Piston Travel
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Dodge Dakota. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The relationship between hydraulic lever and a mechanical lever is the same. With a mechanical lever it's a weight-to-distance output rather than a pressure-to-area output. Using the same forces and areas as in the previous example, the smaller piston (Fig 1) has to move ten times the distance required to move the larger piston one inch. Therefore, for every inch the larger piston moves, the smaller piston moves ten inches. This principle is true in other instances also. A common garage floor jack is a good example. To raise a car weighing 2000 lbs., an effort of only 100 lbs. may be required. For every inch the car moves upward, the input piston at the jack handle must move 20 inches downward.