[VANDAL]

Does anyone else find the brake pedal's lack of "firmness" a little unpleasant? I have noticed it more increasingly after 6000kms of ownership.

Don't get me wrong, the brakes work 100%, and stops well when needed. It's just that upon initial contact to about 30% of the pedal pressed in, it feels very soft and spongy. Only when pressed 50% or more does the brake give a responsive stop. I had the service dept check my brake fluid / calipers and pads etc everything was fine and new.

While it may not be a fair comparison, but my 11 year old RX8 with 40,000kms has much firmer / responsive brake pedals. Yes, i suppose the calipers are probably 1 piston more but still, this is probably the only one major disappointment with this otherwise splendid vehicle.

 

[Silman]

A brake master cylinder stopper is a normal mod to prevent this however it doesn't seem achievable with the layout.

 

[VANDAL]

Im fairly sure this is not just my vehicle, because the 2 demos i took for my test drives both had this and was noticeable.
Again, fully functional brakes, but I feel Mazda could've fine tuned the braking feel better.

 

[zbgirl]

That's odd. The experience I had (once) was while braked at a long light, I felt the brake soften and it felt like it "settled" further. I had to push further to make that contact you get when you - for lack of better words- are fully braked.

 

[VANDAL]

That's odd. The experience I had (once) was while braked at a long light, I felt the brake soften and it felt like it "settled" further. I had to push further to make that contact you get when you - for lack of better words- are fully braked.

I have experience this on multiple occasions it always happens when you hold the brakes for extended period of time.

 

[anchorman]

Aye, don’t worry, its just the servo doing its job.

To find out what the pedal is really like, turn the engine off and pump the brake a few times to exhaust the vacuum. The pedal will go hard. If you want to play, keep the pressure on and then start the engine. You might even get the pedal to the floor but by then you will probably have well over 100 bar in the system.

 

[VANDAL]

anchorman, is there any way to improve the braking feel / response?

Obviously it's too soon for a change right now but would replacing brake cables / fluid / pads / rotors improve anything? thanks!

 

[anchorman]

Cables pipes and fluid wouldn’t and pads and discs would only effect the performance through a temperature range which is usually way outside the envelope of normal use (competition etc). They’ve been set up to give a powerful feel and that softness is a demonstration of how powerful the servo is. Did you try pumping the pedal with the engine off? That would show you what I mean.

 

[Silman]

The brakes actually work ok for the application, and as you said it's at a certain percentage that they really feel like they begin to work effectively.

I confirm that they are not high temp pads that need to be warmed up for them to really work. As I said, the brake master cylinder stopper is what would fix this issue. If the firewall gets any flex you will definitely feel the brakes not engage so well then all of a sudden they seem to work better half way through applying pedal force.

Cusco makes an integrated engine strut brace and brake master cylinder stopper for the previous model Mazda 2 known as the demio in Japan. The current model demio has the same stud pattern and is compatible with the CX3 however there isn't a version that incorporates a brake master cylinder stopper.

I think that it won't be long before a solution is found to this as the Japanese market is getting larger every day and the performance market is beginning to make parts for the CX3 and demio market.

 

[VANDAL]

Cables pipes and fluid wouldn’t and pads and discs would only effect the performance through a temperature range which is usually way outside the envelope of normal use (competition etc). They’ve been set up to give a powerful feel and that softness is a demonstration of how powerful the servo is. Did you try pumping the pedal with the engine off? That would show you what I mean.

I have not tried this but will this afternoon. Will the effect of pumping the brakes be lasting, or is it something that needs to be done every-now-and-then?

 

[Geezer]

Hmm! I have the reverse problem. My brakes tend to be rather "grabby" when I start out in the morning. If I mistakenly apply too much pressure I can give myself a real headache as my head bounces off the steering wheel.

 

[anchorman]

I have not tried this but will this afternoon. Will the effect of pumping the brakes be lasting, or is it something that needs to be done every-now-and-then?

No it just shows you how hard the pedal gets without the engine running.

 

[anchorman]

Hmm! I have the reverse problem. My brakes tend to be rather "grabby" when I start out in the morning. If I mistakenly apply too much pressure I can give myself a real headache as my head bounces off the steering wheel.

You'll be able to get a part in Star Trek. They have that alien fella with a Mazda badge on his forehead.

 

[Vipre77]

Hmm! I have the reverse problem. My brakes tend to be rather "grabby" when I start out in the morning. If I mistakenly apply too much pressure I can give myself a real headache as my head bounces off the steering wheel.

Ditto. I haven't noticed any sponginess in my brakes at all. Quite the opposite, actually. My wife agrees as she will almost always accidentally do a hard brake check every time she drives my car because she's used to driving bigger vehicles like her CX-5 and her old Forester. But, just keep in mind that it's likely never going to be as good as a real sports jobby like the RX8, you're comparing too. This is a CUV, afterall.

I test drove a VW Passat 4-Motion a long while back and that car had the epitome of spongy brakes in it. It felt like I could put the brake pedal through the floor with almost no resistance and not feel any kind of feedback through the pedal whatsoever.

To the OP, braided steel brake lines might help firm things up, depending on what is causing the spongy feeling you're describing. If your lines are bulging under the pressure, steel lines will help you. If it's something else, changing the brake lines won't help. Maybe got some air in the brake lines? Seems like that would have been worked out long ago if that were it, though.

 

[Trixstar]

When I purchased the CX-3, I thought the brakes were wonderful. They had so much braking force and felt very linear. That was until I picked up a CLA 45 AMG... Now the CX-3 brakes feel like a pedal actuated by fluffy bunny fur. It's all relative! The CX-3 definitely has better brakes and handling when compared to other vehicles in its class.

 

[ViolentCrouton]

Yea mine has the same thing. 0-30% the braking is very subtle and then at 30-100% the pedal feels like it's much more responsive. It allows for smooth braking so I'm not all too worried.