ABS on Visa

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visagti
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ABS on Visa

Post by visagti »

How easy do you think it would be to fit ABS to my Visa Gti?

The brakes on these cars are rubbish and I have always thought about finding ABS from a 205 Gti (Iknow these are rare) and fitting it.

I have basic skills, I do servicing on my cars, change items such as struts, brakes, exhaust and have just swaped my eninge and wiring loom but these are take of and put back on and don't involve susing anything new out.

Is it possible and if so would it be a nightmare (would my local Citroen back street type garage do it do you think?)
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Post by CitroJim »

Doable certainly. You'll need all the bits from the 205 including cogged drive shafts, sensors, valve block and ECU. The dash has the warning light already. You'll need to make up a few new pipe runs but that is cheap and easy with a roll of pipe and a half-decent flaring kit.

One thing I'm not sure of on the 205 if ABS was only available on cars with rear discs although I have a feeling it was an option on the 1.6GTi late in production but they may have had rear discs. I say this as I cannot imagine where the cogged wheel and sensors would go on a 205 drum brake.

The lads over on the 205gtidrivers forum will advise better. I know one or two have retrofitted ABS (and PAS too).

I must agree the standard 205GTi brakes are a bit marginal but that may just be me comparing them with Citroen brakes.

ABS alone is not going to improve braking power though, it'll only stop wheeels locking up.
Jim

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visagti
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Post by visagti »

I was thinking of upgrading the rears to discs also so that would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Stopping power is rubbish but the biggest problem especially in the wet is locking up, it just skids all over the place.
Visa Gti 105ch - white - under restoration - NO RUST never painted
Visa Gti 105ch - red
Visa Gti 115ch - white - requires tlc
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Post by CitroJim »

visagti wrote:I was thinking of upgrading the rears to discs also so that would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Stopping power is rubbish but the biggest problem especially in the wet is locking up, it just skids all over the place.
Is that the rears locking up or all of them? If just the rears, check your brake compensator, they look innocent enough but they do give problems. But then, if a Visa GTi is anything like a 205GTi they are so light at the back they will lock up at the drop of a hat. Carry a paving slab in the boot :lol:

Rear discs are an easy swap and a nice upgrade. You'll need 1.9 GTi handbrake cables and disc stub axles as the disc ones are a little longer than the drum ones.
Jim

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Post by AndersDK »

Are the Visa's in your garage greenblooded ?
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Post by David W »

Could tyres fitted be a big factor? There is a big difference in wet road braking between brands. On our Xsara we've just bought I junked all the tyres and fitted a set of Goodyear Hydragrips. They make wet roads like dry with just a tiny penalty of the ultimate dry road performance.

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Post by DickieG »

David W wrote:Could tyres fitted be a big factor?
I couldn't agree more, one of my old C15D's had a mixture of cheap/nasty tyres which made the thing very dangerous in the wet. If I hadn't owned one previously I'd have been thinking of changing the brake valve or just selling it as 'undrivable', a new set of Michelins sorted it out.
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visagti
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Post by visagti »

I never thrash the car but if you get caught out by someone in front it twitches all over.

This is I think my 7th Gti over the past 17 years and all have been the same.

Michelins I've always found as been a hard tyre, good lasting but not on grip. I'm using Pirelli at the moment but when I had these on my impreza they were no good and changed back to the original Bridgestones.

I have come to the conclusion over the years certain tyres must suit certain cars?
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Post by VisaGTi16v »

Old topic! Sounds like a compensator issue. The brakes on my sprint one are great but they do have high rated Mintex 1155's in but ive never had an issue with them. Rear brakes do naff all on most cars. You cannot fit 205 rear discs as the Visa stub axle is too short. If you are locking the rears then adjust the compensator one way, if you are locking the fronts with little effort then perhaps the rears arent working at all, are the calipers sticking etc?
Darren
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