How many of you guys pull the ABS fuse and what is your experience in the resulting braking change? I ask because I have made some changes that have resulted in more front bias (~3-4% more than running a staggered pad OEM setup). I don't know how I will feel about this change, but will be heading to the track this weekend and just wanted this info just in case I want to start messing with things.

 

Tires are expensive.

 

If you're heavy on the brakes you'll struggle. Cold tires and hard braking with no ABS like to swing the rear around if you try to trail brake lol
Otherwise depending how well you know your car, you'll get used to it quick. It didn't take long for me but I quickly realized that I brake a lot harder than you would think....and Im a light braker lol We engage ABS a lot more than we realize.

And just to show it off some more...my fast lap at BW CW13 for an NA PB lol :P For you Dess!
No ABS with this lap and temps in the AM were in the 50s-60s.

 

So would you say it increases rear bias? Because what I am seeing and this is just based on street driving, is that this setup is causing the fronts to lock before ABS even engages.

 

I guess you could say that it did increase rear bias. I came in hot into the "off ramp" turn with warm but not up to temp tires and it locked the rear and spun me ... its hard braking but not a true straight line braking.
That was the 1st time I had hard braking and no ABS. Same day in the video I posted.

After that I couldn't really feel and difference in my brakes.

 

I broke a wheel speed sensor before a track day (=no ABS) and ended up locking up a rear wheel under hard braking in the wet. I thought, "why am I not slowing down that quickly?" Saw a white cloud behind me before realizing, "oh that was me!"

The S2000 uses EBD for brake proportioning so I would guess that disabling ABS would increase stopping distances.

 

can you explain this more? So greater stopping distance even outside of ABS engaging?

 

Correct, although maybe I shouldn't expand due to competitive advantage...

Kidding. Before I go further, please realize this is based on a generalization of how EBD works. I don't have knowledge of how the S2000 is setup specifically and this goes out the window if you alter the braking system (pads, caliper piston size, rotor diameter, etc.).

The S2000 doesn't have an old-school proportioning valve but instead relies on the ABS system to modulate rear brake pressure (EBD) to achieve max decel. Without this, the rears will lock prematurely and you will not get as much decel as you would with working EBD.

YMMV

 

I think everybody should do a few dozen sessions on track without ABS at a minimum. I've found most people now cannot threshold brake at all in advanced DE groups, whereas ABS wasn't super common in track cars in the late 90s to early 2000's(cars from late 80s to early 90s mostly), so everybody could threshold brake.

Most now just seem to mash the middle pedal way too hard and let the computer sort it out. If you engage ABS more than a few times a session you're using it as a crutch, and an S2000 totally stops better without getting into ABS. So I don't see how it will increase stopping distances unless you cannot threshold brake.