Brakes on any vehicle work with a friction pad placed against a disc with force. The friction of the pad against the disc causes heat to spread out over the brake disc, causing the car to slow. The same applies for brake drums with the brake shoe pressed against it, heating up and again slowing the vehicle.
Starting under your foot the pressure you apply to the brake pedal is transferred to the brake servo, this utilises engine power to increase the pressure and ensuring you can still feel your leg after a long journey!
How is the pressure transferred to the friction (brake) pads? Well the secret is brake fluid - this is contained in a brake pipe that runs from the servo to the brakes. Fluid is used as cables would require constant adjustment due to stretching from the heat and constant use.
As mentioned the heat is dissipated from the pad by the brake discs. For improved dissipation vented brake discs have a central channel that increases the surface to air ratio of the disc and gives more efficient cooling. Drilled and vented discs increase the air ratio, prevent a build up of gases and keep the pads in a clean condition. To further improve the braking of a high performance car you can always fit larger discs but you may have to fit different wheels.
Brake pads are obviously an essential part in stopping your car and the higher the friction the better the performance. Fast road pads give a good compromise between standard and racing pads with some generating zero pads. Remember that regardless of the pads your driving style will play a large part in the wear on the pads and discs.
ABS helps to prevent lockups under heavy braking and allows you to steer the car but steering will reduce the braking efficiency as the ABS cuts in more.
Brake Upgrades Stainless steel braided hoses prevent any flexing and therefore loss of pressure at the pad end, they also look nicer and theoretically last longer too - get a full set and do the front and back at the same time.
You have many options to upgrade your cars braking system. The fitting of bigger discs is an upgrade that could be a fairly simple option. Take a standard family car for example with small discs - you could visit your local breaker or buy brake parts online for a performance model from the same vehicle. Small cars usually share the same brake parts than their larger brothers and just a small amount of research could turn up some surprises.
General Care of Your Brake System At least once per year you need to give your brakes a once over. Start by checking your pads and discs for wear and tear. The discs should not have a ridge on the edge due to excessive wear, thin discs can warp under immense heat conditions. Check your pads for wear as they will eat into your discs when worn.
Brake fluid levels should be changed at least once per year but no longer than every two years.
One point to make is to test your brakes by applying them after driving through standing water to remove the water and grease build up.
I hope you have found this information useful, it's important to understand the attention you need to give your brakes as you need to stop your car with confidence.
Monday
Replacing Fuel Filter Tips
Changing fuel filter must be easy for you now, but you need to keep a check to avoid any mishappening or any mistake. Since every process has few 'Do's & Don'ts, so does the procedure of replacing fuel filter has. A glance at these instructions would definitely ensure safer fuel replacement process. Read on to find the "Do's & Dont's While Replacing Fuel Filter."
Do's While Working on Fuel Filter
Make sure to drain the fuel tank before removing it for cleaning.
Always keep in mind that the fuel to be used should be in a sealed container.
Its important that automobile battery should be disconnected before starting the process. The failure in which will lead to accidental sparks that could be dangerous.
Check the filter to ensure that it does not leak and is snug. Usage of gasket sealer to filter threads helps in a leak-free connection.
Cross check the hose clamps for their position. Make sure they are properly positioned as well as tight.
Don'ts While Working on Fuel Filter
No Smoking - Never smoke while you are repairing or replacing the fuel filter. It is advised that you should also keep away all kinds of electrical systems to avoid any damage to them as well as any harm to yourself.
At the time of replacing fuel filter, one needs to tighten the screws into inlet fitting on carburetor. While doing so, never overtighten it. You might damage the threads in carburetor.
Never use RTV silicone sealer that dissolves in gasoline to prevent leakage. Even teflon tape should also be avoided.
Do's While Working on Fuel Filter
Make sure to drain the fuel tank before removing it for cleaning.
Always keep in mind that the fuel to be used should be in a sealed container.
Its important that automobile battery should be disconnected before starting the process. The failure in which will lead to accidental sparks that could be dangerous.
Check the filter to ensure that it does not leak and is snug. Usage of gasket sealer to filter threads helps in a leak-free connection.
Cross check the hose clamps for their position. Make sure they are properly positioned as well as tight.
Don'ts While Working on Fuel Filter
No Smoking - Never smoke while you are repairing or replacing the fuel filter. It is advised that you should also keep away all kinds of electrical systems to avoid any damage to them as well as any harm to yourself.
At the time of replacing fuel filter, one needs to tighten the screws into inlet fitting on carburetor. While doing so, never overtighten it. You might damage the threads in carburetor.
Never use RTV silicone sealer that dissolves in gasoline to prevent leakage. Even teflon tape should also be avoided.
Wheel Alignment Skills
A wheel alignment is nothing more than setting the angle of the hub/wheel so it tracks in the right direction. Most vehicles have four-wheel alignments, meaning each of the four wheels is separately aligned. Your basic alignment consists of three angles: camber, caster and toe-in. Camber is the tilt of the tire when viewed from the front of the car. Positive camber means the top of the tire is tilted away from the car. Negative camber means the top is tilted in. Camber has a lot to do with cornering performance. Too much negative camber will wear the inside of the tires prematurely. Too much positive camber will wear the outside tread.
Caster is the inclination of the front spindle. Picture the angle of the forks on a bike top to bottom. When the caster is out, it creates a pull or wandering condition and sometimes a slow responding steering wheel. Toe-in is measured in inches or degrees. Viewing from the front of the car, it is the difference between the front and rear center-line of the tire. Toe-in means the fronts of the tires are closer together. Toe-out means, the fronts of the tires are farther apart. Toe-in or out has the most effect on tire wear.
When your car is out of alignment, the tires will wear prematurely. In some extreme cases, new tires will be gone within 500 miles. At the price of tires, especially high performance tires with soft compounds, you want to keep your vehicle in alignment as long as possible. Other symptoms of an out-of-alignment car are poor handling, pulling to one side, or wandering from side-to-side. An alignment will also affect the steering wheel response and how quickly it returns to the center.
Your vehicle's alignment should be checked every 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Any harsh impact such as potholes, curbs, objects in the road, or the damage of an accident, should prompt you to have your alignment checked. If you do any modifications to your suspension, raising or lowering your car, that will affect the alignment angles. Even changing the tire size will effect the alignment. Loose, worn or bent suspension parts such as ball joints, springs, bushings, and control arms will have an adverse affect on your alignment, too. In most cases you do not know if your alignment is out. The best way to check it is with a precision alignment machine. Laser optics combined with a computer allow for the most accuracy in alignment readings.
Remember you are aligning the hub of your vehicle. Check to see if the alignment shop or dealer has equipment that attaches to the hub, not the wheel. Many independent shops that do alignments have a specialty tool called "Tru Align" that attaches to the hub. This will make for a much more accurate alignment with the added bonus of not damaging the delicate finish on your wheels.
There is a lot more to suspension alignment, especially if you push your vehicle on the track. The modifications you make on your suspension are just the beginning. Once you start down this road you will be concerned with things like bump steer, weighting (vertical load), preloading, tire traction versus tire load, and more. Now you're thinking under-steer, over-steer, tire compound, sway bar design, and other topics that can be covered in a later article. For now, just remember to have your vehicle aligned every 10,000 to 12,000 miles in normal driving conditions.
If you accidentally hit a curb, or drive through a nasty pothole or other road obstruction, that would be a cue to have your car's alignment checked more often. Proper alignment is good for your car. It will save unnecessary wear on your tires. It will ensure that your vehicle is giving you the handling the factory designed the car to have. And, most importantly, a properly aligned car is safer and more fun to drive.
Caster is the inclination of the front spindle. Picture the angle of the forks on a bike top to bottom. When the caster is out, it creates a pull or wandering condition and sometimes a slow responding steering wheel. Toe-in is measured in inches or degrees. Viewing from the front of the car, it is the difference between the front and rear center-line of the tire. Toe-in means the fronts of the tires are closer together. Toe-out means, the fronts of the tires are farther apart. Toe-in or out has the most effect on tire wear.
When your car is out of alignment, the tires will wear prematurely. In some extreme cases, new tires will be gone within 500 miles. At the price of tires, especially high performance tires with soft compounds, you want to keep your vehicle in alignment as long as possible. Other symptoms of an out-of-alignment car are poor handling, pulling to one side, or wandering from side-to-side. An alignment will also affect the steering wheel response and how quickly it returns to the center.
Your vehicle's alignment should be checked every 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Any harsh impact such as potholes, curbs, objects in the road, or the damage of an accident, should prompt you to have your alignment checked. If you do any modifications to your suspension, raising or lowering your car, that will affect the alignment angles. Even changing the tire size will effect the alignment. Loose, worn or bent suspension parts such as ball joints, springs, bushings, and control arms will have an adverse affect on your alignment, too. In most cases you do not know if your alignment is out. The best way to check it is with a precision alignment machine. Laser optics combined with a computer allow for the most accuracy in alignment readings.
Remember you are aligning the hub of your vehicle. Check to see if the alignment shop or dealer has equipment that attaches to the hub, not the wheel. Many independent shops that do alignments have a specialty tool called "Tru Align" that attaches to the hub. This will make for a much more accurate alignment with the added bonus of not damaging the delicate finish on your wheels.
There is a lot more to suspension alignment, especially if you push your vehicle on the track. The modifications you make on your suspension are just the beginning. Once you start down this road you will be concerned with things like bump steer, weighting (vertical load), preloading, tire traction versus tire load, and more. Now you're thinking under-steer, over-steer, tire compound, sway bar design, and other topics that can be covered in a later article. For now, just remember to have your vehicle aligned every 10,000 to 12,000 miles in normal driving conditions.
If you accidentally hit a curb, or drive through a nasty pothole or other road obstruction, that would be a cue to have your car's alignment checked more often. Proper alignment is good for your car. It will save unnecessary wear on your tires. It will ensure that your vehicle is giving you the handling the factory designed the car to have. And, most importantly, a properly aligned car is safer and more fun to drive.
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