When
you are in your car driving along without a care in the world, you do
not consider that when you are moving at 65 miles per hour you are
actually moving quite fast. If for some reason you had to slam on
your brakes suddenly, it would easily take over 100 yards for you to
come to a complete stop. This is if the brakes on your vehicle are in
great working order. That is why having regular on time brake checks is crucial to the performance of your car and to your well
being.
There
are obvious signs your truck or car is due for a break inspection. When the brake light on your dashboard appears or it
is clearly obvious it is taking you longer to come to a complete stop
than normal, it is time to see someone about your brakes. However, do
you know the less subtle signs its time to get your brakes checked?
Brake
Pad Thickness
More
than likely your vehicle uses disc brakes. This means when you press
on the brake pedal inside your car a hydraulic system that is
triggered using brake fluid will cause cause calipers or padded
clamps to squeeze together on a disc called a rotor. This is what
causes your car to stop moving.
Over
time the friction from the calipers squeezing the rotor will cause
the pads on the ends of the calipers to wear down. Normally, the
brake pads should be at least one quarter of an inch thick. If they
become thinner than this, a brake pad change is a good idea.
To
tell if it may be time to change your brake pads look between the
spokes or bars on your tire to see the rotor. The caliper should be
along the outer edge of the rotor. If you are not able to see them
this way, you will probably have to remove the tire to see the state
of your brake pads.
Sounds
When
your brakes need changing they will tend to let you know with noise.
There are different sounds to alert which stage your brakes are at –
squealing, grinding, and squeaking.
Squeaking
is the sound heard when applying the brake to stop the vehicle. This
sound does not actually indicate that your brakes are wearing, but
rather they were not put on correctly.
Next,
is a squealing sound. This is what you will hear thanks to brake
manufactures to warn you that your brake pads are on the verge of
needing to be changed. You should hear this sound when driving your
car without applying the brake.
Finally,
if you let your brakes progress to the point that not only are your
brake pads completely worn, but now the caliper is grinding into the
rotor, that is exactly what you will hear – grinding. Once this
sound starts, you are already spending way more for a brake change than if it were just the pads because now you need new
rotors, too. If you let this go on for two to three days after first
hearing it, you might also need to change the calipers because of
excessive friction wear.
Pulling
When
your car starts to pull to one side of the road, this can be one of a
few problems, but several of those problems could be brake related.
- Stuck Caliper – This will cause friction on one side of the car, and consequently, the car will start to pull in this direction.
- Collapsed Brake Hose – This will cause the calipers to move unevenly when you apply the brakes.
- Uneven Brake Pads – This will apply different pressure on the different wheels.
Vibrating
When
you apply your brakes under normal or circumstances or rather no
emergency or quick stops, you should not experience any shaking,
pulsing, or vibrating from the brake pedal. If you do, this could be
an indication that you have warped rotors. The feeling you will
notice is the uneven rotors thrumming against the brake pads and
sending the vibrations through the brake pads.
Pedal
Pressure
The
pressure you feel on your brake pedal can say a lot about the
condition of your brakes. Brake pedal conditions to be on the lookout
for are mushy pedals and touchy pedals.
If
you are experiencing mushy pedals, when you apply the brake your foot
will go either almost to the floorboard or feel as if you might go
through it. This could be a sign of worn brake pads or a hydraulic
system problem such as air in the brake lines, an air leak, or a
brake fluid leak. A brake line obstruction or vacuum system problem
could be the problem if you feel as if your foot might end up putting
a hole in your floorboard.
Touchy
pedals are the exact opposite and require you to barely touch the
brake pedal before coming to an unpleasant jerky stop. This could
also be the result of several problems including an unevenly worn
rotor, dirty brake fluid, or fluid contamination from moisture.
Source:
How
Stuff Works, Angie's
List
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