kiwi 911

I have recently installed aftermarket suspension into my 6GT3.

I have driven the car 3 times (twice on the road and once on the track).

The first time I drove it the car experienced a hard pedal, the rear wheels locked up, the fronts didn't seem to work and the brakes ran at about 20% capacity. This was around town and the car wasn't being driven hard in any way. I took the car back as a ABS failure light came on and the car was checked over and reset.

The 3rd time was at a track day and the car ran off the track at a 100MPH and into a tyre wall..........(on Saturday).

So I am OK but scared sh*tless to drive my car in anger at the moment (once fixed).

Has anyone else experienced this - what is the problem and what is the solution?

Your thoughts by those in the know would genuinely be appreciated.

Signed (widow maker car owner)

pete95zhn

Any Durametric codes?
What's the size of your tires?
What brake pads are you using?

kiwi 911

Not sure about the codes - I will find out.

I am running stock rims with R rated tyres - Hankook 221's.

Pads a Padgett yellows front (enduro) and OEM rears.

Actually the other thing I changed was rear disks and pads at the same time? Maybe not an even bite?

himself

Ice mode?

-td

996FLT6

So tirewall at 100 mph? Straight in? You're car still have a front end? Anyway if u felt that on the street why on earth take it to the track? Glad you're fine though. Did airbags deploy? Mike

kiwi 911

Well, sand trap will have scrubbed some speed, but car is not the best and I an brused. The car when in for servicing the minute it felt it on teh road to fix.

How do you fix/solve Ice mode?

996FLT6

Is the track bumpy esp on high speed braking zones? Mike

powdrhound

Sorry to hear about your car. I get fed up with the shortcoming of the stock ABS unit and installed a Motorsport 996 Cup ABS unit. Not cheap but immune to ice mode and gives you amazing stopping ability.. Might wanna look into that as the Cup ABS pops up on the used market from time to time.

ad93

Would it be crazy to disable the ABS altogether? How much braking finesse does it take to achieve maximum stopping power while avoiding locking up the tires?

spiller

****, sorry to hear this Paul but glad to hear you are OK.

Very strange issue. I have had the car throw an ABS code when I tapped the brake pedal with one of the front wheels in the air over a spoon drain but the braking system performed the same. I have never heard of ICE mode in the 996 GT3? It's quite a common issue with the lotus guys in their Exiges.

I agree with powdrhound - the ABS system in these cars is very disappointing on the track, especially if you have any sort of aggressive camber on the front wheels. No matter how I brake at the track, I cannot stop the car effectively without engaging ABS in the heavy zones unless I want to go slower around the track. ABS should be there for safety, not to make you faster so Porsche got it wrong with these cars IMO.

All said and done, the "issues" I am referring to above are not what you have experienced. In my case the car still stopped well, it was just annoying having the ABS engage all the time.

Gofishracing

Did you bleed your brakes ? Yellows need bedding- Is that what you were running all along in the front? Yellow fronts and OEM rear don't sound balanced.

CME

Agree on setup. I run the 29's up front and the 14's in the rear. I am not sure the stock rears match up well with 29's up front. Could be another data point why the ABS had a n issue.

Chet

LuisGT3

Interested in more info on the Motorsport 996 Cup ABS unit. How much are they? How does the car perform differently on track?
OP: glad you're ok.

powdrhound

They're about $5k on the used market place, and worth their weight in gold. I just bought a spare one to have on the shelf as Porsche does not sell them anymore. It's actually a 1st generation 986 Boxster ABS hydraulic unit mated to a 4 channel Motorsport brain. It looks identical to the 996 GT3 ABS module so it's a direct bolt on. You will need someone with intimate knowledge of wiring to hook it up as its K-line based. The Cup brain is programmed for slicks and as such it's threshold of ABS engagement is quite a bit higher. Brake bias will shift to the rear. There is also no ice mode logic so this becomes a non event. Brakes are 100% reliable and stop like a freight train. Get ready to eat some pads and rotors!

Honkity Hank

OP
If the front wheels are locking, then it seems to me that the ABS is not working. That is the purpose of the ABS, to prevent wheel lockup. Correct me if I am wrong but the stock ABS is 3 channels, 2 front channels, and one rear.

It would seem that front wheels locked and rears turning would engage the ABS on the front wheels. What am I missing here?

In regards to Ice mode often mentioned, I would like to learn more about the logic of this function, how it is programmed, and when it is triggered.

Best of luck, hope your car is not badly damaged.

Jeff