I-70 west

I`m very disappointed in the small improvement of pedal resonse I got with the just installed braided stainless brake lines.
How much sponge is anybody noticing when you first get on the pedal untill your into the meat of the brakes?
I was in the shop a couple weeks back, had a tech check them out when the stock lines were still on, he said they were fine. Almost every other car I drive has a better pedal feel than mine even the focus I had as a loaner. I`m thinking something wrong in the master cylinder or booster.

The air bleed went perfect with new fluid.

classj

I like to go back and do a second bleed using a helper the day after I open the system and do the first bleed. 9 out of 10 times I get a little air out of the system the next day after the first bleed.

Brake fluid makes a difference too. I prefer ATE gold. While most people will say brake fluid cannot compress, that is only true to a certain point. Certain brands will compress less and have less of a tendency to aerate. SIlicone brake fluids for example are well known for their spongy pedal feel and tendency to become aerated when the system is worked hard (which is why ABS cars cannot use them)

Also, keep in mind, you likely will only see a VERY small difference when switching over to braided stainless lines on a modern brand new car. And that difference usually is not present at initial brake application but when you are more into the brakes and line pressure is higher.

Pedal feel in cars is a function of many things including to a great extent pads, rotor size, caliper design plays a large role, master cyl to caliper bore ratios, power brake booster size, pedal ratio, etc etc etc.

I would say that providing your car is fairly new and was bled properly. It is as good as it is going to get. Especially if it was like this pretty much since new.

Little Black Pony

Ditto on the second bleed.

Here's something to keep in mind. The benefit of the braided stainless lines is most noticeable under repeated hard braking. The regular rubber lines will begin to expand as the brake fluid heats up and you will eventually really spongy brakes. The BSS lines prevent line expansion and will keep pressure "normal" under repeated hard braking. If you've never stressed your rubber lines then you probably won't feel any difference between the two.

Another thing to consider for spongy pedal feel is brake pad thickness. Thin pad thickness will give you a spongy pedal feel in the Mustang. If you are 5mm or less then nothing you do will improve pedal feel except for getting fresh brake pads. I noticed this when I replaced my brakes recently. Got new pads and my pedal went rock hard. Now, two weeks later the pedal feels normal.