Brakes feel soft

[Uknown]

I rarely charge to 100%, recently I did by mistake (turned on direct charging while detailing inside)… and without regen the brake feel is very soft.

My 4S had steel brakes and it didn’t feel soft. This is a Turbo S with PCCB .

Anyone else notice the brakes feel soft when regen isn’t kicking in? Pedal and braking both.

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[freinando]

Anyone else notice the brakes feel soft when regen isn’t kicking in?

Technically you would feel this on every first drive of the day. The car uses the physical brakes for a bit of conditioning and cleaning. You never had this before? But yeah, it’s a total different feeling from regen braking, and it feels weird to me as well.

 

[T8KY8]

I have a MY21 Taycan TS (recent pre-owned purchase) and, in normal weather, the brake feel is fine. But, they felt a bit soft and required more pedal pushing than I imagined at lower speeds when there is rain. It was a bit odd at first. But, after doing some research on forums, it seems this normal PCCB behavior in wet conditions. From your original post, you indicate the variable is regen braking activated vs. not. But mine does not feel "soft" in either mode-- unless it is raining. It lessens after driving a bit- as does the funny seal barking noise of the wet brakes.

 

[prj]

The PCCB don't feel as good as the steel brakes. The steel have instant bite always and the transition between the physical brakes and the regen is much better.
Also it's much easier to come to a stop smoothly with the steel brakes compared to the PCCB.

What you describe seems pretty normal to me though, I would describe the pedal on my Turbo S the same way, and also bad performance in the wet on initial brake application.
Any carbon ceramics do not feel as nice to drive as steel brakes, that's the tradeoff you get for having brake discs that basically don't fade and never wear out (which is not relevant unless you track the car, but...).

That said, if you do feel it is excessively soft, there is a brake booster recall, but I am not sure what year your car is and whether it is applicable. The brake booster recall affects both PCCB and steel brakes.

Technically you would feel this on every first drive of the day. The car uses the physical brakes for a bit of conditioning and cleaning. You never had this before? But yeah, it’s a total different feeling from regen braking, and it feels weird to me as well.

On the PCCB that difference is much more pronounced than on the steel brakes btw. So if you have steel on your 4S then turn that to 11 with the PCCB.

 

[Kory Nunn]

I feel almost the opposite. At ~10kph, when the callipers are engaged, they bite too hard and it's slightly off-putting. It feels like the regen brake force isn't calibrated to align with the physical brakes.

This could be inverted to say "the regen braking force isn't enough" to be fair.

 

[RAHRCR]

PCCB need heat to perform at their best. Outside of the optimal thermal range, they are not as good as steelies.

 

[prj]

I feel almost the opposite. At ~10kph, when the callipers are engaged, they bite too hard and it's slightly off-putting. It feels like the regen brake force isn't calibrated to align with the physical brakes.

This could be inverted to say "the regen braking force isn't enough" to be fair.

On the PCCB you have a problem at the very end just before stopping - it's difficult to do a completely smooth stop, because it needs more force than you'd expect and when you give that force then the car stops abruptly. If you ease off the brake just a little too much it transitions into creep and lurches forward and then stops with a bang.

No such issue with the steel brakes. Also the transition to friction is very good on my car and much more natural than it was on the PCCB. If you have any issues make sure the brake booster TSB is done, if applicable, because that one causes all kind of weird issues like spongy pedal and bad regen transition.

I think most people go into PCCB thinking that more expensive brakes are always better, but it's really about using the right tool for the job. I don't think they're needed on the Taycan at all, but when talking about performance on the track, the PCCB are a massive upgrade on cars that really need them, however in daily use they are a straight downgrade. Replacing the pads on the PCCB is also more expensive than doing all 4 rotors plus pads on the steel brakes...

So there is no cost saving on them even over a longer period of time.

 

[Kory Nunn]

On the PCCB you have a problem at the very end just before stopping - it's difficult to do a completely smooth stop, because it needs more force than you'd expect and when you give that force then the car stops abruptly. If you ease off the brake just a little too much it transitions into creep and lurches forward and then stops with a bang.

No such issue with the steel brakes. Also the transition to friction is very good on my car and much more natural than it was on the PCCB. If you have any issues make sure the brake booster TSB is done, if applicable, because that one causes all kind of weird issues like spongy pedal and bad regen transition.

I think most people go into PCCB thinking that more expensive brakes are always better, but it's really about using the right tool for the job. I don't think they're needed on the Taycan at all, but when talking about performance on the track, the PCCB are a massive upgrade on cars that really need them, however in daily use they are a straight downgrade. Replacing the pads on the PCCB is also more expensive than doing all 4 rotors plus pads on the steel brakes...

So there is no cost saving on them even over a longer period of time.

I can tell you in my case it's not the friction brakes underperforming. The brake force suddenly goes up exactly when regen drops to zero. "spongy pedal and bad regen transition" sounds right though.

 

[DadOfFive]

Technically you would feel this on every first drive of the day. The car uses the physical brakes for a bit of conditioning and cleaning. You never had this before? But yeah, it’s a total different feeling from regen braking, and it feels weird to me as well.

I agree- the physical brake feeling is odd compared to the regen braking. There is a lot of mass to this car and when it is using the physical brakes (mine are not PCCBs), I have to adjust brake pedal pressure. Makes it a little scary when it feels like it’s not going to stop behind the car in front of you!

 

[prj]

I agree- the physical brake feeling is odd compared to the regen braking. There is a lot of mass to this car and when it is using the physical brakes (mine are not PCCBs), I have to adjust brake pedal pressure. Makes it a little scary when it feels like it’s not going to stop behind the car in front of you!

That does not sound right to me at all, and how an affected brake booster behaves.
Have all the brake recalls been done? And the brake booster TSB performed?

 

[SoccerMan94043]

On the PCCB you have a problem at the very end just before stopping - it's difficult to do a completely smooth stop, because it needs more force than you'd expect and when you give that force then the car stops abruptly. If you ease off the brake just a little too much it transitions into creep and lurches forward and then stops with a bang.

Great description... this is what I have with the steel brakes on my J1.2 with regen on. The transition isn't great. It's better with regen off.

 

[prj]

Great description... this is what I have with the steel brakes on my J1.2 with regen on. The transition isn't great. It's better with regen off.

I run regen Auto, I haven't actually tested how it's with regen on.

 

[jakeCT]

for J1.1, this is the brake booster TSB:
WPK0 - Re-Programming PSM Control Unit (Workshop Campaign): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2024/MC-11007026-0001.pdf

I mentioned here previously: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/braking-while-downshifting.33926/page-2#post-527223

I've driven 2 separate J1.2 Taycan 4 loaners (a 2025, and a 2026) before mine had the updated brake booster software applied, and the braking was much better. My car and the loaners all have iron brakes.

What's strange is I had mentioned WPK0 and ARB0 to my service advisor and I was told they were both listed as already being done (by my out-of-state CPO dealer). Regardless, because of the critical safety concern, the technicians road tested and checked on the car while it was in for other recalls. They did find an outstanding brake booster update from version 0131 to 0190 (190 is the same one in WPK0). They charged the car to 100% overnight (to ensure no regen braking) and the lead tech road tested in the morning- the note says they were not able to replicate my concern but I can tell you it's made a significant improvement.

@DadOfFive I had your same concern before and now the car stops confidently every time. With just the mechanical brakes, my car stops in a shorter distance with much less pedal pressure. The braking is still much stronger with recuperative braking in play. I recommend anyone with a J1.1 with a brake concern to reach out to service and have them double-check on the brake booster software release.

As a side note, I find the car brakes to a smooth stop if inflating the tires exactly to 'full load' (41/45 psi. on my CT4) specifications with a matching tire pressure setting in the PCM. I suspect the brake blending / level of creep is calibrated to this.

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