ABS is it worth it..

[jbh]

as above really. I've had the sport stripped right down and just wondering.. is it worth the extra hassle to plumb and wire it all back in or should I just leave it be?

[e30topless]

IMO James the ABS on these old turds isn't worth bothering with, , my current car doesn't have it and a friend who has abs and upgraded front brakes on his sport thinks mine are much better?

mine has all new brake lines/new discs and pads all round the brakes are superb

[jbh]

IMO James the ABS on these old turds isn't worth bothering with, , my current car doesn't have it and a friend who has abs and upgraded front brakes on his sport thinks mine are much better?

mine has all new brake lines/new discs and pads all round the brakes are superb

It is what im thinking Steve i've had my fair share of E30's and TBH ive only had a couple with ABS and I couldnt fault any of the brakes in the non ABS equipped cars and I never wrote off any of them due to locking the wheels up.. in fact to be fair I cant ever remember locking the wheels up on any of my E30's

[harry_p]

i've found the abs on mine to be pretty good, only ever kicked in on 'oh shit' moments where it could well have saved me from a trip into a ditch.

if it's there it's nice to have, but not having it wouldnt put me off a car either.

[magpie]

bin it

[e30topless]

I can't remember the ABS kicking in on any e30 I have driven ?

I drove a tech 1 very hard a few weeks ago and had an oh shit moment ! it still pulled up nice , no brake pulse not like the old Merc 190's did !

[wullie325i]

its defo a nice thing to have on a road car imo.

the m50 running on a e30 325i brake setup even with uprated discs and pads very quickly made me realise i would rather have it than not.

i have locked the fronts up a fair few times and i most definetly will retro fit it at some point down the line.

[wullie325i]

i will also be throwing the mk2 golf servo in the bin or kicking it somewhere in the general area of the bin as its not up to the job imo.

sorry started to go on a servo rant there back to the abs lol

[Dezzy]

I don't like abs at all.
I too can't remember it kicking in in any of the E30's I've had mate. I voted No.

[Dezzy]

James one of my CR24v brothers shows you what a Black chromie engine bay should look like mate, Perfect use of the ABS bracket too





Now the looks better than an M20 any day

[zaust]

All depends on what your using the car for. Abs can help you out on the road. But if you are a spirited and compedent driver then it gets in the way. I have put a switch on mine so that when i'm on track a quick flick and it shut's the power off to the abs ecu.

[jbh]

James one of my CR24v brothers shows you what a Black chromie engine bay should look like mate, Perfect use of the ABS bracket too





Now the looks better than an M20 any day

any more pictures of this.. not that I'm planning on doing it but does look nice..

[harry_p]

I don't like abs at all.
I too can't remember it kicking in in any of the E30's I've had mate. I voted No.

if youve never niticed it kick in how can you not like it? surely it's not worth the effort of stripping out something so unobtrusive unless you are desperate for the space or need to remove every last spare kg

[Dezzy]

I have driven other cars i am lucky like that. In other cars infact all cars i am not a fan

Plus if you read the first post it is already out

[Dezzy]

James this is one of my favourate cars on here mate. Its getting a 3.2 alpina lump anytime now so its just keeps getting better and better

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=

[DanThe]

Thanks for the free ads Dez

All I can say is if youve never had the ABS working on your E30 your not driving fast enough

I retro fitted it to the car in my sig and it saved me on numerous occasions, agree with zaust on depends what you use the car for, if its a daily driver that will be used regardless in all weathers then id keep it. I dont have it on either of my E30's now but then they dont get used for normal driving

[Morat]

ABS is a lifesaver, and if you've never felt it kick in on your E30 then you're not pushing the pedal hard enough.

[miniblob]

Like the idea of a switch!! Might do that one day, when i'm using the car on track more!!

Only ever cut in once or twice maybe, but prob something i would have on a road car - especially if you have all the bits sitting there!!!

[Ilkorin]

ABS helps - it's saved me from going into the fence a few times as the road I live on is effectively gravel and sometimes I go in a bit too hot!

We can argue forever about having the skill etc. to stop quickly without ABS but I know what I'd rather if a small child ran out in front of my car....

[Brianmoooore]

ABS can do what you can never do with the brake pedal. It can apply more braking force to one wheel than others, to give you maximum braking effect when you are forced to break in a corner, or with one wheel on gravel and the others on tarmac, and still allow you to steer.
It's removal could have serious consequences if accident investigators found that it had been removed from a car that once had it.
I agree that on a track it is better disabled, but on a track you don't normally brake unpredictably, or while trying to steer.

[alync205]

I voted no.I have'nt driven an E30 with ABS but I dont like it on other cars.On some cars it cuts in far too early - especially on jap cars.When it does work well it is safer to have on the road sometimes.

[BadDave]

as above really. I've had the sport stripped right down and just wondering.. is it worth the extra hassle to plumb and wire it all back in or should I just leave it be?

James

Even with the decent brake setup on the tourer, I still retain the ABS.
When the pedal box and rear upgrade is fitted, It's still won't be ditched.

Occasionally it can be annoying when it kicks in under hard braking, but at the end of the day, It's doing whats it's designed to do.

[jbh]

ABS can do what you can never do with the brake pedal. It can apply more braking force to one wheel than others, to give you maximum braking effect when you are forced to break in a corner, or with one wheel on gravel and the others on tarmac, and still allow you to steer.
It's removal could have serious consequences if accident investigators found that it had been removed from a car that once had it.
I agree that on a track it is better disabled, but on a track you don't normally brake unpredictably, or while trying to steer.

fair few valid point there from Brian.. I think ill spend the extra time putting it back in TBH

[magpie]

going on your avatar skills you don't need it

[jbh]

going on your avatar skills you don't need it

fairly chuffed to say I've never lost a rwd car but sadly the wife will get to drive the sport as well. but TBH she's about the only female I know that id happily let loose in my E30.

[SDM]

i was once obeying the maximum speed limit officer, when around a corner i swooped to find a tractor with a queue of cars behind it. so. foot on the brake, rather like a mother funker. The brakes locked, the turtle popped his head out, i released the brakes and reapplied. unfortunately i created a massive flat spot on my tyre, doubled the smog in middlesbrough but did stop about 1 meter behind the car in front.
It was then that I vaguely remembered the previous previous owner mentioning that he had disconnected it.

I would put it back on.

[DHFiS]

How much effort are you prepared to put into fixing something that might save your life?

[Wocka]

ABS is the only driving aid i value. It stops you quicker and in a straight line when it matters the most. I'll get round to fixing it on mine one day ;).

[HairyScreech]

unless you spend all your time on smooth flat single grade black top then abs is a worthy item, by all means fit a switch to the feed so that you can turn it off on track, but you will be glad its there when your just driving to work in the rain one day and some dick pulls out without looking.

[ImysE30]

James, did you fit the ABS in the end? Was it a difficult job to do?

[jbh]

James, did you fit the ABS in the end? Was it a difficult job to do?

ill keep you updated. I've got the loom back in place which was easy to do.

[ImysE30]

James, did you fit the ABS in the end? Was it a difficult job to do?

ill keep you updated. I've got the loom back in place which was easy to do.

Thanks

Are all the looms the same? I've got M3 suspension/brakes on mine.

I've got the same dilemma as you, not sure weather to fit or not as i don't have any of the ABS parts, just the 4 sensors

[m0gsia]

You can live without it and however it's one of those things thats nice to have. Not so much in my e30 but in my Zx 16v abs has saved me from writing it off.

[Felix79]

When did BMW start putting ABS on the E30?

[jbh]

my cars an early 87 on a d reg 325i sport and it had it from new.