333pg333

Has anyone ever converted an '86 to have ABS? Any problems or issues with this?
Feedback welcome.

jasonlp

I asked 9 years ago and all I remember was that it was going to cost a lot of money....

Not helpful but it's a start

alxdgr8

So which is more difficult?....turboing your N/A or ABS'ing your non-ABS'r?

bearone

why do so many need to reinvent the wheel, just buy a later 951/abs.

JustinL

IMHO, there isn't too much to gain on the track with ABS on these cars and you seem to be a more track oriented guy. I find if I trigger the ABS the car slows down less quickly, but a quick modulation doesn't always work to turn off the ABS. We also have a very tight serpentine on our autocross track that requires downshifting from 4th to 2nd while nearly threshold braking. In my n/a without ABS I was more able to make the car dance through the cones even with the or rear wheel locking up briefly. In the 951 I occasionally get the ABS to fire with heavy braking and downshifting, heel-toe of course, but I'm not perfect , which I find more unsettling to the car.

I know Dan struggled a couple of days when his 86 had too much pad in the back and he was wishing he had ABS because the rears were locking. I think ABS would have just masked the issue of uneven balance.

333pg333

To confirm, we have all the parts that would be coming off my '89 car.

333pg333

We may have an '86 car already that's why we're asking the questions. As far as I've seen and experienced, ABS is of benefit on a track car. I've seen '86s lock up their brakes where mine doesn't. Of course this can come down to other factors like suspension, tyres, driver style etc but
most race cars nowdays have ABS.

fast951

It can be done, you need to upgrade the suspension from the later car to get the ABS rings on all 4 wheels. You will also need to weld a plate to hold the ABS pump. Since you have all the pieces from the 89, it should not be difficult, just time consuming. I had a 87 that had ABS retrofit. You might want to wire a switch to be able to reset the ABS as at times it can go to fault mode on the track (rumble strips etc...).
I'm thinking of doing the same to my 86. I have ABS on my MY89 race car which I'm keeping.

Rogue_Ant

Did anything ever come to fruition from the Boxster ABS conversion thread...? If you are converting, might as well convert to something better.

333pg333

Yes I was just thinking of that Josh. Tony G wasn't it? I heard something about him doing a new car project so I'm not sure if he's going to follow that up.

John, I'd be interested if you do yours soon. Any time frame?

333pg333

Also, is the turbo the only 944 model with ABS or do S2s have ABS and if so is it the same ABS? How about the 2.7L model?

fast951

All 944S2 (in the USA) had ABS so did the 968.

George D

Buy a car with ABS. The time required to complete a retrofit to an earlier car will be expensive. I'm assuming that someone else will be doing the work.....Get a later model car, unless this 86 is in perfect shape.

RolexNJ

For pure track guys, you 'will' be faster with ABS, period.

2bridges

ABS is for sissies!