#Brake system design guide driver#
#Brake system design guide upgrade#

#Brake system design guide upgrade#

Upgrade and save:В Brakes are a part where it doesn't pay to cheap out.Get used to keeping your focus above that line and rely on peripheral vision for lane management and spatial awareness of other vehicles. One way to develop this habit is to use a dry-erase marker and draw a thin line at eye level on the windshield. This also means looking down the road and getting the big picture. You might even be able to time it so that you roll up to the intersection just as the light turns green. Anticipate stops:В Start braking a couple of hundred yards back when you come up to a red light, rather than waiting until the last minute and stabbing the brake pedal.Coasting and avoiding using the brakes altogether can cut a lot of brake wear. Instead, just let your foot off the gas a good way back and coast up to it, then let your car scrub off speed as you negotiate the turn. Coast:В See that offramp coming up? Don't brake right when you get up to it.If you use your left foot on the brakes, you're constantly tempted to hover that foot over the brake pedal and tap the brakes when you don't really need to. Use your right foot only:В Some people have adopted the habit of braking with the left foot, and that's a good habit to break.That extra ten MPH of speed causes a lot more brake wear and heat than you might think! The formula for braking is to multiply half the vehicle's weight by the square of its speed, so braking effort goes up exponentially with speed. Watch your speed:В Braking from 65 mph means arresting about a third more kinetic energy than braking from 55 mph.If you find your brake pedal sinking or if it's suddenly as hard as stepping on a rock, chances are your power brake booster is on its way out or there's a vacuum leak between the booster and engine. Power brakes rely on engine vacuum to multiply braking effort when you step on the pedal. In that case, the only braking ability you have is coming from metal-to-metal contact, which is obviously very dangerous and will quickly destroy the smooth surface of the brake rotors.ДЄnother trouble sign is a brake pedal that slowly goes to the floor while you're holding the car at a stop, in gear. On other pad designs that don't feature a wear indicator, a metal-to-metal grinding noise indicates that the friction surface is worn clear through to the rivets and backing plate.

#Brake system design guide driver#

This wear indicator is designed to alert the driver that it's time to change pads. A metallic screech is especially worrisome - many brake pads are designed with a steel tab that protrudes from the backing plate and drags on the rotor when the pads' friction material reaches a minimum thickness. Groaning, screeching or squealing noises are all trouble signs. It's also important to listen to any noises the brakes might make. Brake pedal feels 'soft' or 'spongy' underfoot.Excessive brake pedal travel toward floor while braking.Tendency for one or more wheels to lock up and skid while braking.Vibration or pulsation through brake pedal while braking.These are all signs of worn brakes, however: Since your brakes wear down so slowly, it can be tough to recognize when it's time for brake service.