If there’s one part of your vehicle that should always be in top working condition, regardless of how handy you are with a wrench, it’s the vehicle brakes. Learning how to extend the life of your brakes to avoid costly brake repairs.
Extend life of your vehicle brakes – avoid braking harshly
By observing traffic situations, you can avoid braking harshly at the last minute. Speed causes wear on brake pads exponentially – that is, coming to a full stop from 100 km/hr rather than 80 km/hr forces the brakes to dissipate approximately 30% more energy.
Brake pads work by transforming energy into heat. This means they become worn out more quickly the more energy they have to dissipate. By slowing down just a little, you can save significant wear and tear on your brake pads.
Extend life of your vehicle brakes – avoid “two-footing” the pedals
There’s no law preventing you from driving with both feet at the same time, but it’s not great for your brakes. Tapping your brake pedal with your left foot while keeping your right foot on the accelerator can lead to more “brake taps” which don’t do anything to stop your car and cause premature wear.
Extend the life of your vehicle brakes – coast when you can
Use coasting to lower your speed as opposed to braking. If you’re driving uphill towards stopped cars, why bother braking before you crest the hill? Simply coast up and lose some speed, then brake when you really need to.
When merging onto a highway, just coast from 100 km/hr to 60km/hr, and then press the brakes to slow down the rest of the way. Doing so will extend the life of your brake pads.
Extend the life of your brakes – less is more
Loading up your vehicle can lead to a larger kinetic load which means your brake pads have to work harder to stop the vehicle. Removing anything from the boot, backseat, and/or roof cargo carrier that you don’t need can help give your brakes a much-deserved break. Less weight means you could improve fuel economy too.
Extend the life of your vehicle brakes – use “engine braking”
When you see that you’ll have to brake shortly, whether from a red light or built-up traffic, take your foot off the accelerator. This is known as “engine braking” and helps slow your car without applying the brakes. Doing this disengages the engine and lightens the load on your brakes when you do eventually need to stop. This means less wear and less heat on your brake pads and brake system. Engine braking is especially helpful on long descents. Riding the brakes down a long slope can cause them to overheat, which decreases braking ability and damages the braking system. When your engine brake while driving downhill, there’s less heat, wear, and fade on the brakes. As a result, your brakes will last longer and minimizing the need for brake repairs
Avoid costly Brake Repairs – see Moorooka Automotive
Expensive repairs can be avoided with regular maintenance. Moorooka Automotive are your local expert in car, 4WD and light trucks. Based in Moorooka, Queensland, our highly skilled team of mechanics have over 60 years of collective experience in the industry. Give us a call today at (07) 3892 1153.