So now in a mental struggle over keeping the vacuum assist booster over say a hydrobooster setup like this: http://www.hydratechbraking.com/GM_3rdgenF_Body.html

I am currently installing a Baer T4 setup on the front and the SS4+ kit on the rear with and adj prop valve. Since I am re-doing a lot of the plumbing anyways it seems like an appropriate time to make that leap in the assist. My fear is without Abs I will just be creating a situation where its easy to lock up. I like the idea of no spongy peddle, just afraid I can't really take full advantage of the unit. To those that have installed hydro boost on these cars with a full disk setup, what has been your experience?

 

I love the hydraboost. Helpful on my big cam car but i never could get my vacuum brakes to work well. I might have had a bad booster or master cylinder. But its a completely different feel from the vacuum brakes but i like it. Doesnt seem to have a whole lot of pedal travel but further you press it the harder it grabs andit will lock up brakes easily with a panic stomp.
I have c5's up front and ls1's on rear

 

if you feel the brakes locking up, let up the pedal a little bit... it's how we used to do it before the magical electrons ran everything in the car and it's how real race cars are still done today..

 

Oh I daily drove the car in mid west winters for 2 years. I know all about driving without abs. I just worry about having to panic stop with the large brakes and actually increasing stoping distances because it only wants to lock, aka power comes on too much too fast to really modulate. I suppose I should just keep the vacuum booster for now, see how bad it is holding the car at idle, and make the hydrobooster jump if it still doesn't feel like enough

 

You just gotta be in control of the car. In a panic stop situation a good vacuum system will lock brakes too. Hydraboost in my car just seems to have slightly less pedal travel and exponentially picks up in brake force the further it goes down. I love it now that i am more used to driving it

 

IMO it's overkill, way overkill. It is meant for HEAVY vehicles, or if you make no vacuum with the engine and don't want a vacuum pump... My friend drives his car with no booster at all, and my cousin's car is 4 wheel manual drum, I don't understand why people put it in cars (again except low vacuum engines)

 

i love the pedal feel of the factory hydraboost in my 84 Regal T Type... it's hard to explain it, but it just feels better and more confidence inspiring than any vacuum boosted brakes that i've ever had.

 

My 04 truck has hydroboost. WAY better than a vacuum one, in addition to being smaller and neater. I highly recommend it, in a general way.

As to what Hydratech charges and the quality of their stuff and such as that, I have no clue.

Supposedly the one off of certain Astro vans is fairly easy to retrofit into these cars. Again, don't know for sure, I have no experience with it, but it might be worth investigating.

 

Hydratech is what i have and it was rather expensive. More so than i would expect but it is a nice remanufactured unit with clean black paint job with a nice adapter bracket/spacer thing and all hardware for brake pedal connection. Seems good quality and went in easily. But still alittle overpriced imo. I just didnt want to attempt piecing something together using a used takeout astro piece