E30 Zone

I want to bin my ABS '(89 325i) as its for girls and I am capable of braking properly
Has anyone else done it or is there an easy fix-pull out the fuse for example like you can on other early abs systems????
Cheers.

I guess you could just unplug one of the front wheel sensors under the bonnet although i would personaly leave it alone. Did you get an exhaust rubber sorted btw

Cool,and yep I got the exhaust rubber on today and the drop link Cheers.

schuey wrote:Cool,and yep I got the exhaust rubber on today and the drop link Cheers.

Last question lol
Did you buy something off me via Ebay last week or was that another Schuey?

schuey wrote:I want to bin my ABS '(89 325i) as its for girls and I am capable of braking properly

You are NOT capable of braking properly when an unexpected emergency arises when the car is turning, and the wheels are loaded unevenly. It's removal is an MOT failure, and could just result in you facing a manslaughter charge, one day.

Exellent advice there Brian, 100% accurate as always

Brianmoooore wrote:

schuey wrote:I want to bin my ABS '(89 325i) as its for girls and I am capable of braking properly

You are NOT capable of braking properly when an unexpected emergency arises when the car is turning, and the wheels are loaded unevenly. It's removal is an MOT failure, and could just result in you facing a manslaughter charge, one day.

so how do all us lads manage without abs then??????

Brianmoooore wrote:

schuey wrote:I want to bin my ABS '(89 325i) as its for girls and I am capable of braking properly

You are NOT capable of braking properly when an unexpected emergency arises when the car is turning, and the wheels are loaded unevenly. It's removal is an MOT failure, and could just result in you facing a manslaughter charge, one day.

a completely removed abs system is not an mot failier.

but if the car has abs fitted then it has to work properly otherwise it will fail.

Does 'the computer' not tell the tester to check for ABS now though? If its not there but 'the computer' says it is then wouldnt that be a fail?

you can remove the abs relay, and plug it back in for the MOT.

but it is indeed very usefull, for snowy roads or slippery surface, as i found out after i fixed mine.

anyways, my ABS didn't save me now, a drunk driver smashed me from the side, totaly wrecking my e30 beyond repair. regarding how the car looks, i'm very happy i'm still alive.

This was my first engine converted E30, how I wished id taken the ABS from the donor 325i

chris dan that must have hurt

DanThe wrote:Exellent advice there Brian, 100% accurate as always

if not slightly pessimistic.i wonder how ive managed to stay alive all this time. 2 bumps with my abs and none since ive removed it.co-incidence? who knows.

My brakes went really dangerous at times due to a dodgey ABS pump.

Curse of the E30 ABS systems?

Who will be next?

The ABS system is as reliable as anything can be on a car, and is designed to fail off. I.e. no ABS with warning light on.
The only fault I know of that can cause driving problems is where a sensor gives a 'noisy' output, and fools the ECU into thinking that the relevant wheel is turning faster than it really is.

Brian, when the pump (faulty one I replaced) kicked in the pedal would sink to the floor leaving me with no brakes at all. No issues with the light at all.
It was coming in much to soon also meaning I had to take extra care when braking, I didnt replace anything exept the pump to rectify the problem.
The system worked fine when I first fitted it but gradually got worse, maybe it was due to it being stored for a few months with no fluid? I also had a pump that wouldnt function at all, also stored dry, the working pump I have fitted now had the pipes cut and squashed to keep the fluid inside for as long as possible.

SPADGE wrote:

schuey wrote:Cool,and yep I got the exhaust rubber on today and the drop link Cheers.

Last question lol
Did you buy something off me via Ebay last week or was that another Schuey?

Nope different ebay name!!!

Brianmoooore wrote:

schuey wrote:I want to bin my ABS '(89 325i) as its for girls and I am capable of braking properly

You are NOT capable of braking properly when an unexpected emergency arises when the car is turning, and the wheels are loaded unevenly. It's removal is an MOT failure, and could just result in you facing a manslaughter charge, one day.

WHAT? Get A Grip

Firstly I am capable of stopping whilst turning and with unevenly loaded wheels,I have manged it on track for years.As have many others.
You may also have heard of cadence braking which can of course be used by mere mortals....
Early ABS systems are cr@p,nothing like modern brake assist type setups,just a primitive way of saving cretins from certain disaster,but in my case and many others,a total hindrance on track.
If you drive on public roads in a manner that requires the use of abs in case you end up having to jump on the brakes mid bend in the rain because of something unexpected,then really you deserve to to find out the hard way.If people read the road ahead and drove defensively then they would get there stopping done in time.
And before any one says"what if someone steps out in front of you?".......
Steer round them! They should not be in the road anyway,I doubt very much that if you hit them,the police would charge you for manslaughter.
When it comes to MOT testing the only ABS related item I have ever witnesssed is checking wether the light is on(My family wagon failed for it this year no less feckin £120 for a sensor )

What I choose to do with my car is my choice,and in my opinion junking the ABS on a track car is nowhere near as dangerous as driving round with black windows,scrubbing wheels,cut springs etc,also I generally drive miss daisy on the road and rarely go fast enough to require stopping quickly.
Rant over

schuey wrote:a total hindrance on track.

Didnt thay used to have ABS on F1 cars? They banned it, cos it was just too good!

Makes it too easy more like! About the same time they banned active ride etc

It was all a big ploy to make us belive he would of been thraping his E30 round the town centre

schuey wrote:Firstly I am capable of stopping whilst turning and with unevenly loaded wheels,I have manged it on track for years.As have many others.
You may also have heard of cadence braking which can of course be used by mere mortals....
Early ABS systems are cr@p,nothing like modern brake assist type setups,just a primitive way of saving cretins from certain disaster,but in my case and many others,a total hindrance on track.

You are NOT capable of producing maximum retardation of a car with unevenly loaded wheels without ABS, because you cannot apply different pressures to the front brakes which ABS can and does.
I have heard of cadence braking and have used it effectively for forty years of driving!
The E30 ABS system is three channel as opposed to the four of more modern systems, but I find it every bit as effective as that on modern cars.
I drive an E30 during the day without ABS, and one with in the evenings and at weekends, so I get plenty of chances to compare the two. Most roads around here are single track so the ABS gets plenty of use, with one front wheel getting on grass or gravel in the middle of the road.
If you were involved in an accident in which a fatality occured and, in the opinion of an expert witness, ABS would have reduced the severity of the accident, and it was found that you had removed/disabled the ABS system on the car involved, you could well be charged with manslaughter.
My interpretation of the latest MOT regs is also that the computer will instruct the tester to check the ABS light, based on the spec of the car from the VIN.

i asked my Mot guy if removing the abs was a fail and he said so long as its all removed its not an issue.

not all e30's have abs so why would it be a problem not having it ?

Brianmoooore wrote:

schuey wrote:Firstly I am capable of stopping whilst turning and with unevenly loaded wheels,I have manged it on track for years.As have many others.
You may also have heard of cadence braking which can of course be used by mere mortals....
Early ABS systems are cr@p,nothing like modern brake assist type setups,just a primitive way of saving cretins from certain disaster,but in my case and many others,a total hindrance on track.

You are NOT capable of producing maximum retardation of a car with unevenly loaded wheels without ABS, because you cannot apply different pressures to the front brakes which ABS can and does.
I have heard of cadence braking and have used it effectively for forty years of driving!
The E30 ABS system is three channel as opposed to the four of more modern systems, but I find it every bit as effective as that on modern cars.
I drive an E30 during the day without ABS, and one with in the evenings and at weekends, so I get plenty of chances to compare the two. Most roads around here are single track so the ABS gets plenty of use, with one front wheel getting on grass or gravel in the middle of the road.
If you were involved in an accident in which a fatality occured and, in the opinion of an expert witness, ABS would have reduced the severity of the accident, and it was found that you had removed/disabled the ABS system on the car involved, you could well be charged with manslaughter.
My interpretation of the latest MOT regs is also that the computer will instruct the tester to check the ABS light, based on the spec of the car from the VIN.

It is my opinion that ABS is bollox.
I have never triggered the ABS on the road in my e30,nor for that matter my daily driver(VW passat Sport 20vturbo),the brakes in the passat are cr@p though which may explain things.
As for this manslaughter thing-fatal road accidents are nearly allways caused by rubbish driving,not people lacking ABS,in the odd example when it is a pure accident,ABS will not make much difference as its purely an accident.
I have two friends with 911's one with steel brakes and one with carbon,both have fancy ABS and stability systems but as the brakes are so good and they of course have decent tyres,the ABS only ever triggers on wet track days with very heavy stops.
This is my niggle with the E30 abs,its too intrusive on track and as such a pain in the @rse.
Performance driving is all about controlling the car near the limit,not being helped along by computers.
The ABS will remain in place on my passat as my wife drives it, and has very limited car control to say the least

As for MOT tests,yes he will look for the light,but that is hardly a test of wether the system works,but then I think the MOT system is rubbish and should be a lot more stringent in places.

I think we will agree to disgree here Brianmoooore as its obviously down to personal choice