waddisme

I got a set of the PFC99s fronts to try tomorrow at VIR. I have used the Carbotch XP12s and they work great for me. Not a lot of inital bite to upset car and they last the full 30 mins with no problems. While burnishing the new pads, on the 4 64 mph to 20 mph stops, 3 times the ABS came on. Thinking maybe the new pads might have a little more bite. Just wondering if it is a big deal if you use the ABS a lot in slowing down? Should I have been in the past?

AU N EGL

ABS is your friend.

down in to VIR turn 1 if I am not on the ABS I am not braking hard enough.

Carbotech brake pads are difference then Hawk, PFC, Wilwood. Not better not worse, just different. They do like to brake a bit sooner then other brake pads, which is OK too. Just a different style of braking

i.e. you brake at marker 4 with the carbotechs, vs 3 1/2 with other brake pads.

yakisoba

It's not a big deal. ABS is not a system that burns out or gets tired any faster than the rest of the braking system, as far as I know.

Aardwolf

As above it doesn't break when used a lot. But can cause more tire wear then is necessary. It's pulsing the brake pressure, like locking the tire and unlocking it very quickly to prevent a full skid. In a skid your braking traction goes down something like 20%. When you feel the ABS come in, remember when it came on and brake to just before that point. This will provide more braking then with it active and skidding.

Z06Fix

Does it introduce any extra heat in the fluid? I have always wondered that.

Aardwolf

I would say no. Maybe a very little bit back at the ABS unit from friction, but not at the caliper.

Jason

I've always heard you can stop a tiny bit faster off the ABS if you are on R compounds. I try to back off it when I feel it engage, but I'm not usually very succesful. It's on the list of things to work on.

Wayne O

There are some courses where I'm constantly jamming the brakes hard enough to engage ABS. I agree with AU N EGL...ABS is your friend. Obviously, if you can slow sufficiently without ABS engaging so much the better, however, if you need to stab the brakes so hard that you'd lock the wheels and skid I'd rather ABS does its thing. I wouldn't worry about 'abusing' the ABS system. It's activation is a function of the circumstances and its designed to help.

I know ABS is 'tied-into' both TC and AH. Running in comp mode with TC off and AH reduced, I wonder if the ABS algorithms are reduced accordingly (commensurate to the increased tolerances of comp mode) allowing you a bit more 'skid' (if you will) before ABS activates.

I'm not so sure about that. Sure, if you can slow sufficiently without skidding and engaging ABS that's better, however, when the ABS engages on a dry road surface it's helping to prevent the wheels from locking and skidding. Locking-up the wheels and skidding can flat-spot tires and in general contributes to tire wear. Besides improved traction and driver control in many circumstances, I feel the ABS engaging is beneficial to tire wear (as opposed to skidding on the tires).

gkmccready

I still drive other cars that don't have ABS so I try not to get in to it because I don't want to become reliant on it...

Kubs

I used to be that way. Now the Vette is all I race so I definitely use the ABS!

waddisme

I feel like I will probably get into more at first until I adjust to the different pads. I probably need to work on getting on brakes harder and shorter anyway. I usually run in "Competitive Mode" if that matters. It does seem like a good way determine brake points if you can narrow it down to just before where it kicks in. 20% chance of rain tomorrow anyway, so they may be activated a lot.

Thanks for the input. I feel better now.

Aardwolf

I was thinking about putting a light on my dash for when ABS was on. I've since started to be able to feel it in the steering wheel. Feels like a cracked rotor but not as much judder. Using the ABS, and also skidding, will take longer to brake in distance. Not using it will improve your lap times.