Went to the track yesterday. Topped off fluid helped with the sensitivity of ice mode, but I have yet another new theory that I feel fairly strongly about.
So I talked a little to one of the World Challenge teams running a 370Z and they are also having major ice mode issues. The one thing that stood out in my conversation with them was that their data showed that ice mode would kick in right around 1g of braking. Which of course sucks if you're a World Challenge car on slicks that are more than capable of 1g of braking. They said at their next race, they were going to try out a new brake kit as well as try disconnecting the yaw sensor to see if the car can run without it hooked up and if it helps the problem at all. They have been trying to talk with Nissan, but they have reportedly not been helpful.
So having this new bit of information in my head when I went to the track yesterday I started seeing if that theory held water. Sure enough, it seems that not only does it seem very plausible that ice mode is triggered when the yaw sensor sees more than 1g braking, but maybe more than 1g period. With the hyper sensitivity issue gone I was back to regular old ice mode. In straight line braking I could gradually ease into the brakes without issue, but then they would hit a certain point and kick in ice mode (probably hitting 1g). Now at another part of the track, a very high speed right hander that decreases in radius, is where I had the most issues with ice mode or ABS kicking in. Through previous knowledge with a race team I used to drive for I know that the Hankook RS-3 tires are capable of producing a sustained 1.4gs pretty easily. Although I don't have data, I am going to safely assume that in this high speed decreasing radius turn, I was above 1g of sustained lateral gs. Because it is a decreasing radius, there is a point in the turn where in my 370Z I have to brush the brakes just slightly to adjust my speed as the turn pinches down. Every single time I did this, with just barely any pedal pressure, ABS would kick in. I wouldn't say it was the same exact thing as ice mode as I wasn't on the brakes hard enough to really tell, but even touching the pedal the ABS would start grabbing at different wheels. It even pulled me off track once (video coming soon) because I am on the very outside edge of the track at this point in the turn and ABS decided it needed to grab hard on the left front and pulled the left side tires of the car off the track. Anyway, so g-forces seem to me to be the common factor in every situation where I was having ABS issues. How we fix this, I have no idea, but hopefully disconnecting the yaw sensor works, but something tells me it wont be that simple.
As for me, pending the results of the World Challenge team's findings with the yaw sensor, I may try that next. If that doesn't work, I am just going to give up and work on a brake pad combo that allows me to run without any ABS. Sick of dealing with it.
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