ABS upgrade?

[Grand Moff Joseph]

Is there anyway to add ABS to a non-ABS car? If so, how much time/money is it going to take?

[digitaloutsider]

WHY oh WHY would you want the PowerMa$ter III system? Most people GET RID OF IT.

[Grand Moff Joseph]

I don't know what the powermaster III system is, so I would have no clue as to whether it sucks or not. I just have kind of wondered what it would take to add ABS to my lumina, as it has none, and the stock brakes suck.

[Dirty Rockstar]

But the question is.. Will adding ABS make braking better? That's a serious question I have.. If it makes braking better, then.. I may do it as well.. Just to have better brakes.. BUT on the flip side.. I'd rather pull the 95+ Monte Carlo brake upgrade..

[5speedz34]

But the question is.. Will adding ABS make braking better? That's a serious question I have.. If it makes braking better, then.. I may do it as well.. Just to have better brakes.. BUT on the flip side.. I'd rather pull the 95+ Monte Carlo brake upgrade..

 

You can do both u know that right?

[Dirty Rockstar]

I know.. But Ive had a thing against ABS.. The whole false notion of the "Anti-" part of the equation.. But.. Whichever would be cheaper.. Is my thing.. lol..

[93CutlassSupreme]

But the question is.. Will adding ABS make braking better? That's a serious question I have.. If it makes braking better, then.. I may do it as well.. Just to have better brakes.. BUT on the flip side.. I'd rather pull the 95+ Monte Carlo brake upgrade..

 

not really. first gen w-body brakes are so weak they'll barely engage the abs in a panic stop on dry pavement. i know my car won't engage the abs on dry ground at a high rate of speed if i mash the brake pedal.

 

it'll engage say right before i stop, once i've slowed down to under 10 mph or so, and then it isn't smooth, my front wheels will lock for an instant, and then release, and then lock again, etc.

 

in a car with better brakes, that could actually lock the wheels, it might be a better investment. but on a first gen w, in daily/dry driving, it isn't worth it

 

you won't totally slide on ice or snow, but you'll still slide somewhat. you still really won't be able to control your car on a sheet of ice with abs.

[GutlessSupreme]

PM3 isn't the only ABS system we can use..

[slick]

If it was up to me, I wouldn't have ABS on my Z34.

[DiscoStudd]

you still really won't be able to control your car on a sheet of ice with abs.

Preach it, brother! ABS is completely worthless in the winter. You can control your car better (in my opinion anyway) without ABS on ice or packed snow, as long as all of your tires match. At least if you don't have ABS, you can stop on ice by locking up the wheels for a quick second, and cranking the wheel to dig in. With ABS, you keep on rolling without stopping (at least that's been my experience anyway...)

[93CutlassSupreme]

you still really won't be able to control your car on a sheet of ice with abs.

Preach it, brother! ABS is completely worthless in the winter. You can control your car better (in my opinion anyway) without ABS on ice or packed snow, as long as all of your tires match. At least if you don't have ABS, you can stop on ice by locking up the wheels for a quick second, and cranking the wheel to dig in. With ABS, you keep on rolling without stopping (at least that's been my experience anyway...)

 

yup. you can put both feet on the brake pedal and push as hard as you can, but you won't stop on ice with abs. you'll roll through the intersection, past the stop sign, onto the hard, sharp curb, etc......

[93CutlassSupreme]

PM3 isn't the only ABS system we can use..

 

i don't have PM3. my brakes still suck though.

[jeremy]

If it was up to me, I wouldn't have ABS on my Z34.

 

I am the same way, I got my Spyder w/o ABS

[DiscoStudd]

yup. you can put both feet on the brake pedal and push as hard as you can, but you won't stop on ice with abs. you'll roll through the intersection, past the stop sign, onto the hard, sharp curb, etc......

Damn straight! I don't know how many times that happened to me in the past!!!

 

I wonder if that has to do more with the car's braking system, or the ABS. My 94 Grand Am did that shit all the time, but our 93 Cavalier hardly ever did. I know the brakes on the N-Bodies were identical to the ones on the J-Bodies, so they were undersized to begin with. That might be why the GA locked 'em up all the time, and the Cav didn't. I haven't rolled through any intersections in the Regal yet (knock on wood...) but that could be because my car has the larger brakes...

[Grand Moff Joseph]

All of this being said, what is a good, economical way to upgrade the brakes on my 1990 lumina? I think it goes without saying that the stock brakes are worthless.

[5speedz34]

My general experience with ABS is I like it and I don't. I like because I can still steer with it engaged, (as to non-abs I just skid), thats the whole point of ABS is to allow you to steer. But sometimes it causes the car to not stop as fast, so it has it's downsides. Personally I think W's suck in the snow no matter what.

[93CutlassSupreme]

All of this being said, what is a good, economical way to upgrade the brakes on my 1990 lumina? I think it goes without saying that the stock brakes are worthless.

 

 

you'll have to get later year front and rear brakes. there's nothing you can do to first-gen w brakes to improve them very much. trust me, i've spent enough money to know that.

[93CutlassSupreme]

My general experience with ABS is I like it and I don't. I like because I can still steer with it engaged, (as to non-abs I just skid), thats the whole point of ABS is to allow you to steer. But sometimes it causes the car to not stop as fast, so it has it's downsides. Personally I think W's suck in the snow no matter what.

 

 

they're not great, but they're not bad. if you're careful, it's really hard to get a w stuck in snow, but then again they don't stop worth shit in snow. they don't stop worth shit period.

[DaveFromColorado]

I've got mixed feelings about ABS systems.

 

I dunno why folks are sayin' the brakes in the W's all suck, I can think of one time in my orignial 91 Z34 (no abs) where I locked up all 4 tires while exiting the highway - I was still goin' about 60ish MPH - still hit the damn skunks - 36 car washes later the smell went away.

 

my 88 Regal (again, no ABS) locked up the brakes for me a couple times avoing deer, raccoon's and other such animals.

 

I'd rather have the brakes lock on dry pavement - now for wet conditions, I like ABS, it seem, to work a little better then one would expect - on Ice and Snow, ABS is crap, and I hate it - it's NO FUN, I learned how to drive without ABS, and I guess that's what I'm most comfortable with.

 

Upgrading to ABS without knowing about the brakes themselves is a painful process - you've got the whole management system, the computer for the ABS, the sensors, the depressurizing motor, the fact you'll have to change your rear hubs (more then $200 each new) your drive axels, and many many many more things, along with the whole wiring nightmare involved - you're best bet is to leave it all alone ...

 

--Dave

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

The ABS wheel bearing hub costs like $200 Canadian...

 

It takes more room in your engine bay..

 

Doesn't really make you stop that much better.

 

Your braking is only as good as the driver!!!

I drove my 88 with shit brakes for 4 years without any problems, though snow and everything.

 

Bottem line- I don't care about A-BS hell I'd rather not have it at all given a choice..

[94CutlassSLCoupe]

I think W-bodys are great in snow actually....

 

The ABS on my sister's 94 does help...I remember when she didn't have the car because she was at college and I drove it to HS...snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain, whatever...the car kicked ass.

 

I still only remember sliding through 1 intersection with that car, even with nearly bald tires. I never hit anything or got it stuck. I drove it on days where I would be plowing snow with the air dam and it still went fine.

 

As far as adding ABS, don't bother. The '88 we had didn't have it and it was fine in the winter too. The driving technique is just a little different.

 

Since you guys say the brakes suck, you must have never owned a '95-'97 Chevy Blazer 4x4...THOSE BRAKES SUCK...i can't tell you how many times i almost rearended someone. That thing could NOT lock the front brakes on dry pavement at all!

[DaveFromColorado]

the worst brakes under ANY car are the old* toyota corola's - the rear-wheel-drive ones.

 

I'm still searchin' for one too, I really wand one of those cars.

 

--Dave.

[PeNZ]

if you dont like abs, unplug it and take out the bulb

[93CutlassSupreme]

Since you guys say the brakes suck, you must have never owned a '95-'97 Chevy Blazer 4x4...THOSE BRAKES SUCK...i can't tell you how many times i almost rearended someone. That thing could NOT lock the front brakes on dry pavement at all!

 

neither will my w-body, with, the exception of the master cylinder, a completly new braking system.

[DiscoStudd]

the worst brakes under ANY car are the old* toyota corola's - the rear-wheel-drive ones.

 

I'm still searchin' for one too, I really wand one of those cars.

 

--Dave.

If you come across an extra one, let me know because I have a buddy who'd kill to have one of those (I think he wants an 80-82 notchback coupe.) I searched the net for one for him about a year ago and the only one we found was in Hawaii :? ...