ABS Delete - any tips or advise?

[MXDave813S]

We are building an E36 328i track car. As we are thinning out the wiring in the car we are also thinking of removing the ABS for simplicity and weight savings. Our other e46 has been tracked without ABS and we have not missed it. My question, anyone recommend this or not recommend it? We will have is removed in the tuning too. Any opinions?

[aeronaut]

You'll get a lot of personal opinions on this, which is all mine is.
E36 M3 on Toyo RRs, and I'm better than the ABS on one place on my home track. (It matters what tires and springs you run also).
But, it also saves tires (think inside rear) at several places on the track.
I have a switch I can turn the ABS on and off, and it really changes how I need to drive the car. One isn't better than the other, just quite different.
I leave it on 99% of the time. Ideally, I'd upgrade to the MK60 ABS, but, haven't got around to that.
If you remove the ABS, you may want to add a proportioning valve, or spend time finding a front / rear brake pad compound split. (I strongly prefer a proportioning valve.)

All that said, if you don't miss it on the E46, I doubt you'll miss it on the E36, unless the brake bias issue is more pronounced on a non-ABS E36 than a non-ABS E46?

[Carpy2]

EDIT: Pfft read ABS as ASC.

I just pull the ABS fuse relay if I want no ABS at the track, then put it back in when I go home/daily my car. Generally though, I feel no need to remove it even at the track, but sometimes it's fun to be on the limit and having to be conscious of locking your tires.

[MXDave813S]

You'll get a lot of personal opinions on this, which is all mine is.
E36 M3 on Toyo RRs, and I'm better than the ABS on one place on my home track. (It matters what tires and springs you run also).
But, it also saves tires (think inside rear) at several places on the track.
I have a switch I can turn the ABS on and off, and it really changes how I need to drive the car. One isn't better than the other, just quite different.
I leave it on 99% of the time. Ideally, I'd upgrade to the MK60 ABS, but, haven't got around to that.
If you remove the ABS, you may want to add a proportioning valve, or spend time finding a front / rear brake pad compound split. (I strongly prefer a proportioning valve.)

All that said, if you don't miss it on the E46, I doubt you'll miss it on the E36, unless the brake bias issue is more pronounced on a non-ABS E36 than a non-ABS E46?

Thank you! My son is creating a wiring loom for the body, we could wire ABS in with a switch. Also, read through you build, really well done! We are building for TT5 for 2020 and ST5 when it is caged for 2021.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you Carpy2!

[aeronaut]

Thanks, and good luck with your build! Lots of very knowledgeable and helpful folks on here.

[olemiss540]

Drove for 5 years without ABS and then bought an ABS system and built a standalone harness with defeat switch to install it.

I much prefer a well working ABS system over worrying about brake lockup and other people driving a car they arent familiar with worrying about flat spotting tires.

[MXDave813S]

Drove for 5 years without ABS and then bought an ABS system and built a standalone harness with defeat switch to install it.

I much prefer a well working ABS system over worrying about brake lockup and other people driving a car they arent familiar with worrying about flat spotting tires.

Thank you!

[BlackHawkRacing]

...built a standalone harness with defeat switch to install it...

...I have a switch I can turn the ABS on and off, and it really changes how I need to drive the car...

What part of the harness did you guys incorporate the switch into? I am planning to interrupt either the wire the bridges the ABS Pump Motor Relay to its 30a fuses or do the same to the ABS Relay. Appreciate any input.

[aeronaut]

I figured if I simulated a fuse being blown, I wouldn't harm any of the components.
I put a switch between F21 and the ABS components. (95 M3).
Just an FYI for others, you can turn ABS off while running, but to turn ABS back on you have to stop/start the car.

ABSswitch.resized.png

[BlackHawkRacing]

I figured if I simulated a fuse being blown, I wouldn't harm any of the components.
I put a switch between F21 and the ABS components. (95 M3).
Just an FYI for others, you can turn ABS off while running, but to turn ABS back on you have to stop/start the car.

ABSswitch.resized.png

Perfect, thanks!

I did not know about the second point. Half the reason I want to add a switch was to be able to cycle it mid-race incase of an issue. Does the ABS switch have to be on before you power everything up or does only the engine not have to be running?

[aeronaut]

I'm not sure.

But.

You may be able to cycle the ABS while running if you cut power to the whole ABS system, and cycle that way?
I do see on the schematic, the ABS light is controlled by the ABS computer and not the DME. So,....there's a chance that might work (cycle all power to ABS computer, and pump relays).
There's even a chance you may find one power input that would cycle like you want.

EDIT: looking at the pinout, nothing seems to be connected between the DME and the ABS computer.

[BlackHawkRacing]

While it looks like cutting the two 30 amp fuses would cut the power to the computer and recycle it, since there are so many power inputs maybe I run all the grounds through the single switch to sever the connection. They already all terminate in to a single wire and location.

Edit - missed that there is a single 30 amp fuse that runs directly to the computer and not the relays. This might be what provides power to the computer; it's listed as "plus supply" in the connector pinout.

[aeronaut]

This would be pretty cool to figure out.
The computer *may* expect the wheel speed sensors to be reading zero at power up.

[BlackHawkRacing]

Hopefully I will be able to figure that out soon. Starting to put all the wiring back in my car this weekend. ABS will be the last thing I address since I don't need it to pass tech but hope to have everything done in the next few weeks.