ABS Fault ???

[JonArgraig]

When I break heavy the ABS come's in and works fine but the brakes them selfs are quite poor, also the ABS kick's ing sooner than I would expect when compared to my other cars that have had ABS.

I turned the ABS off and the brakes are now much stronger than before and I have a lot more faith in them.

Do I have a fault in my ABS system ???

(Yes I know it's illegal to switch the ABS off for the MOT)

[Lofty]

Check the ABS diagnostics as per the manual. Personally I would check the other obvious things too such as tyre pressures, tread depth, age/condition of the rubber and the general operation of the brakes. For example, if one front caliper were seized/sticking and performing poorly then the other may lock up and trigger the ABS. Corroded slide pins are common on our cars.