I think there are better ways to shed a few pounds. I really can't think of a single GOOD reason to remove it at all from a street car. Yes, the FD has excellent brakes but the security of ABS is nice to count on when you need it.

 

If you have aftermarket rims that are any size other than the stock ones, then you're not braking to your max potential!

I wanted to keep mine as well, but a friend of mine showed me an article in one of Japanes RX-7 Magazines. Fujita Engineering(FEED) did a test on their track car. They took a PROFESSIONAL driver and stuck him behind the wheel of a car that had ABS and 235/40 17" front tires, and 275/40 17" rear tires. They had him accelerate and brake in various scenarios...and then measured the brake distances.

Then they took one of the Rx-7 journalists and put him behind the wheel of the same rx-7 with the same wheels/tires AFTER they removed the ABS AND installed a brake balancer.

The Result:

The JOURNALIST had better breaking overall. The only part of the test that the journalist had trouble on was reaction time breaking....and he still had a few break runs that he beat the pro driver.

 

Also, on a side note...I did NOT remove my abs for weight...I removed it to IMPROVE braking

 

OK so was it the removing of the ABS or the addition of the brake balancer that improved his braking distance? I don't see how the removal of ABS can improve your braking, but I can see how the brake balancer can.

 

How can you put a brake balancer on a car that is equipped with ABS without taking out the ABS?

 

So does the removal of the ABS alone improve braking or do you have to add a brake balancer to improve braking? I got the impression that you are implying that simply removing the ABS will improve braking, which I do not see happening.

 

Okay, I see what you're saying. Simply removing the ABS will NOT improve braking. If that were the case, all you would need is a joiner fitting and you would be able to take the ABS out. You need the brake balancer to transfer slightly more brake pressure to the rear so that in the event of lock-up, your front brakes would still be have traction for you to steer.

 

i have mine removed, but do not have a balancer, that i know of. where/who can i look into one from?

 

I don't think that's necessarily true. I think if you vary from the stock wheel PLUS tire diameter, it will be less effective. In your example, you list 275/40 17, this is an inch taller wheel+tire than stock and I would expect the ABS to be confused. I would like to see the same test with stock wheel+tire diameters (245/40 17).

BTW, there was a really long post about this in the suspension/tires/brakes forum. I think it was started by SleepR1 discussing the 99-spec brakes.

 

Okay, let me clarify: If you have stock size tires, do NOT REMOVE YOUR ABS!!!! You will not be able to brake faster without the ABS. This is for the most popular tire size here in Japan. I know of MANY people in the states who have this size, so it would apply to them as well.

I use the 235/40 17 up front and the 275/40 17 out back. I could actually slam on the brakes AND HEAR my tires screeching...then I would feel the ABS. The tire screeching was not a 1 or 2 second bit of tire screech...I could keep it going for awhile!...which led me to believe that the ABS was not doing it's job.

 

Trace the front brake to the brake line for the rear brakes. Where they meet you will fine one of two things...A Joiner fitting or a Brake Balancer.