Soft brakes? (was: Brake booster diagnostic)

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

In AD8-829 Scott Fisher writes "Others have commented that Berlinas seem to
have softer-feeling brakes than other Alfas; considering that the brakes in my
Spider felt soft to the point of weakness when I first drove it, this could be
a design decision on the part of Alfa's engineers.  I would be very interested
in hearing from people who owned new Berlinas -- did they always have this
soft brake pedal?"

Soft compared to what? I owned a new 1972 2000 Berlina and a new 1971 1750 GT
Veloce, purchased about four months apart to replace a well used (but bought
new) Giulia Super and a bought-used Giulietta Spider which had been my
introduction to the Alfa experience. There was NO difference that I was aware
of in the braking of the four cars, although the Spider's drum brakes might
have been less effective in critical competition service, and changing pads is
certainly quicker and easier than changing/adjusting shoes. But a difference
in 'feel' between a Berlina's brakes, and a coupe's or Spider's, NO, and I'm
certain this was a design decision on the part of Alfa's engineers, aided and
abetted by Alfa's bean-counters, if there were any, to make the disk brakes as
responsive as the excellent drums had been.

Why on earth would there be softer brakes on the Berlina, and if there were,
how would it have been done? The differences in the brake systems of the three
body-styles in a given year were in the length of the handbrake cable and the
corresponding total lengths of two pieces of tubing, to allow for the
variations in wheelbase. Nothing else.

It may help to remember that the Berlina was the core Alfa, the GT Veloce
simply a more stylish and less utilitarian variant on it, and the Spider
primarily a more frivolous variant for a fringe market; they did not start
with the Spider and add the Berlina as a down-market afterthought for
puttering off to the grocery store. The Berlina's brakes were the brakes Alfa
meant an Alfa to have, and the others tagged along.

Cheers,

John H.
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