK just on the fronts makes that bias even worse. The fix for that is to install the correct BBK on the rear wheels and if the bias is still off replace the bias valve with an adjustable and dial in balanced braking.

[browntown]

I know it is not popular, but I'm yanking my abs. Got the proportioning valve ready to go, just need the motivation to spend a day getting greasy (I need to clean the engine bay while I'm in there).

[tttoon]

Do big brake kits affect abs operation? My abs in inop right now, but I may look into repairing it. I have a massive race kit up front, stock in the rear.

[Holland]

I have an 85, no abs, and I'm proud of that.

[jlevie]

The ABS in an E30 is only a three channel system and isn't all that sophisticated. But even so it will outperform the majority of drivers. Threshold braking w/o ABS is a learned skill. Some can learn to manage it very well, a much larger group will be so-so, and some just never get it. It doesn't matter whether the car is a daily driver or a race car. The majority of drivers are better off having ABS. If the car has ABS, keep it.

Someone should do a write up. My abs doesnt even work

Troubleshooting the ABS system isn't very difficult. It is a standalone system
that only gets input data from the brake light switch, wheel sensors, and
system power. The parts of the system are the ABS module located next to the
steering column, the ABS relay mounted above the ABS module, the ABS unit in
the left front of the engine bay, and a speed sensor at each wheel.

If the ABS light comes on with ignition, but doesn't go out when the engine
starts, a wiring problem, bad module, or bad ABS relay are the likely
candidates. A failed or weak alternator will also cause this because the
system voltage won't rise enough. There is a fusible link inside the ABS relay
that can be blown. The relay can be repaired, or better yet, replaced.

If the ABS light comes on when you turn on the ignition, goes out when the
engine starts, and then comes back on before the car is moving the cause could
be a bad module, a bad ABS unit, or a wiring fault.

If the light goes out after engine start and only comes on when the car is
moving, there's a problem with one (or more) of the sensors. The simple test
to find out which sensor(s) is the cause is to disconnect all but one of the
sensors and drive the car. If the light comes on, that sensor is sending a
speed signal to the ABS and is good. Repeat with each other sensor to find the
one(s) that don't cause the light to come on. Since the ABS module has no
speed input besides the wheel sensors, if only a bad sensor is connected the
module can't tell the car is moving and thus doesn't fault on missing speed
signals from the other wheels. Once a bad speed sensor is found, if a new
sensor still doesn't work, there could be a wiring fault in that circuit or a
bad input channel in the ABS unit.

[Varinn]

My 84 doesnt even have ABS, you jelly?

[CW325]

Someone should do a write up. My abs doesnt even work

[george graves]

There is no situation where having no ABS is better than having a properly functioning ABS unless you consider cost a factor.

Are you drunk posting again?

[smooth]

Multichannel ABS has been used since at least the mid-seventies and afaik continues to be used in modern ABS systems.

It's not possible to modulate all four wheels individually with a single pedal like multichannel ABS does.
There is no situation where having no ABS is better than having a properly functioning ABS unless you consider cost a factor.

[bmwguy325is]

I have driven my DD E30 100k+ miles with no ABS. The light came on and I never fixed it. It is nice in some instances. By todays standards the ABS in the E30 is junk. Even cars from the late 90s have better ABS. The E30 ABS is only a panic mode intervention. Meaning road full of ice and so on. I could be wrong.
If you know how to drive and can modulate the pedal ABS takes longer to stop.