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Hi guys,
Looking to see what others have done on here regarding a master cylinder/booster combo after installing the Flat Out Engineering C4 corvette upgrade. I performed this conversion last year and have not been able to figure out a combo that works. I would love to hear what others have done.
I already bought the brake master/booster combo "kit" from Flatout. it didnt work well at all, so im trying to see what other solutions are out there.
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Mick53 gave great advice. Collect information about the currently installed components and contact pros.
There is soooo much that goes into the braking "experience" that it's not funny. I would ask you to consider what you want to happen that isn't. Are you looking for reduced pedal pressure, faster response when in traffic, brakes that you can abuse more? Many folks seem to judge by initial pedal pressure and stopping distance at low speed. Quite often you can change pads and rotors and see dramatic improvement. More aggressive "street" pads and rotors are often better at short distance and cold stopping. Pads designed for towing, fleet use, or racing often require more heat before they stop well so they don't always feel like good pads in traffic. Their strength is in being able to stop when components are very hot.
C3 corvettes had four piston calipers with a huge amount of surface area. The power brake master cylinders used with these systems were 1-1/8" diameter. All C4's use master cylinders with smaller diameter bores. Some used a smaller pedal ratio but it appears that pressure at the caliper is greatly reduced at the caliper if the Flat Out master is the same as the C3 master cylinder.
There are ways to upgrade the C4 brakes to 13" rotors as well. This is another tool to put "better" brakes in your truck. This requires adapters and brackets and new calipers. Is it the right approach? Hard to tell...
My advice is to collect as much information as you can in order to make an educated plan. Get the master cylinder diameter. Get the year of your calipers as well. If you know what pads are installed that would help as well. Whether you call the pros or continue to post here, this information will be critical.
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I like the idea of short pedal travel and a hydro sounds like it will offer that. Then I can chop the factory pedal.
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I've done a couple of hydro swaps but the results weren't quite what I wanted. Braking was improved and I could really muscle the vehicle around better, but I wanted reduced pedal effort during light stops and that didn't really happen.
Most of the GM Hydroboost master cylinders I can find use a 1" diameter piston. When you replace the smaller piston of most stock masters with the 1" piston you reduce pedal travel but you lose a bunch of force at the wheels. I suspect GM applications with both HB and vacuum brake options use a pedal with the master cylinder push rod connection located closer to the pedal pivot for HB. Moving the connection would increase pedal travel and decrease driver effort.
With all that said, I believe Ford HB units use a smaller piston. Much more likely to create a significant reduction in pedal effort. How much pressure difference exists between Ford and GM power steering systems?