21st Century Pony
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Martin
- Joined
- May 21, 2022
- Threads
- 28
- Messages
- 1,393
- Reaction score
- 1,361
- Location
- Arlington, Virginia
- Vehicles
- Ford Mustang Mach E 2022 Premium AWD ER
- Thread starter
- #1
POST-INSTALL UPDATE/REVIEW:
So the rear stainless steel brake lines went onto my Mach E about 800 miles ago.
I thought I could tell there was a difference, but... and of course with the weight transfer frontwards on any vehicle during braking, I knew the real test would be only with all four corners swapped out.
The front stainless steel brake lines had to go back to the manufacturer for Version 2 because things didn't quite work with the way the inside surfaces of the front caliper are cast. Version 2 got to me earlier this week, and went on yesterday.
This is what beta testing is for, even with a new set of OEM lines as samples for the assembly line.
I drove about 40+ miles today with all four new stainless steel lines installed, in heavy Washington DC area late afternoon traffic as it turned out. Up and down I-395 for those familiar with the area... from Arlington down to Fort Belvoir (had to get some plush Army bears for the youngest generation) and back up to Arlington. Got up to about 70+ mph in spots. This was mostly straight-ahead driving on an Interstate and on some streets with lots of stop-and-go.
My early verdict: it's a worthwhile upgrade. It doesn't create a whole new car but it does help with braking feedback. How: about the bottom half of brake pedal travel, from maybe midway down to the floor, indeed feels more precise as I had hoped. The result is, to my surprise, that for the 1st time in "normal" driving I have a much better feedback on how heavy this car really is. Now at the bottom half of the brake pedal travel, I can really feel the weight of the car bearing down on the brakes as I modulate and feather them and slow down, especially as I do so rapidly. Before, the rubber brake line OEM tubes, short as they are, must have been masking this quite a bit because I never had this feeling before, despite having driven 50+K miles in this car in all kinds of weather conditions. The best I can describe it for now is the difference between grabbing something spinning with a heavy insulated leather+felt glove, and grabbing the same spinning thing with a pair of long channel lock pliers. There's just more modulation and more feeling for how much energy the moving piece has.
I like this new feeling... I tend to put it into "more feedback is good" folder.
Now, this is early days yet. I want to put the Mach E through its paces on some mountain and hilly curvy roads and perhaps report back here.
HOW TO BUY: now that the stainless steel brake lines are on the Mach E and I do feel a notable difference, I chatted with the local speed shop business owner who deals with the manufacturer in Indianapolis all the time and who put me onto that company for this effort. I will write some tech comments up and send them to both the manufacturer and to the local speed shop owner so they can lock down the details of any kit offered.
The manufacturer had liquidated their Internet store some years ago and they now deal exclusively with reputable established speed shops who actually sell their stainless steel brake line kits for cars.
Both the manufacturer and the potential seller involved in this trial effort are aware of the MachEForum and when they work out the kit aggregate parts number, take some nice pix and agree on a price, I will post the speed shop's URL with the Mach E stainless steel braided brake line kit for sale here on the forum.
A word of caution: although I have switched out and gravity-bled brake systems before by myself, I want to warn potential brake line swappers that the Mach E brake system is another breed of cat: to swap its brake lines, one needs (at a minimum) an FDRS license because of all the integrated electronics and code manipulation needed. One very good, well-respected brake shop in a major metropolitan area backed out of this effort because they just hadn't yet invested in all the Ford newest generation brake-relevant hardware and software to attempt this, although they plan to, one of these years. There's more to it than just an FDRS license... just be aware that there might be some labor costs as well unless the buyer really knows what they are doing and has some equipment available beyond driveway-level stuff like in the days of yore.
In the meantime, I'll go do some more driving, since I have my Mach E back now with a new front motor (separate issue, separate thread) AND new improved brakes
. To be continued...
ORIGINAL POST:
Folks, one of my favorite mods on my 2015 Fusion Energi was the addition of stainless steel brake lines. The braking became crisper and more precise, despite the presence of the Fusion Energi's trickle-charge-while-braking battery energy regeneration feature.
So I just picked up a very 1st set of professionally manufactured stainless steel Mach E brake lines as a trial effort (see attached pics). If my trial stainless steel brake line set performs well, I will post here the way others can order their set. I should know by the end of this week.
The manufacturer is a very reliable specialist of fluid pressure management systems, in the near vicinity of the Indianapolis Speedway (go figure, right?
).
If my trial goes well, these stainless steel brake lines will be available thru my local speed shop and not directly thru the specialized manufacturer. Price will be decided by the seller and the distributor.
From somewhere inside an industrial park on the West side of Indianapolis... TBD.
So the rear stainless steel brake lines went onto my Mach E about 800 miles ago.
I thought I could tell there was a difference, but... and of course with the weight transfer frontwards on any vehicle during braking, I knew the real test would be only with all four corners swapped out.
The front stainless steel brake lines had to go back to the manufacturer for Version 2 because things didn't quite work with the way the inside surfaces of the front caliper are cast. Version 2 got to me earlier this week, and went on yesterday.
This is what beta testing is for, even with a new set of OEM lines as samples for the assembly line.
I drove about 40+ miles today with all four new stainless steel lines installed, in heavy Washington DC area late afternoon traffic as it turned out. Up and down I-395 for those familiar with the area... from Arlington down to Fort Belvoir (had to get some plush Army bears for the youngest generation) and back up to Arlington. Got up to about 70+ mph in spots. This was mostly straight-ahead driving on an Interstate and on some streets with lots of stop-and-go.
My early verdict: it's a worthwhile upgrade. It doesn't create a whole new car but it does help with braking feedback. How: about the bottom half of brake pedal travel, from maybe midway down to the floor, indeed feels more precise as I had hoped. The result is, to my surprise, that for the 1st time in "normal" driving I have a much better feedback on how heavy this car really is. Now at the bottom half of the brake pedal travel, I can really feel the weight of the car bearing down on the brakes as I modulate and feather them and slow down, especially as I do so rapidly. Before, the rubber brake line OEM tubes, short as they are, must have been masking this quite a bit because I never had this feeling before, despite having driven 50+K miles in this car in all kinds of weather conditions. The best I can describe it for now is the difference between grabbing something spinning with a heavy insulated leather+felt glove, and grabbing the same spinning thing with a pair of long channel lock pliers. There's just more modulation and more feeling for how much energy the moving piece has.
I like this new feeling... I tend to put it into "more feedback is good" folder.
Now, this is early days yet. I want to put the Mach E through its paces on some mountain and hilly curvy roads and perhaps report back here.
HOW TO BUY: now that the stainless steel brake lines are on the Mach E and I do feel a notable difference, I chatted with the local speed shop business owner who deals with the manufacturer in Indianapolis all the time and who put me onto that company for this effort. I will write some tech comments up and send them to both the manufacturer and to the local speed shop owner so they can lock down the details of any kit offered.
The manufacturer had liquidated their Internet store some years ago and they now deal exclusively with reputable established speed shops who actually sell their stainless steel brake line kits for cars.
Both the manufacturer and the potential seller involved in this trial effort are aware of the MachEForum and when they work out the kit aggregate parts number, take some nice pix and agree on a price, I will post the speed shop's URL with the Mach E stainless steel braided brake line kit for sale here on the forum.
A word of caution: although I have switched out and gravity-bled brake systems before by myself, I want to warn potential brake line swappers that the Mach E brake system is another breed of cat: to swap its brake lines, one needs (at a minimum) an FDRS license because of all the integrated electronics and code manipulation needed. One very good, well-respected brake shop in a major metropolitan area backed out of this effort because they just hadn't yet invested in all the Ford newest generation brake-relevant hardware and software to attempt this, although they plan to, one of these years. There's more to it than just an FDRS license... just be aware that there might be some labor costs as well unless the buyer really knows what they are doing and has some equipment available beyond driveway-level stuff like in the days of yore.
In the meantime, I'll go do some more driving, since I have my Mach E back now with a new front motor (separate issue, separate thread) AND new improved brakes
. To be continued...ORIGINAL POST:
Folks, one of my favorite mods on my 2015 Fusion Energi was the addition of stainless steel brake lines. The braking became crisper and more precise, despite the presence of the Fusion Energi's trickle-charge-while-braking battery energy regeneration feature.
So I just picked up a very 1st set of professionally manufactured stainless steel Mach E brake lines as a trial effort (see attached pics). If my trial stainless steel brake line set performs well, I will post here the way others can order their set. I should know by the end of this week.
The manufacturer is a very reliable specialist of fluid pressure management systems, in the near vicinity of the Indianapolis Speedway (go figure, right?
).If my trial goes well, these stainless steel brake lines will be available thru my local speed shop and not directly thru the specialized manufacturer. Price will be decided by the seller and the distributor.
From somewhere inside an industrial park on the West side of Indianapolis... TBD.
Last edited by a moderator:
