It’s summer…it’s warm…so is your car, which can be made even hotter if you do not plan how and when to use your car’s brakes, writes motoring journalist Iain Robertson, who knows the perils of poor braking performance.
Cars are great. They give us mobility. They grant us freedom. Yet, apart from an occasional service, or a lick of polish, how much thought do we give to several of their working parts, notably the bits that we cannot see, even though we rely on them daily?
Throughout this series of tales that you can read on-line, Mr Clutch has tried to help you to understand your car a little bit better. At this time of the year, it is customary to take a summer break, which might entail a drive somewhere, perhaps even towing a caravan. Of course, the further afield we drive and the greater the stresses we place on our cars, the more we rely on vehicles that have been well-maintained.
While it is important to be able to accelerate and maintain constant progress, it is equally important to stop efficiently. Naturally, it is great to be able to fly along but, if you have to stop suddenly, the repercussions could be somewhat more serious. Towing a ’van, or trailer, places a lot of extra strain on a car’s running gear, especially when the car is full of people and their luggage.
The first aspect to attend to is planning. If you can see brake lights being applied ahead of you, lift off and allow your car to slow down in good time, before closing the gap. When you have to apply the brakes, do so gently but progressively, to allow your vehicle to come to a halt, without upsetting its balance. Remember, this is not the same as commuting to work in stop-start, time-dependent traffic conditions…you do have time, when on vacation.
Of course, it is vital to have brakes that work properly. However, bringing a halt to a car in town centre traffic, when there is just a driver on-board, is far less taxing than doing so with a full complement of passengers and their luggage. The brakes will heat up rapidly, most especially in emergency situations, which means that you ought to consider a brake service on your vehicle shortly before you depart on your annual road trip.
Mr Clutch Autocentres can provide a specific brake service at a price low enough that it will not dig heavily into your savings. The important aspects are to ensure that there is enough friction material on brake pads that operate on the shiny discs within your car’s wheels, or linings on drum brakes, to be certain of arresting its momentum. However, the brake callipers also need to work efficiently and a special ‘Copperslip’ grease is applied carefully to them and the pistons within them to ensure smooth operation.
Many cars are equipped with ‘anti-lock brakes’ (ABS), which inhibit skidding on slippery, or give-and-take, road surfaces. In addition, ‘Brake Assist’ is often standard equipment and is an electronic means of aiding the driver in emergency situations to avoiding clashing with the scenery, or other vehicles. A comprehensive brake service carried out by Mr Clutch technicians will ensure that all aspects of the braking system are working properly to aid the primary safety of you, your passengers and belongings.
For what it is worth, I suffered the indignity of being forced to take to a gravel slip-road, when driving around the Scottish Highlands on one summer holiday. My car’s brakes had overheated and the pedal simply dropped to the floor. To avoid an accident, I drove into the gravel. Not all roads feature gravel traps. Needless to say, I made certain that my car’s brakes were checked properly subsequently. Fortunately, I have enjoyed many driving holidays since learning that lesson.