33 replies to this topic

[Ormes]

Fit a switch, I run with mine off all the time apart from mot. Your find it quite hard to lock up the front wheels in the dry IMO. If your not confident or it's wet you can always turn it back on. Is it SC yet?

The car isnt SC yet Joe is hopefully going to be doing this around May time??

what tyres? and have you scrubbed off all the slippery release compound yet?

I have 888's . Noticed a difference with the 16/17 combo and the tyres much better than the old wheels and tyres and the 888 havent got up to proper temp yet.

However did notice a difference in breaking!!

Harder tyres with less grip would lock up more easily but 888 should be fine unless you are actually driving on ice. Odd.

Yes I thought so to. But was fine untill I changed the wheels. its like I have my foot on the break and just feels like there is no pressure there.

Assume started with 16/17 as the overall diameter front to rear has changed slightly.

A chap at work had some garage accidentally put different profile tires on the back of his astra. EML came on and ABS was constantly firing.

[Marcowpolo]

nice ABS switch

[MrSimba]

The Lotus 4 channel ABS controller is the way to go. I had horrendous 'ice mode' after fitting the 46's (already had 16/ 17's & wide rubber) and every time I came off boost and straight onto brake nothing but a hard pedal. Since fitting the 4 channel unit nothing but positive perfect brakes, no matter when Did a MLOC run last Sunday and after a couple of hundred miles round the Peaks, cr@p road surfaces & plenty of WOT, and not one hint of ice mode

[KurtVerbose]

There was a group buy but it petered out. I'd like it but the reset is difficult here in Switzerland. Maybe I'll come over some time, or go to Germany, but I don't know a supplier there.

[Winstar]

I would be happy to Graeme, come on over one evening.

The real issue is the Ice Mode which kicks when you brake enthusiastically basically disabling the brakes.

I thought that alot of the occrances that people call ice mode is actually the ABS saftey mechanism that if it detects the rear wheels locking then it will reduce the brake force on the front to prevent the car from spinning

[Tail slide]

I would be happy to Graeme, come on over one evening.

The real issue is the Ice Mode which kicks when you brake enthusiastically basically disabling the brakes.

I thought that alot of the occrances that people call ice mode is actually the ABS saftey mechanism that if it detects the rear wheels locking then it will reduce the brake force on the front to prevent the car from spinning

Not sure what in the set-up is wrong, no doubt a compromise from using a simple 2-channel rather than a proper 4-channel going to each wheel as per other posts. Can't be from rear lock-up though as the static balance is far too much to the front, which is safer than too much to the rear obviously but still not optimum, and a nuisance on track if you want max braking.

Ice -mode happened to me when I first got the car not only on track within a few corners of brakes being used hard - close to lock-up but also several times in a month on the road in full-braking situation. Brakes released by themselves although my foot was hard down! Nearly sent me into a wall. Needless to say my ABS is now off permanently! 4-channel sounds good if there was another group buy though...

[chrisgold]

I find if my pads are low and my fluid is over a year old that my brakes are terrible! Without the abs my front wheels lock up and seems to be the passenger front wheel more than the drivers (anyone else get this???) and with abs on it just cant seem to cope with this and I get super ice mode (which I pretty much get with it off and just one wheel locking up anyway haha)..... However, with new pads and some new fluid I do not get this problem, brakes are second to none! But I do give my callipers a good service when I change the pads and fluid, I do use the abs on a very wet greasy track, as without you often dont know the wheels have locked up and your on the grass until its too late But soon as it even dries off a little the abs needs to be turned off again. You only want to turn the abs it off and on when the car is off I believe, the switch i fitted got wet and stoped working one day, since then ive just been connecting and disconnecting the wire whenever its needed or not

[ultimate]

how much is the lotus 4-channel abs in uk? I'm writing from Germany

[Rally]

how much is the lotus 4-channel abs in uk?

More information than you shake a stick at.

[P11 COV]

I thought that (and have experienced) 'ice mode' when going very quicky from full throttle to hard barkes (generallly only on track). I thought it was something to do with the vacumn assistance? There was also a suggestion that collasping brake servo pipe could cause it - hence the vx recall on this issue. I use a ABS switch and find it much better in most situations. It clearly stops ice mode happening as I find the the brakes tottally unrelible and unpredictable on track with the ABS on and spot on when switched off. On road is not such an issue.

[MrSimba]

I thought that (and have experienced) 'ice mode' when going very quicky from full throttle to hard brakes

Thats exacty what I was experiencing, the 4 channel ABS controller has completely solved the problem, whatever it was!

Yes an ABS 'off' switch is better than the ABS in most circumstances but I was all too aware of the questions that could be raised in the event of an accident with the ABS wire 'cut' and tuned off... not a conversation I'd want to have with either the Police or Insurance company!

So the 4 channel ABS is worth every penny IMHO if your running with 17/16's and are having 'Ice mode' problems - even at £400 for a new controller thats well, well worth the money, the difference is night & day (or stopping and not stopping!!!)

[Marcowpolo]

it's really the UPGRADE must be done !!!!

[Jason]

So I have tyres on the front that are 195/40/17 instead of the standard 175/55/17, this is a 5.85% reduction in rolling circumference on the front. I loose brakes all together as abs cuts all brake power no matter how hard I press, is this 5.85% enough to upset the system?

[Marcowpolo]

i know that the LOTUS 4 chanel working very well with 17 and 17