yooker

Does anyone know how to get a stiffer brake pedal feel in the car?

I got back from a track day and found it very hard to modulate the brakes because of how mushy and spongy they are compared to other cars i've driven. The brakes were bled before the event with Motul RBF600 so I doubt air in the lines were the culprit.

FastDonzi

stainless brake lines

NORTH 44 C63

I agree. SS lines are a must for Track use. Not a 100% cure but a step in the right direction

yooker

Does the SS brake lines cure the initial dead space on the brake pedal?

On a scale of 1-10 how much stiffer does it make the brake pedals feel 1 being stock and 10 being STIFF

mr inkredibul

Does bleeding the brakes work?

NORTH 44 C63

Initial bite and feel were increased substantially.Keep in mind I went to new
pads and EVO rotors at the same time...

mr inkredibul

You sure bleeding the lines didnt help. When you install new brake lines, you also have to bleed them. SS brake lines increase the efficiency of the brake fluid I thought

NORTH 44 C63

I had 3 or 4 fluid changes prior to changing to the SS lines. New fluid does offer some improvement but the SS lines + new Rotors and Pads offered a marked improvement over a fluid change alone

mr inkredibul

No doubt the pads and rotors are the best way and probably most substantial way but I'm referring to bleeding vs changing to SS? I don't have enough knowledge of either to know. All i know is that bleeding on one of my old cars, not necessarily changing the fluid, greatly improved the stiffness of the pedal and took away slack. In fact it was too instant!

BFNYM156

race brake fluid(RBF 600) +SS lines+ more aggressive pads (race pads)

mr inkredibul

Scratch all my post about bleeding lol...just reread OP's post and he's already tried that. Ooops. Sorry I cant add any value.

Yuille36

When you depress your brake pedal, the master cylinder forces brake fluid thru the brake lines. This forcing of brake fluid causes the brake line to expand (swelling or bulging). The Stainless Steel braiding not only protects the "rubber" beneath from outside physical damage but also act as a girdle that lessens brake line flex (swelling). The Stainless Steel braiding lessens the amount of this flex and you notice it as a firmer pedal feel (fluid type contributes to this as well). The firmer pedal and faster piston actuation are the benefits. I would also recommend ATE Racing Brake Fluid either blue or gold, they have a higher boiling point when tearing up the track.

yooker

Has anyone heard of Master Cylinder Stiffeners for the C63?

Mort

Most SS brake lines that I have seen have Teflon cores. The SS is just there for abrassion protection of the Teflon line itself. The Teflon line is a much stiffer material then rubber lines and thus does not expand nearly as much as the rubber line if it expands at all. That means that all or most of the pressure generated by the master cylinder is transferred to the pistons in the calipers and thus to the pads. This also makes pedal modulation much easier and more responsive and improves the overall feel of the brake system through the pedal to the driver.

Yuille36

Also changing your brake fluid to something that has a higher boiling point helps. I use ATE Super Blue racing fluid http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/acces...tail.jsp?ID=21
But Stainless Steel brake lines is the key.

bli8

I have never tracked the C63 but for street driving, I find it difficult to modulate the brakes as the last mm of travel is not linear and would "grab" and thus make smooth stopping difficult, not impossible and I find stopping smoothly is not a second nature in the car. I actually would prefer a more linear and harder brake feel so would changing to SS line and harder pads do the trick?

SonnyakaPig

You're not alone in your experiences with these OEM brakes. I read one article where the writer opined that the way the C63 feels when it stops is never the same.

That's also my experience. But these brakes work great for street driving. I haven't tracked my car yet but a new private track opened up about an hour from my house. I plan on checking it out so I'm sure I'll find the OEM brakes limits soon.

drawde

I was in an accident a while back, well over a year now, brand new tires installed in the morning, later than night, SLAMMED on the brakes and skid and hit the car in front of me. They wouldn't total the car so it was just repaired.

In any case, ever since I feel like I have farther pedal travel than before. I took it to the dealer and they said brakes were fine, didn't see any issues. I thought it was just in my head until I drove another member here's car and mine back to back, definitely felt a difference. What are the chances that my super human braking strength (lol) broke something in the actual "braking system"? Or could my pads just be worn? I have no trouble braking, just have a good amount of pedal travel.

yooker

I noticed the first 1/2inch or so of the brake pedal is completely void of braking action "deadspace" so to speak.

drawde

yep about the same. i mean i know the car knows i'm pressing the brake, you can see it when you have cruise control on, it'll stop cruising at the lightest touch, so it's something between.