MickDime

Just wondering who has ABS and who doesn't.

I have a 99 XJ with no ABS haven't been offroading yet, I want to be able to

What are the Advantages?

What are the Disadvantages?

96_xj

ABS on the jeeps dont really work to well in the first place....

Gee oh Dee

Don't have it, and honestly it comes down to the driver's preference and style.

Personally if I slam on the brakes I'd like them to do as they are told and lock the eff up. I know how to threshold brake, I don't need any assistance, thank you very much.

Some vehilces its nice, just not in my Jeeps.

Ender

Well, when it came to my '89 XJ, my ABS was all screwed up. To repair it would have cost an ***** load of money. Each individual part runs around $500. So I went down to the local pick-n-pull, got everything I needed to convert it to a normal power brake system. Works great and now I don't have to worry about all that extra ABS bulls***. ABS is worhtless on Jeeps, it's for the soccer mom that freaks out and locks up her breaks, skidding into a wall and/or the car in front of them. (IMO)

Ender

I agree 100% with you!

Dan91

TBH, ABS is expensive as hell to replace. If you go mudding you can mess up your ABS sensors. ABS really does help, especially in "oh ****" situations. I mean I'm sure everyone would like to be confident and say "Oh yeah I can brake without ABS just as good, cause I've learned" etc but the truth is, in a panic situation, you probably wont remember all that and you'll just slam the brakes. This is where ABS really shines. The older ABS systems in our XJ's aren't very fancy and under normal circumstances don't help too much, but when you panic and slam the brakes, you'd probably wish you had ABS. That being said, I've had 2 XJs without ABS and a ZJ with ABS. I'd only prefer to have ABS on a DD.

Red88

Given the option I'd always opt for non abs. Its simpler and puts you in control of your vehicle instead of a computer. Same goes for items like traction control, automatic trannys, power windows and locks, and so on. Hell I'd even take a carb over fi if I had the choice. Mechanical I can understand and fix anything. Electrical often baffles me

Gee oh Dee

I guess I've just taken my learning to the next level, I learned not to panic as well. Maybe you do, but I've learned all to well that when you panic you make foolish decisions like you are saying.

Its second nature NOT to lock them up for me. Even if want to think its just confidence. My skills have been tested more than once, and I've yielded perfect results every time.

Red88

Given the option I'd always opt for non abs. Its simpler and puts you in control of your vehicle instead of a computer. Same goes for items like traction control, automatic trannys, power windows and locks, and so on. Hell I'd even take a carb over fi if I had the choice. Mechanical I can understand and fix anything. Electrical often baffles me

Gravy

offroad: ABS is garbage and worthless. On the edge of a slippery drop off is exactly where I would NOT like my brakes to pulse on and off thank you.

Also if you have ABS in your Cherokee, there is a 99% chance that you have a rear d35 so you get the worst of both worlds...

onroad: ABS is nice in the tow rig... the end.

Gee oh Dee

Ugh, no way in hell I'd chose a carburated motor over fuel injected. Better fuel economy, and if you ever get yourself into steep angles you can have issues with the carb.

Not to mention how much nicer FI is in the colder months.

1armyguy

I have been thinking about doing this as well. What would I need to take out for the ABS not to work without the light coming on and then what exactly would I need to replace to convert it over to nonABS?

Thanks for the help.

Gee oh Dee

You'd need a non-abs preportion valve, and you'd wanna remove pretty much everything ABS related, including the bulb in your dash.

1armyguy

The preportion valve you are talking about, is that the one that is attached to the master cylinder? How hard is it to get the ABS light out of the dash? I hear the dash removal is a pain.

Gee oh Dee

Sorry man, I've never done an ABS conversion on a Jeep before, I'm not familiar with all the specifics. I just know you need a non-abs proportioning valve and that you don't need anything else ABS related if you are getting rid of it.

Have you tried searching the forum? I'm sure this has been covered, you may get lucky and find a good write up.