909 Motorsport M5 ABS Kit
Mitsubishi EVO X

Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS Integration Kit for Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X

This is a highly integrated Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS system designed to replace the factory ABS in the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X.

At the heart of this package is the Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS, a professional-level motorsport unit used in racing worldwide. The M5 system provides ultra-fast processing, highly accurate wheel slip control, and configurable ABS strategies for track use. Eleven selectable calibrations on a 12-position map switch allow the ABS behaviour to be tuned for tyres, surface conditions, and driving style.

The EVO X is one of the few cars on this list that arrives from the factory already set up for serious driving, which is exactly why the braking calibration becomes the limit. This kit fits the M5 in the factory hydraulic unit location, keeps the factory sensors and wheel hard lines, and retains the vehicle communications the car’s driveline control depends on.

The problem with factory ABS in competition: what track drivers call “ice mode”

ABS works by holding each tyre near a target slip ratio, the difference between wheel speed and vehicle speed, where 0% is a freely rolling tyre and 100% is a locked one. Peak braking force sits somewhere between the two, and exactly where depends on the tyre and the surface. The cycling you feel through the pedal is the system chasing its target, and while it’s in slip control, pressing harder adds nothing; extra pedal force won’t be sent to a tyre the system already considers at its limit.

Road-car calibrations have to be built conservatively: one calibration must stay safe on every surface a road car can meet, down to the very worst. Under genuine circuit braking (real speed, semis or slicks, kerbs and bumps working the tyre) that conservative logic can settle on a slip target far below the grip actually available. The result is what drivers call ice mode: the system refuses to build brake pressure no matter how hard you stand on the pedal, and the only way out is to come almost completely off the brake, let the wheels match the car’s speed, and reapply. If you braked at the limit for the corner, that margin doesn’t exist.

It isn’t a fault, and pads, fluid or bigger discs won’t touch it. It’s a road calibration operating outside the envelope it was designed for.

Motorsport ABS approaches the problem from the other direction: the driver selects the calibration for the tyre and conditions actually in use, and the system controls to a slip target appropriate for genuine circuit grip. Eleven selectable calibrations on the 12-position map switch cover the range from wet circuit to slicks, chosen before the braking zone, not discovered during it.

Brake balance: what the factory system quietly manages for you

On a platform like the EVO X the ABS doesn’t just prevent lock-ups; it actively manages front-to-rear brake distribution. Under light braking the system can run more rear brake than the hydraulics alone would give, keeping the car flat; under hard braking it bleeds rear pressure down as weight transfers forward. The distribution your car actually runs is electronic, not mechanical.

That has two consequences for a competition build. Unplugging the ABS doesn’t return the car to some honest pre-electronic state; it removes the brakeforce distribution the base hardware was designed around, and can leave the car with a hard pedal and a rear balance never intended to stand on its own. And altering mechanical bias underneath a stock system means fighting a computer that’s redistributing pressure on top of your changes.

A motorsport ABS conversion makes brake balance deliberate again: the overall front-to-rear balance is set properly in hardware, which is why this kit includes a bias valve mounting solution, and the M5 then controls slip at each wheel from that correct baseline, rather than papering over an incorrect one.

What’s Included

• Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS control unit
• Hydraulic unit mounting in the factory ABS location
• Factory wheel speed sensors retained
• Factory wheel hard lines reused on GSR cars, only the master-cylinder pipes need to be made
• Factory ABS ECU cover retained, preserving the factory ACD communications
• Yaw sensor mount
• Diagnostic port mount
• Under-bonnet bias valve mount beside the master cylinder
• Mounting hardware throughout

Brake lines from the master cylinder to the hydraulic unit are made to suit the vehicle at install: 909 specifications call for Goodridge or Speedflow hardware.

ACD and AYC

The kit preserves the factory ACD/AYC communications through the retained ABS ECU interface, so the car’s centre differential control carries on doing its job with the motorsport ABS in place of the factory unit.

For built cars that have already moved away from factory centre-diff control, the kit is equally at home with ECU-based control; MoTeC’s ACD controller is a known-good pairing in customer cars.

RS models without factory ABS

EVO X RS models delivered without ABS have no factory bracket for the hydraulic unit to mount against. The kit’s mount interfaces to the original Mitsubishi ABS bracket, which is shared with the GSR and with standard front-wheel-drive Lancers, so an RS build needs that bracket sourced before installation. We’re looking at supplying new brackets with RS kits where the cost makes sense; until then it’s customer-supplied, and we’re happy to point you at what to look for.

Key Benefits

• Factory hydraulic unit location: the M5 goes where the original unit lived, not on an improvised bracket in the boot
• Factory sensors and factory wheel hard lines retained (GSR), only the master-cylinder pipes are made at install
• ACD communications preserved, or ECU-based control supported for cars already running it
• Bias valve mounting under the bonnet, so front-to-rear balance is set deliberately in hardware
• Eleven selectable ABS calibrations for slicks, semi-slicks and wet circuit work
• Proven Bosch Motorsport reliability

Technical Specifications: Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS

• Control Strategy: High-speed multi-channel wheel slip control
• Maps: Eleven selectable calibrations on a 12-position map switch
• Inputs: 4x wheel speed sensors
• Outputs: Hydraulic modulation via Bosch Motorsport valve block

Bosch Motorsport M5 vs Factory ABS

FAQs

Q: Which cars does this kit suit?
A: The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. GSR cars are the straightforward fitment; they keep their factory wheel hard lines. RS cars delivered without ABS need the original Mitsubishi ABS bracket sourced first; see the note above.

Q: My factory ABS has never caused a problem. Why replace it?
A: Because the problem shows up at circuit pace under maximum braking, which is precisely when you can’t afford it. A road calibration has to stay safe on every surface a road car might meet, so at real speed on semis or slicks it can settle on a slip target well below the grip you actually have, and refuse to build pressure no matter how hard you push the pedal.

Q: Why not just unplug the ABS instead?
A: On the EVO X that also deletes the electronic brake distribution the car was designed around, leaving a rear balance that was never meant to stand on its own. A motorsport system with properly set mechanical balance is the engineered path, not the workaround.

Q: Do I keep ACD and AYC?
A: Yes. The kit retains the factory ABS ECU cover so the ACD communications are preserved. If your car has already moved to ECU-based centre-diff control, that works too; MoTeC’s ACD controller is a known-good pairing in customer cars.

Q: Do I need special tools or skills to install the kit?
A: Some expertise is required, and brake lines from the master cylinder to the hydraulic unit are made to suit at install. Professional installation is recommended. We can install and commission the system in our Newcastle workshop, or supply the kit with our guidance behind your own builder. We cover the whole job, brackets to commissioning, in what a Bosch Motorsport ABS M5 install actually involves.

Q: Can you ship this kit overseas?
A: Yes. These are 909 vehicle-specific kits and we ship them worldwide. Contact us for freight to your country.

Q: Is the system validated for road use?
A: No, Bosch Motorsport ABS is for track usage only.

Q: Can I adjust the ABS behaviour?
A: Yes. The kit includes a driver-selectable map switch with eleven selectable calibrations, allowing ABS response to be tuned for dry, wet or low-grip conditions.

Q: Will this kit suit a LHD car?
A: We have not had access to a LHD vehicle for testing. For the right pilot customer we would be willing to work together on testing, please get in touch via the contact page.

Q: What's the difference between the Clubsport, Kit 1 and Kit 2 core options?
A: Every option includes the same M5 system and the same 909 platform hardware. The Clubsport core uses Bosch's universal harness, the right choice for most club and time-attack builds. Kit 1 moves to a vehicle-specific loom and supports the M5's advanced control functions for cars with real aero or braking beyond about −2 g, and Kit 2 adds Autosport-specification connectors at the wheel-speed sensor leads for endurance-style service schedules. Our kit comparison guide covers the choice in detail.