Retro fit of ABS..

[Jhonno]

Is it worth it? Pain in the ass? Ive already got sensors in place as ive got the m3 suspension and left the sensors there, just a random thought that came into my head

[martinclan]

Mega job to retrofit. You need to replumb all the brake lines, fit the ABS controller and loom. Not worth it IMHO. Chucked it away on the Kit Car I am building....

[DanThe]

Im about to do this on mine.
Ive got a 325i as a donor so they will be side by side,
The only way to do it IMHO

[jaistanley]

If i were you i'd fit organic abs....

In my mk2 golf 2ltr 16v, i fitted 280mm drilled disks, pagid pads, g60 calipers, new lines and stainless braided hoses and here's the rub: 23mm master cylinder.

The oversized master cylinder coupled with the expansion free braided hoses and full rebuild of seals meant the brakes were ROCK hard. The increased size and gas dissapation of the disks gave me the power not to need a large hydraulic advantage (soft pedal, yuk).

The pedal was very firm when driving but this meant I had so much feel and power that I dont think I ever locked them up. Everyone who got in the car was amazed by them. I used to outbrake some serious cars.

If you spend the time and money doing the same or similar to yours you'll notice serious improvement without locking the wheels.

I have just fitted M3 280mm brakes all round to my 318is (with the running gear). Again new lines, braided hoses, new seals in brakes. I have std disks and pads and the 318is master cylider. The brakes are much more powerful than my old 260mm pagid fr/ate power disk setup but with the mis-matched master cylider the power is very on/off. There is limited feel and it is very easy to lock the brakes, un-nervingly so in the wet. It's like driving a brand new car with the abs turned off...

The solution? Fit a larger master cylider. I'm going for a 25mm 7 series one. That'll firm my pedal .

Hope you make the right choice: Bigger and firmer (NO inuendo intended either, sick) consider the wilwood 280mm kit and big master cylinder. You wouldn't think about ABS then.

Brake upgrades are worth more than horsepower upgrades on both road and track I say. The security of knowing you can stop makes you a much more confident driver.

Good luck.

Jai Stanley

EDIT: I love the finish you have on your cam cover in those piccies.. How did you get it??

[Jhonno]

how much was a seal kit? hard to do? front and rear? my lines are good, but i could do with some braided hoses..

know exactly what you mean bout the on off, n ease of locking with the 23mm master cyl tho!!

you know if you dont have abs you need to use a t-piece on the 7 series master as its designed for abs..

[gcorky]

not really worth the retro fit....hassle

[Brianmoooore]

Wouldn't be that bad a job to retrofit, if the wheel sensors are in place.
Loom is self contained, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Fit the ABS pump with the lines from the master cylinder to the pump from the donor, and make up extension pipes to join the pump back to the pipes disconnected from the M/C.
Draw some good diagrams of where everything goes before removing from the donor. or better still, borrow an ABS equipped E30 to copy.

[Martinaston]

So with an uprated master cylinder and larger disc's it sounds great for the track but does it stop you sliding into the back of a bus on a wet day ?

[Martinaston]

If your swapping from another car the pipes fit straight in and the only awkward one is the right front (around engine bay).
The other problem is the tight fit for the sensor wire for the same wheel, it's a bit stretched unless you drill through the inner wing.

[Brianmoooore]

Any of you should be able to stop quicker without ABS than with it, or at least as quick, IF you are expecting to have to brake, but ABS comes into it's own when the unexpected happens.

[gcorky]

Wouldn't be that bad a job to retrofit, if the wheel sensors are in place.
Loom is self contained, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Fit the ABS pump with the lines from the master cylinder to the pump from the donor, and make up extension pipes to join the pump back to the pipes disconnected from the M/C.
Draw some good diagrams of where everything goes before removing from the donor. or better still, borrow an ABS equipped E30 to copy.

the pipes would be the hassle in my opinion....calipers/master cyl same or different????

[Brianmoooore]

Wouldn't be that bad a job to retrofit, if the wheel sensors are in place.
Loom is self contained, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Fit the ABS pump with the lines from the master cylinder to the pump from the donor, and make up extension pipes to join the pump back to the pipes disconnected from the M/C.
Draw some good diagrams of where everything goes before removing from the donor. or better still, borrow an ABS equipped E30 to copy.

the pipes would be the hassle in my opinion....

Not difficult if you do it like I suggest. Need to have a pipe flaring tool.

[ad318i]

not worth the hassle of a retro fit

[Martinaston]

You only have to change the front two and the rear is joined below the brake servo, i've removed a system without even jacking the car up.

[gcorky]

pole.....pole lol ,the audience is split lllloooolllll

mind i am gettin lazy ....according to our lass hahah

[Brianmoooore]

Think the antis are probably the younger members amongst us.
Those of us with a bit more mileage under the belt (in more ways than one) probably appreciate the advantages of ABS a bit more.

[gcorky]

Think the antis are probably the younger members amongst us.
Those of us with a bit more mileage under the belt (in more ways than one) probably appreciate the advantages of ABS a bit more.

hehe im 33 and dont like the cold n e more....

[Kos]

gota say, i dont think its worth the agro, it could be a complete disaster.
i'm always cautious of dicking around with brakes

[Martinaston]

Go for it, if you have the ABS hub's it's a piece of piss once you get the loom through the bulkhead.
It won't stop the car any quicker than normal but in an emergency you stab at the peddle with too much force and the wheels lock before the weight of the car has shifted onto the front wheels and by then it's all toooo late, oh no no brakes, oh no no steering, oh shit

[Royalratch]

Not sure if this post is still alive but here goes, appreciate the continued help I know this must bore the more knowledgable guys as there have been a few threads but I'm still not 100% clear.

I have a 1990 318iS.

From what I can gather I need:

ABS Wiring Loom (will get from BMW)
4 x ABS sensors (does ABS act on all 4 wheels?)
ABS Control Unit (any particular model/version?)
ABS Servo/Pump/Actuator (Are these the same thing?)
ABS Brake Lines/Pipes/Hoses (will get from BMW)
ABS Ready Hubs (even on my car?)

Would I need to change anything else on my car like the Brake Cylinder, reservoir or mounts etc?

Please try and help with all the points as that will stop harassment later!You people rock. javascript:emoticon(':twisted:')

[gazza]

im just stripping a car and thought of doing this but as i started to take the loom out it was a nightmare i know some people say its a easy loom swap my loom came from the ecu into the printed circuit board under the fuse box and then into the main loom none of it was seperate and none of it comes out as one loom unless bmw do a after market loom to enable abs to be fitted if you want some bits let me know as im about to scrap the car and have everything on it

[Royalratch]

BMW do do a replacement loom and it's not that expensive.

If you can put EVERYTHING you have in a box and gimme a price that would be great.
Would be even better of you could PM an inventory of said box just to do a 'checklist'.

ABS Loom:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=61&fg=10

I'm young and clueless but I'll happily go in there and tear shit up.

[Royalratch]

[quote="jaistanley"]

If i were you i'd fit organic abs....

The pedal was very firm when driving but this meant I had so much feel and power that I dont think I ever locked them up. Everyone who got in the car was amazed by them. I used to outbrake some serious cars.

If you spend the time and money doing the same or similar to yours you'll notice serious improvement without locking the wheels.

_______

Not locking/locking up wheels is a combination of things. Surface conditions, tyres, driver reaction etc. Even ABS will not help that much on an icy or greasy road for example.

Organic ABS sounds good in theory but I think in an unexpected situation, as brianmoooore suggests, bigger brakes would be worse as they would bite faster/harder causing the wheels to lock up earlier - in an emergecny situation that is.

ABS is all about the emergency, it does not help improve braking or driving ability, only gives you a few seconds to keep your steering and slow the slide down.

[DanThe]

From what I can gather I need:

ABS Wiring Loom (will get from BMW)
4 x ABS sensors (does ABS act on all 4 wheels?)
ABS Control Unit (any particular model/version?)
ABS Servo/Pump/Actuator (Are these the same thing?)
ABS Brake Lines/Pipes/Hoses (will get from BMW)
ABS Ready Hubs (even on my car?)

Would I need to change anything else on my car like the Brake Cylinder, reservoir or mounts etc?

The donor I used was an 89 325i, the loom was seperate, no fusebox connections.
Servo /master cylinder are the same, just need the blanking plug for one of the front two outlets.
You need the lines to the front two wheels and from the master cly to the pump, just dissconnect at the flexi hoses when you take the pump out, the line to the rear stays the same.
Hubs are needed and you can buy the pump mounting brakets from BMW

[jaistanley]

To be honest I've been coming round to having ABS. I'd prefer it if it kicked in a nit later.. Just when you whack the pedal. I agree that 99% of the time you don't need it. Trouble is that 1% could save you an accident!

My new project 325i has it but the light is permenantly on. Gonna get that working as well as fit the MCoupé brakes all round. That should give the best of both worlds I hope.

Jai