We are not all flat-landers who live, work and commute day by day on flat prairie land. Many live in hilly and mountainous areas. You would think that braking system effectiveness and reliability would be top on the list of most motorists and automobile owners when it comes to service and maintenance attention and schedules yet sadly break system inspection and service is at the bottom of most automobile owner's priority and items to do list when it comes to their vehicles. Yet its not that we live in a smaller country like Cyprus or South Korea but in the larger expanses of Canada & the US where we do a lot of miles & km and often have to use our brakes to slow down from highway speeds. We use our vehicles - cars , trucks, vans and S.U.V.'s well.
One simple question to ask most motorists. When was the last time you changed your hydraulic brake fluid. Brake fluid, is inexpensive yet deteriorates over time with dirt, moisture and humidity. Its a simple drive over to the Waverly Auto Mall in Winnipeg for a routine take the wheels off inspection of your brake pads and calipers for wear and in the case of the calipers or rotors - scoring. You would think that simple routine "bleeding of the brakes" to drain out the brake fluid, and then replace it with new fluid would be a standard auto repair service. Hydraulic brake fluid should be replaced on a standard 2 year schedule. More often perhaps in cases of extreme service - taxis, police cars, vehicles in frigid cold winter climes. Yet most vehicles enter the auto junkyard with the exact same brake fluid which filled their car's brake cylinders, reservoirs and brake lines when the automobile was manufactured at the factory level.
As the pressure is supplied to the wheel cylinders, it causes the cylinder pistons to move and pressure is applied to the brake drum or discs through the brake shoes or pads. The friction that then exists between the brake shoes or pads (which are lined with friction materials) and the brake drum or disc is what stops the wheels from turning round. Hence your wheels will stop rotating and your vehicle should slow down and come to a stop. Newer cars, trucks & Sport Utility Vehicles now sport on-hand, to add to the road safety mix as well. With ABS systems the brakes "pulsate" when solid pressure is applied to the brake pedal. Sure a driver on a slippery Winnipeg ice covered winter street could "pump" his brakes instead. Yet its one solid push on the brakes rather than driver pumping. The advantage, when it comes to road safety, is that with ABS on hand, the car can steer through the slide, whereas with manual pumping of brakes the car is just a toboggan on the way to a collision. The problem though is with drivers both unfamiliar and untrained with the actions and routines of the newer electronic braking systems is that in a panic they will revert to their old style habit of brake pumping. Thu without auto owner education and training these new high tech systems can be of little actual practical benefit.
When you step on the brakes momentum throws most of the automobile's weight in a forward direction. Approximately 60 % of the braking force generated in a vehicle is created and exerted by the front wheels, as opposed to the rear wheel brake system. For balanced braking it is necessary to have greater braking and stopping capacity at the front end of the car. Thus in the development and manufacture of autos and automobile models generally disk type brakes are employed at the front wheels, with less expensive older style drum brakes at the rear. This arrangement of front disc brakes and rear less expensive drum brakes seems to work well overall in road handling while lessening the chance of visiting a dealership service center.
On some luxury premium vehicles four way disc type brakes are offered either as a standard safety or as an option. Along with that brake and braking systems have become much more sophisticated with time. A good majority of cars now sold are equipped with ABS anti-lock braking systems. Actually rather simple in electronics, ABS systems allow for the vehicle not to stop in a shorter distance but allow the motorist to be able to steer away from danger in emergency driving situations.
One simple question to ask most motorists. When was the last time you changed your hydraulic brake fluid. Brake fluid, is inexpensive yet deteriorates over time with dirt, moisture and humidity. Its a simple drive over to the Waverly Auto Mall in Winnipeg for a routine take the wheels off inspection of your brake pads and calipers for wear and in the case of the calipers or rotors - scoring. You would think that simple routine "bleeding of the brakes" to drain out the brake fluid, and then replace it with new fluid would be a standard auto repair service. Hydraulic brake fluid should be replaced on a standard 2 year schedule. More often perhaps in cases of extreme service - taxis, police cars, vehicles in frigid cold winter climes. Yet most vehicles enter the auto junkyard with the exact same brake fluid which filled their car's brake cylinders, reservoirs and brake lines when the automobile was manufactured at the factory level.
As the pressure is supplied to the wheel cylinders, it causes the cylinder pistons to move and pressure is applied to the brake drum or discs through the brake shoes or pads. The friction that then exists between the brake shoes or pads (which are lined with friction materials) and the brake drum or disc is what stops the wheels from turning round. Hence your wheels will stop rotating and your vehicle should slow down and come to a stop. Newer cars, trucks & Sport Utility Vehicles now sport on-hand, to add to the road safety mix as well. With ABS systems the brakes "pulsate" when solid pressure is applied to the brake pedal. Sure a driver on a slippery Winnipeg ice covered winter street could "pump" his brakes instead. Yet its one solid push on the brakes rather than driver pumping. The advantage, when it comes to road safety, is that with ABS on hand, the car can steer through the slide, whereas with manual pumping of brakes the car is just a toboggan on the way to a collision. The problem though is with drivers both unfamiliar and untrained with the actions and routines of the newer electronic braking systems is that in a panic they will revert to their old style habit of brake pumping. Thu without auto owner education and training these new high tech systems can be of little actual practical benefit.
When you step on the brakes momentum throws most of the automobile's weight in a forward direction. Approximately 60 % of the braking force generated in a vehicle is created and exerted by the front wheels, as opposed to the rear wheel brake system. For balanced braking it is necessary to have greater braking and stopping capacity at the front end of the car. Thus in the development and manufacture of autos and automobile models generally disk type brakes are employed at the front wheels, with less expensive older style drum brakes at the rear. This arrangement of front disc brakes and rear less expensive drum brakes seems to work well overall in road handling while lessening the chance of visiting a dealership service center.
On some luxury premium vehicles four way disc type brakes are offered either as a standard safety or as an option. Along with that brake and braking systems have become much more sophisticated with time. A good majority of cars now sold are equipped with ABS anti-lock braking systems. Actually rather simple in electronics, ABS systems allow for the vehicle not to stop in a shorter distance but allow the motorist to be able to steer away from danger in emergency driving situations.
About the Author:
The reason for retaining drums at the rear is that a drum is more effective than a disc as a parking brake.
No comments:
Post a Comment