Zzyzx

So I pulled the ABS fuse at the last evet... Talk about a difference, you could acutally trail brake a bit with out the ABS freaking out. not to mention how much more braking you could do with the sticky tires on. (Seems like the ABS doesnt deall really well with sticky tires, it seems to kick in way too early )

any way, I say go try it for your self, see if you like it. Just be aware, its much easier to flat spot tires with out abs then with.

jiggerachi

iTrader: (4)

Me & my buddy started pulling ours midway through last season, we agreed it felt like it was easier to rotate the car for some reason, maybee it was in our heads.

My Miata dosent have ABS, ive already flat spottet my rear tires, but that had nothing to do with ABS, hehe.

dscottb01

I ran w/o ABS once because of a bad ABS sensor, it was a bad experience for me. I just push on through the ABS when it activates and with HAWK pads on the car, it stops pretty well while ABS is active.

SevenCyrus

iTrader: (1)

Dont no much about Autox yet, but that sounds pretty damn good. Way to rep the civic.

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

I just ran my first event with ABS what a difference that makes. I HATE IT! If you have never run with out ABS try it keep in mind you have to know how to threshold brake, to keep you’re self from flat spotting your tires.

Just my $0.02

robbclark1

iTrader: (8)

What fuse is it?

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

when you pull the cover to get to the fuse box you will see the diagram it will show you. iirc it is the top 7.5 fuse next the the steering collum

SevenCyrus

iTrader: (1)

I got DX, so no ABS, "threshold brake", you mean steping on break in periods? Like one after the other, etc?

Oh, and why u get rid of Miata?

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

Threshold breaking is the act of being on the Threshold of the tires grip while breaking aka not locked. This can be a difficult to learn.

SevenCyrus

iTrader: (1)

So basicaly the wheels dont lock? right? Bc isnt that what ABS is for? So you can break the hell out of it, and still turn out of way

Zzyzx

Threashold Braking:
Threshold braking is the technique of using your brakes to their full potential without locking up your wheels (in other words, braking to the "threshold" of locking up). Also known as straight-line braking, it is one of the fundamental skills you need to develop as a competent race car driver.

Keep in mind that "using your brakes to their full potential" does not mean stomping the brake pedal to the floor. This crude approach usually results in lock-up, flat-spotted tires, and a slide-none of which is desirable in a racing situation.

When braking in a straight line, successful threshold braking requires that you press quickly, smoothly, and firmly on the brake pedal to initiate the braking process. Continue pressing until you feel your tires responding. You want to apply enough pressure to put the tires to work, stopping just short of locking them up. Developing a sensitivity to the car's response to your control takes time and practice, and is a crucial first step.

Once you feel your tires responding to your braking input, hold steady on the brakes as the weight of your vehicle transfers to the front of the car. This weight transfer increases the size of the contact patches of the front tires, which translates into increased traction.

As the weight of your car transfers to the front tires, you can apply more brake pressure with less risk of locking them up. At this point, you need to focus on progressively applying more brake pressure until your tires are alternating between slipping and gripping, but not quite locking up.

Remember: Maximum braking occurs just before lock-up, and you will find yourself locking up often as you hone your technique. Your goal is to achieve lock-up for mere fractions of a second before rotating again. Slip, Grip, Slip, Grip, Slip. Keep in mind that no one said this would be easy!

Tire noise is an excellent gauge of the effectiveness of your threshold braking technique; it's a good indication that your tires are slipping under braking, which is what you're aiming for. On the other hand, tire smoke and a herky-jerky ride down the straightaway (because of flat-spotted tires) are clear indications that you need to practice your technique.

As you slip and grip your way through the final stages of braking, you need to focus on modulating your brake pressure. You will find that you need to apply less braking input as you slow down. Resist the urge to keep slamming down on the brakes! A gentle touch will achieve much more desirable results.

Zzyzx

After that learn trail braking..

Trail-Braking

Trail-braking is an advanced technique that involves braking and turning into a corner simultaneously. Once you've mastered the art of threshold braking, you may want to try trail-braking.

Trail-braking requires a light touch: You risk locking up the front tires if you press on the brakes too hard, and you also risk slowing down more than you need to as you enter the turn.

One of the most common mistakes rookies make while attempting trail-braking is trailing on the brakes too far into the corner, which means that you are slowing down more than necessary. Remember, you want to be off the brakes as much as possible!

Lingering on the brakes as you steer into a corner can also induce oversteer, which can come in handy if you're heading into a hairpin or other type of decreasing radius corner. With the majority of the car's weight and grip centered on the front tires as you linger on the brakes, the rear of the car may have a tendency to "go loose" and actually help rotate the vehicle into the perfect position for completing the cornering sequence. Just be careful not to linger too long on the brakes, as you may induce too much oversteer and find yourself in a spin.

Zzyzx

OH ya, for our cars, Trailbraking is more usefull for getting the car to rotate. but be aware if you mess up you'll either carry too much speed in to the corner (Can we say Off track excursion) or you'll loop the thing, and end up faceing the wrong way down the track. So learn slowly, but remember to learn it. as Trail braking can be key to getting good lap times.

nindoo

iTrader: (1)

What is flat spot tires?

Zzyzx

Thats when you lock a tire and it litterally wears a flat spot on the tire (Like an eraser)

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

zzyzx I have never heard a better expalnation of Threashold Braking or Trail-Braking

dscottb01

Your thoughts and ideas are very true and good to follow, however, I still like having my ABS. Do you run HS or STS/DSP/SM? If you run stock, pulling ABS fuse is illegal.

Zzyzx

I run STS, and Disabling the ABS is a new rule this year.

SevenCyrus

iTrader: (1)

Zzyzx....you own. Thanks

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

I thought is was a new rull last year. But what do I know I ran in CS that had no ABS

Zzyzx

It was brought up for review/comment last year, its an official rule this year.

dscottb01

I remember that now....for STS and SP cars.....like duh Scott!!!

jiggerachi

iTrader: (4)

You talking about me??

I Just bought the Miata 4 months ago, I was racing the civic at the time, so im just now starting to race the Miata. I got rid of the Civic last month though.

SevenCyrus

iTrader: (1)

No no i know you jiggerachi. Im talking about other guy "2004 C Stock champion for the St. Louis Region SCCA in a 2003 Mazda Miata LS (I am going to miss that car) " was in his public profile. PeteW

Pete W.

iTrader: (1)

No it is my dad's but this year he bought a 73 Vette that one BP last year at nationals so he will be driving it and leave the miata in the garage. If you know any one that gose to nationals ask them about Sam Platt's Vette.

trance4mer

iTrader: (1)

i pulled my fuse last event to. i love it. so i didnt put it back on for daily driving. as a result i had more wear on the left front brake pad than the right and it pretty much diminished my brake life. but i got new and installed the fuse again. but it does work really good at whipping your *** around turns...

nindoo

iTrader: (1)

When you exit a turn and the tail end wiggles, that is caused by the driving techniques or the suspension setup?

dscottb01

Could be either depending upon the amount of "wiggle", lack of certain options or tires, or pressures. Most likely, overdriving with oversteer to rotate the car combined with high pressures will give you that result IMHO!