Privacy

I hate my ABS system and am going to disable it
I know how to drive and if I want the brakes down full and to skid then dammit it want it to do what I tell it.

anyone else drive with their ABS disabled?

on a side note has anyone upgraded their brakes? I think stock rx 300's brakes are pretty damn good but I think they could be better

Lexmex

I disabled my ABS about 3 years ago and haven't had an issue yet, but the ABS bulb hasn't burned out yet. (I'd go behind and pull it but am curious to how long it will last, just like the D light).

P.S. I plan to bleed my brakes today. I'm going to use Pentosin DOT4 fluid in place of ATE SuperBlue this time (because I like to test out stuff). I'm also close to doing another brake pad change soon (ordered some Axxis Deluxe pads as a trial). Would you believe I have about 3 years on my pads compared to when I was running through pads about every 6 to 8 months back in Mexico City?

I've used a lot of different brake pads on my RX300 (EBC, Hawk, Carbotech, Ferodo among others), but nothing quite topped out the Akebono Pro Act pads (got them on www.rockauto.com). I'm currently using, though the Axxis pads have always peaked my curiosity, so I'm trying those this time.

Ask TunedRX300 about brakes, pads and rotors, he's done quite a bit in that department.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Sorry, but there's just too much data available now to debunk the myth that you can stop faster than a good ABS. Please don't disable the ABS if you vaue your life and the lives of the people you drive with.

blueridge

Can't speak for dry or wet conditions but I've tried no ABS versus ABS in packed snow in our RX and Camry. Hands down, you'll stop better and be able to concentrate more on steering with the brake pedal down and the ABS working.

Privacy

maybe i need better brakes then?

Im still using stock everything...

i have 50% life left on all my brakes

i just wish it could stop faster, it takes a huge nose dive and stops but not quite anywhere near as fast as the car i drove before ( volvo 850 turbo )

and when you put 5 people in it...it doesnt stop like i want at all.

salimshah

The most important thing is the patch .. contact area of the tire, the type of tire (constitution), road surface and the gravel/slick on the road.

Any upgrade you do, will make a difference in feel (more or less pressure to bring the disc to a stop) and brake fade. The brake fade is the reduced braking affect due to elevated temperature of the disc-pad-fluid.

Suspension upgrade will affect the weight distribution and you can get the rear brakes to better assist.

The easiest thing would be to reduce the weight you carry. Then get bigger and wider tires, and get better gripping tires (you will have to give up on number of miles you can put on them).

Salim

Lexmex

I just finished bleeding my brakes, what a world of difference. Last time I bled them was back in 2007, about 20K ago.

The ABS will work better under snowy/wintery conditions. I've tried it in rain/wet conditions and I can't see any difference with/without, but in dry conditions, I stop better without it. Even on the track, I found out it was better without it and I was able to to do much smoother braking in bracket runs (where stopping is used).

I can't speak for the rest of you as far as ABS, but I know my personal experience on it. If I were up further north in the land of snow, I'd consider otherwise.

salimshah

You must have a good idea of how much pressure to apply on the brake pedal and back off just before the wheels jam-up. The ABS actually wait till the wheels jam and also waits till the wheels start turning. So one can out perform them.

ABS really shines on slick surfaces as a typical driver in skid (wheels jammed) situation tend to press the brakes harder, while the right thing is to let the wheels roll to get traction.

A colleague of mine , who was an expert driver also lamented about ABS and his claim was that he would let the tail swing forward and cut down the stopping distance ... but I guess he needed the right lane empty.

Salim

Lexmex

I haven't had a situation yet here in Florida that would give a good example. However, I do remember a situation where we were coming back from the track in Mexico City on the expressway at some ungodly speed near 90 mph and I had to quickly swerve right across a few lanes of traffic to avoid two vehicles that had somehow decided to suddenly stop in the right two lanes of traffic. My father was with me and swore we were going to crash, but I suddenly realized that by braking and swerving, that would decrease my speed more so than if I just had gone straight and hope the brakes would stop the vehicle (they wouldn't have in time, ABS or not) and that turned out to be the trick and we barely got around one of the vehicles, but I was going about 40 mph or so. ABS was disconnected there.

On the track, I needed to the brake when I wanted it to do an no more, so if I realized (in bracket racing) that I overshot a competitor and had to slow down to not break out of my time bracket, the last thing I needed coming out of 60 to 70 mph is for the ABS to suddenly kick in. I just needed a light dab on the brake, but before when I had the ABS engaged, it would, for lack of a better word, overbrake, or brake a bit longer than I wanted and screw me up.

There were wet conditions on highways and streets out there, but I never seemed to be unable to handle any extreme braking condition.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

You can't expect a heavy SUV to stop as fast as a high performance sports sedan like the 850 Turbo (it had anti-lock brakes also), especially fully loaded up with 5 people!