I'm considering removing the ABS from my fd. I'm in the middle of my 20b swap and I've already removed AC went to a manual rack removed washer fluid bottle and pump. there are no emission checks here so going with a straight exhaust SS downpipe and aluminum midpipe and catback. I've pulled the spare tire and tools. no moon roof or bose as its a base model. I've pulled the padding from under the carpet and the rear speakers radio antenna motor and no rear wiper (factory) and i removed the front wipers as the car is not my daily and wont ever see bad weather because of street slicks. i;m considering removing the ABS just to remove the excess weight but I cant decide if it will be to dangerous for a car that will be used on the streets ( good weather only) or if going without ABS jsut takes some getting use to.

 

Its your choice a lot of people here will tell you it is very dangerous but i removed mine. I own one car with abs, my miata and numerous fc's I've had never had it and I never been in any accidents.

 

I personally think ABS is more of a danger than a safety feature. If it is working that means you are driving wrong. If it breaks then its cutting your brakes when you need them most.

 

i don't recall the last time i ever had the ABS activate on a 7 outside of the track. but on street slicks it may be in your benefit to keep it, it's only a few lbs of weight savings for less than a 10th second difference.

 

Use your abs! Actually stand on the brakes and see how it reacts, it is easier to do on gravel or other slick surfaces. Then decide. For me it is preferred because quite often things come up and you need to panic stop, abs will stop quicker with out loosing control than the driver can unless he is very aware of what is going on. it is possible that some race drivers would actually prefer it on the track. Most of my "on the edge" driving is off pavement and it would get in the way, But even than if there was some way to have it for commuting and turn off to play that is what I would opt for. Lost one very nice FC because I tapped the pedal a bit too hard and rotated, once you lock them it is sometimes impossible to recover.

 

2 years no ABS in the FD. Own many cars that don't have it. Learn to drive. But it's your car do what you like, not the opinion of others.

 

I drove the FD and all my cars previously without ABS , there have been many flat spotted tires in my life LOL .. I fixed the ABS in the FD and its the first car I've had with working ABS now But I havent taken it to the track since .. I know that threshold braking is hard to learn and you can always OOPS it and lock up

 

No ABS here. My water injection tank now resides where it once was. I have gotten on the brakes pretty hard without a lockup. I don't track my car but feel it's not needed for my driving style.

There are a few other good threads with discussion on this.

 

People drove for decades without abs. Saying no abs is dangerous is like saying real wheel drive is dangerous. You just need to adjust to driving without it.

 

If this is a street car that doesn't see track time, just leave the ABS alone because you WILL panic when the tires lockup unless your experienced in driving a car without ABS on the track.

If this is a track car, the choice is obvious. Remove the damn thing, you will go faster.

thewird

 

Sooner or later this kind of thing is going to court. I'd hate for anyone to have to argue that their removal of safety equipment wasn't proximate cause for someone's injury.

 

I use to think it was a bad idea but I think I probably will just have to get use to it if I end up doing it. granted if someone panics and slams on the brakes it could be a bad deal. but saying people have driven for decades without it is a good point. I use to think that power steering was necessary too and then I drove my buddies deuce and a half without it and it wasnt a problem and God knows how much it weighs. which is why I was able to talk myself into doing the manual rack for my car.

 

What a great idea! Next time someone crashes in to me I am going to ask them to open their hood and say look you have no abs I am taking you to court!

My miata was made seven years later and does not have abs...get real people.

 

My 2005 echo has no ps. My sienna is without abs and I'm not planning on fixing it. If my fd had no abs I could care less.

 

A really good driver who is paying close attention ( as in coming up on a corner on the track) perhaps can out brake a working abs. But if you think that you can do that on a curvy wet road when some kid or a cow jumps out in front of you, you have been into the wrong drugs. Lets get real here, none of us are supermen. As for the argument against it cause we all put many miles on without it-- I have driven many miles, on bias plies (often bald), blowouts were common, had no seat belts. And on and on. some things are just plain better, show me that you can out break abs in a curve with the road snow packed and perhaps you will be listened to.

 

Why do people keep assuming that the ABS in a 20 year old car is the same as one in a modern car? The ABS in the FD is ok, not amazing at all. It will do the job in a straight line where your typical, "oh ****, must brake" panic situation would happen. Try relying on it fully in a corner on any slippery surface and your plowing straight off the road.

thewird

 

The FD doesn't have very sophisticated ABS by modern standards. That being said, it's really there for when you are braking and have more traction on one side of the vehicle than the other.



If one tire on one side of the vehicle has less traction than the other due to bad weather, ABS can apply individual control to the wheel (or axle, in the case of rear wheels for the FD) to keep the vehicle from spinning out.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...rolled-978049/

It's better than no ABS at all in that situation. It's not an excuse for driving like an idiot though. You can't go around expecting any computerized system to bail you out, but that doesn't make it useless.

 

ABS saved my *** the other day. one thing people don't realize, and correct me if i'm wrong, but the main purpose of ABS (if you're just making a panic stop) is to allow you to steer the car while you're standing on the brakes.

without ABS: in a panic stop, you slam on your brakes, and your car starts to skid, you aren't going anwhere but straight.

with ABS: in a panic stop, you can slam on your brakes AND steer the car away from what you are going to hit.

 

My first abs was a 89 jeep and it was amazing, I did test it on snow packed roads- in curves, straights, and even down hill. If you have used an abs and see no advantage it is because you have never actually used it, they do have some disadvantages but so far none of them have been mentioned here. From what has been said here any of you who remove it for street use are leaving yourselves open for a law suit if you are ever in an accident even if it was not due to the brakes.

 

No law suit is going to be brought up. In 93-95 abs was not mandatory it was more of a feature. If you smash someone it is you fault no one is going to check your car for abs.

You don't see people going around and saying you have bald tires you better change those before you get a lawsuit on your hands.

 

What people are going around and saying isn't really the standard for negligence.

 

Is saving a few pounds worth the potential risk(unknown driving ability) of totaling your car?

 

I wonder what would happen in a head to head battle of braking ABS vs Non Abs. I bet the abs car would stop faster.

 

But in the real world there are too many variables. I have personally seen people take there foot off the brake because it was vibrating. My girlfriend parents cars both have the abs light on. One car they just took the fuse out, the other has been in and out of the shop to fix it but it still randomly kicks on.

Now these cars are made in the 2000's just imagine all the older or even newer cars that people simply just remove the fuse. In fact this is more dangerous then actually removing the abs and installing a proportioning valve. I haven't even seen a working abs in a fd to tell you the truth.

Come to where I live in the country and try to use that abs on these snow covered roads I will gaurantee you will stop faster without an abs. With that extra 10 feet it could save you from an accident.

Now onto the lawsuit, we all know taking a car to a shop to fix something brake related is very expensive so a lot of people just run their car as is. Is someone really going to do a full inspection in an accident and find out the abs was not working and then sue them? I think not.

Everyone just blows this out of proportion if you want to remove it then remove it you are not going to get sued or instantly get in an accident because you don't have it.

Now I do have abs in my subaru but I have never had it kick in. Probably because all those times without abs made me a more cautious driver during bad conditions. I am definately not a pro driver but my driving record is clean of accidents.

Also to add my girlfriend drives the miata without abs in rain, snow, sandstorm, or sleet. So if she can do it so can you!

 

the weather matter is unlikely I dont even have windshield wipers if it rains the car is parked or If I need to get it home in the rain I'm calling AAA. but the panic factor is a good point though. thanks for info guys its a lot to think about