DETROIT, Mich.–General Motors Chevy division is all the buzz over the all-new mid-engine Corvette. And part of the story is the sports car’s “eBoost” brake system.
The brake-by-wire system allows the driver to adjust the brake pedal feel depending on the mode they put it in.
Other cars have been introducing similar systems. the new BMW M8, the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio also use it.
How does it work? The driver presses down on the brake pedal, sending a signal to a computer. That pressure is then transferred to all the brakes using traditional brake fluid. Chevy eliminated the conventional vacuum-based power brake system, which it says “provides an advantage inefficiency.”
The C8’s “eBoost” unit combines four components — master cylinder, vacuum booster, vacuum pump and electronic brake control module — into one single unit. That means the system is more efficient than a traditional braking system, and saves space, allowing two golf bags to fit into the trunk of the mid-engine car.
The Corvette has always been an outlier in the Chevy lineup. The Yin to the luxury-fitted Suburban SUV yang, passing for luxury within the Chevy lineup and not having to go to Cadillac within the GM family.
Chevy’s problem with the Corvette is that its traditional buyers are aging out of it, and not being replaced by younger slicksters who want their middle-age and senior years defined by a car so flashy and impractical.
Maybe brake feel will bring a few track rats around?
Chevy is adding brake pedal feel to the list of elements changed by the adjustable drive modes:
- Tour: provides a comfortable brake feel for everyday driving
- Sport: provides drivers with an option for more jump-in and a more aggressive feel
- Track: provides a smooth and progressive feel at the limit that allows drivers a wide range of modulation for trail-braking.
