Front ABS engaging

My front ABS engages when I brake hard on anything but a pristine road surface. Do I need to have my suspension or brakes checked? Or is this the nature of the beast on a rear engine design? By the way, my car is a 40th Anniversary with 3k miles. Also, my E46 M3 never did this on the same roads, at the same speed, etc., etc. Thanks in advance. Matt

On a dry pavement with good tires, your car should stop on a dime and give you change. I have never had my ABS activate in the 40,000 miles I have driven my car. The only thing that should activate the ABS is to have the tires lose traction when braking. If it is activating when you do not lose tire grip, then there is something wrong with the system. I have found that on a good road and good tires, you have a better chance of being thrown through the windshield than to have the ABS system kick in.

I've had both experiences. In freeway traffic, I worry about getting rear-ended because I can stop much faster than the folks behind me. On slightly broken pavement, the abs occasionally engages. I attribute it to the very stiff suspension (H&R springs), but I'd be interested in other's experiences if this isn't right.

Slight difference in tire circumference front vs rear might cause this. Replaced just two??

Matt, This occurs regularly if I brake firmly on broken or loose surfaces. The ABS system is doing its job as it is sensing your front tires loosing traction. This point will vary greatly depending on the weather, road surface and tires.

I too have had the abs engage in irregular surfacts always when turning a bit and never at any higher speeds - always at 5mph or thereabouts. It's really annoying- I have pss9's and I don't ever remember it happening with the old regular suspension- non m030

I also have this happen on a C2 with USA 030. I seems to require braking in a turn with less than perfect pavement. If the inside front wheel hits a bump, the ABS will engage on that wheel. I have found that if I complete my braking a little earlier it doesn't happen. I just figured it was the car telling me that I was braking too late. Tim

I have had the front wheels lock up a few times on loose pavement; they lock up easier than the back. I also have non OEM suspension.

Nope. New S03's all around when I got the car, and this has happened ever since. For everyone else's points, happens when I'm straight-line braking at normal speeds. Happened today at ~30mph going over a bump on surface streets. I'm still assuming it's the stiff suspension. Maybe will doublecheck with the mechanic next time I take the car in.

I tend to get into the ABS once, maybe twice in a 2hr spirited mountain drive here in GA. It seems that it's due to my braking too late and losing front traction. There could also be dirt or small loose gravel causing the ABS to engage. I had the same situation with my Boxster. I'm sure it's my driving that causes the ABS to engage, not the car malfunctioning.

Just got my first Porsche. 2001 Cab. Full fast stop is a scary experience. It's like there's gravel in the front brakes, they twist back & forth, and they lock up and screech. What's meant here by engaging? I had a Mustang GT and the ABS engaging meant the wheels would NEVER lock (thus the name anti-lock) no matter how hard I braked. You'd only notice on ice surface as it would take forever to slow down. My question: what's engaging mean on a Porsche? My mechanic said the pumping gravely locking is normal. This happening in a turn would surely toss one into a wall though. Please describe the normal emergency dry-pavement stopping on a healthy Porsche. THANKS HUGE!

The grabbing/pumping is the ABS modulating the brakes. However, the front tires should NOT lock up for more than a fraction of a second. If your front tires are locking up and skidding, you have a problem that should be addressed by a qualified mechanic. ABS engaging in a turn should actually PREVENT one from skidding off the road in a corner. Good luck, and post some pics of your CAB!

Caveat: Boxster S guy here, but Kevin H. in Atl.. mentioned his Boxster was similar. IMHO, it doesn't take much for me to get the ABS to engage in the front. It's because the tires have lost traction. Trivial in a corner or on uneven pavement, obviously. True, I do some pretty aggressive braking at times (> 1G). The problem is that these cars have a huge front brake bias (probably in the interest of safety) similar to understeer. One of the many goofy things I've tried was putting higher friction compound pads in the rear--only--with stock in front. Every webpage/book/you-name-it will tell you that this is bad, and you're going to die. I was really worried this would be the case. To my surprise, the braking was MUCH better and more balanced. YMMV, and if you wreck your car and die, don't blame me. (Lawyers chime in here.) P.S. If you're in the SF Bay area with a 3.4L C2/C4, I have some sticky pads for the rear 299mm brakes if you wanna introduce yourself and try them.

what about driving on track? i try to brake so i dont engage abs, but sometimes when i brake hard the abs kicks in, but i feel like it comes on earlier than it should. there a way i can disable it? '99 C2 with traction control button. i turn TC off when i track unless it rains

I don't think you can disable ABS. ABS engages because the tires are locking up and skidding, which means you have exceeded your tire's traction limits. You might try a tire with a larger footprint, or a tire with a higher performance rating which might provide more grip. Otherwise, you'll simply need to brake within the capabilities of your tire.

same here man. when i had my USA M030 and even still now with the PSS9's (although it's much harder). i think it happenes because the car thinks we're going over rough terrain or something because these are pretty random sharp bumps in the road. either that or because the wheel catches some air and locks up b4 comming back down again perhaps? Kevin H.: Couldn't you just pull the fuse for ABS/TCS from the fusebox? (on a side note, how cool would it be to have an ABS on/off on ur center consol as a button right next to PSM and TCS)

I suppose you could pull the fuse, but I don't think ABS is the problem. Lack of tire grip is the problem, IMHO. PSM/TC is a totally different deal. I would definitely prefer the ability to switch these off.