[sh0rtlife]

ok got a platinum here with ABS lights on ect..the brakes work but the project warents loseing the ABS....can i just swap in a non ABS pedal box and 23mm bmw MC and call it done? or are the calipers on an ABS car diferent from a non ABS car.....planning on running a manual front/rear proportioning valve as well

i know i love the BMW 23 mm MC on my gtv6 and asumed the milano has identical brakes other than the ABS

 

[Grant]

I have all the parts ofr a non-ABS swap if you're interested. In the past, I've read you need EVERYTHING, including hardlines. Calipers and rotors are the same of course..

 

[mark m thornton]

other abs differences

To Grant's answer I'd add that each hub will be left with its tone wheel, and likewise the mounting brackets for the wheel sensors even if you remove the wheel sensors. I'm sure you've noticed that the wire harness for abs is extensive, including the fuses and relays under the dash near the steering column, and the remarkable brain box with its dual redundant processors. Of course there's the wiring and mounting hardware for the pump under the hood. Then, finally, there are abs status indicators on the ARC display, where you're seeing the red light.

It's a remarkably capable system, and offers spectacular performance when everything is set up just right. It is not simple.

I used to joke that the milano's brakes had more wiring than my entire 74 berlina.


cheers,

mark m thornton
seattle washington usa

 

[sh0rtlife]

well thing is i will be cutting the car uh.."down" to size and sheading every ounce of weight that i can and the shortened wheelbase and shortened and narrowed engine compartment isnt going to have enuf room for the ABS..and re-building the wireing harness and hardlins doesnt bother me in fact im going to have to do that anyway with all the cutting and size changeing thats comeing

i was mostly concerned that the calipers were diferent or that there was an odd vavle in the hard lines that id have to remove(much like some older cars when changeing MC size theres a small brass valve stuffed into the MC for drum brakes that must be removed)....

also is the ABS in any way attatched to the ECU or anything on the engine that will cause running/driving issues once its removed?

hell its a VERY ugly unit and would look like total crap under th hood of my project...hell its ugly under the milano hood i cant imagine it ever looking good

 

[Grant]

it may be ugly but it seems to work really well when it's working. Pedal feel is as good as our Boxster. But that was a long time ago. Now it is not working and the pedal feel is spongy. Fix one problem, and another one arises.

 

[AR4me]

also is the ABS in any way attatched to the ECU or anything on the engine that will cause running/driving issues once its removed?

No, independent systems.
Jes

 

[gt601]

I have switched two Milanos over and when you have it all working right the NON abs seems to feel better that the abs. I always felt like the car wasn't going to stop. It always did but just didn't feel good.

Paul

 

[AR4me]

Hmm. I have had a number of Milanos (>4) with ABS and they all worked well (if maintained). Currently, I run the race car with the ABS system, though the ABS functionality is disabled, but pedal feel is very good.
Jes

 

[gt601]

I just like the feel of "normal" brakes. My fiat X1/9 had the best. No booster from the factory. You could really modulate the brakes. It was firm and would just about put you through the windshield if needed. Of course if I remember correctly it only weighed a tad under 2000 lbs wet.

Paul

Should have kept that one
Here she is....

 

[JoeCab]

well thing is i will be cutting the car uh.."down" to size and sheading every ounce of weight that i can and the shortened wheelbase and shortened and narrowed engine compartment isnt going to have enuf room for the ABS..

If packaging is your real concern, I would encourage you to re-think your decision to ditch the ABS.

The ABS pedal box assembly is much smaller than the non-ABS assembly, because it lacks the booser. This is significant - you can pull the driver's side head off an ABS Milano without removing the master cylinder, but on a non-ABS car you need to remove the booster and master cylinder to do the job.

All of the other components other than the pedal assembly and master cylinder can be relocated out of sight. In fact, it would be much better to locate the ABS pump and accumulator somewhere away from engine heat.

I agree with Jes and Grant, a properly adjusted and functional ABS system, with good pads, does indeed have better feel and stopping ability than the manual system.

Joe

 

[NMMilano]

Check out the ABSectomy thread.

 

[sh0rtlife]

ill look into it but with the project there wont be room anywhere to re-locate the unit unless i moved it to the rear of the car LOL.....in fact i may actualy end up with both the clutch and brake MC's under the dash of the car....but thats only if the lack of space dictates it

personaly ive never liked ABS on any car...but thats probably cause im used to the feel of the brakes of my 58 ford, 67 and 69 cuda's and my dodge trucks over the years...abs just feels goofy....

id love to run the systm as FULL manual brakes NO booster...anyone done it?..ive done that kind of setup on a disc brake car befor and the pedal feel seemed overly hard....never done it on a 4wheel disc car tho

 

[AR4me]

To repeat: You can run the ABS system but disable the ABS functionality (if you don't like ABS). You will not know the difference compared to "regular" brakes - claiming differently is a bit silly IMHO. Colin and I have compared his GTV6 race car with "regular" brakes, and my Milano race car with ABS setup (but ABS functionality disabled) - we both like the feel of the ABS system better. As a testemony to the ABS setup - it wore out front and rear brake pads at a completely even pace!

Also, when people do the 24v conversions you usually need to find a smaller brake booster, but guess what?. If you have the ABS setup the 24v engine clears nicely No need to change anything to the brake system.

Jes