jspctr5

New Corvette owner, 1995 Convertable, 42,000 miles. Brakes just don't seem right. Dealer replaced the booster (wish I would have marked the "old" one before it was replaced). Better but just don't feel like it's right. Mechanic (almost exclusive Corvette tech at the dealership) says they are fine now. Lots of pressure needed to stop. Did I mention LOTS of pressure needed to stop. No fade to pedal, no apparent loss of vacumn in booster. Maybe bad pads? Fluid not good to ???? Pucks bad??

I'm stumped.

Never had a car this bad, I've had a lot of cars but this is my first Corvette.

Thoughts?

auggy

Sounds like the booster. Get real close and look for very hard to see cracks. Buddy sealed a crack on his with JB Weld.

mike100

Some cars are better than others, but they it would seem to be 'normal' that the gain on the master cylinder sucks.

I replaced a booster on a 95 once and no improvement whatsoever. I drove a 94 that was the same...I tried a 96 that felt right, and my 91 ZR-1 is good as well, but it uses a special dual diaphragm booster that is unique to the model.

eutu1984

Your brake bad materials have allot to do with pedal feel. most people here recommend Hawk or Carbotech.

Klondike

I've heard that the anti-lock brake module can cause that problem too. I wish I knew more about the specifics of the problem, but I've heard they can somehow stop half cycled and not let the pressure go to the calipers. Maybe loose power during anti-lock from a blown fuse or something and stop before zeroing out in the home position. Anybody else ever heard of that? ( or did I hear a story somewhere )

MavsAK

Could be master cylinder, or fluid. Always start with the fluid. Cheapest, and is honestly the usual culprit. Also, I'd replace your brake lines if they are still stock, after so long they're not going to be worth a *****.

Do a complete purge, and flush it out with cheap DOT3...refill with DOT 4 synthetic, or DOT 5.1.

gerardvg

The needing heaps of pedal pressure to stop the car is a common issue with standard low friction brake pads, going to a high metal content brake pad like hawk street pads are the way to go.

My vette had the same problem when i got it, the brakes were awfull i could stand on the pedal and barely slow the car.
New brake booster and still no better, after researching this issue i found the brakes needed high friction, friction brake pads is what does the braking and with hawk brake pads the difference was amazing.
You should easilly be able to get the abs excited, with quite small ammount of pedal effort with good high friction brake pad material.

Of course if the callipers have a rusted piston or bad brake hoses (swollen inside), air in the abs system etc.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

I would start with new pads. Try something with a higher coefficient of friction like the Carbotech 1521 pad.

Carbotech™ Bobcat 1521™ The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

jspctr5

Thanks to all for the info and suggestions.

mike100

To add more info to my post, the 94 and 95 coupes that felt subpar had cheaper part store pads on them. The 95 was Raybestos ceramics I think. Never had a chance to swap them for semi-metallics, but it is true that the single diaphragm plastic brake boosters do not provide a ton of mechanical gain compared to pretty much any other modern car.