While most drivers are concerned about how fast they can go, it would be wise to also check how well they can stop. Running out of gas and finding ways to conserve to get to places is one thing but if for some reason you overlook your brakes, you may find yourself on the way to the hospital if you are not careful.
Most people are often told that driving a car also includes maintaining it. Sure you will only be concerned on how well your car may run but at times, you need the usual car maintenance practices as well. This includes tune-ups, oil changes, and brake or clutch lining checks.
Normally, male drivers know this as they are more inclined to make sure that the car they are driving are safe. In fact, a good reason here is how men are enthusiastic about having their own car. This goes as far as making sure that they have the best car to drive so that they will get noticed.
Brakes normally have a longer time to be serviced. But this would depend on how frequent you use your car. While others may not care as long as they function properly, it would be best to have them checked and avoid them from malfunctioning especially if you are in high speed or on the road. That inconvenience may lead as far as claiming lives, a fact that many have already experienced and continue to regret for driving carelessly.
In some parts of the world, there will be cases that you have to pass through knee-deep floods in the streets. Your first instinct would be to drive fast so that you don’t have to worry about your engine conking out due to water intake. However, once you get through, do remember that you have to check everything and this includes your brakes.
Now the question is how do you do it. Not until you are free from the flooded areas would you even consider checking your breaks. But normally, it would be best to check your brakes if they will stick by pumping on the break pedal repeatedly. If your car brakes respond by stopping on one stomp, then you are good. But if you notice that your brakes are not responding, just keep on pumping that brake pedal until it stabilizes again.
Experienced drivers know this for sure. But for the sake of new drivers who are not yet fully exposed to such contingency measures when passing by flooded areas, this is a simple tip for safety as well.
There is no telling how fast you would want to get home especially during rainy days but while you can drive as fast as you can, make sure that you can stop at the right time. Accidents happen and one of the things that really has to be addressed is how consistent your brakes truly are.
When you drive your car, it is easy to step on the gas to accelerate. To stop, there is always the brakes to use but just be sure you don’t burn it.
Especially if you are driving downwards like perhaps from a hill, it would be best to put assistance to the brakes wear and tear by downshifting your gears. But don’t do it instantly.
For example you are already in the 4th gear and are already moving down, shift the gear incrementally from 4th to 3rd and then second. Make sure that the engine can handle the sudden shift in gears. When you step on the brakes, the engine will comply as well as the power is diminishing. With the proper timing of downshifting, you can do your brake lining a big favor by making use of the engine breaks for gradual pressure you always put on them.
The air-conditioning system if replaced with more advanced designs such as in the compressor which have lighter yet more efficient cooling capability also lowers weight considerably. High strength steel along with advanced adhesives is making thinner sheets of metals perform better as heavier and thicker traditional ones.
One of the heaviest parts of the car asides from the engine is the transmission and power train systems, could be moved to the engine compartment with the conversion of the throttle to a digital along with lighter alloy velocity joints would decrease weight more. All these changes could lower the weight of a car by more than 40 lbs. with a change of wheels from traditional steel ones to aluminum alloys adding 22 lbs to that figure amounting to a total savings of almost 60lbs. Now that’s a lot of weight shaved off a car and that would allow better, more efficient use of expensive fuel. Hybrids would also benefit from all these changes as well as regular cars.
The need for changes such as these is necessary as people want more and more savings in terms of fuel consumption and the ability to shift to hybrids. Experts just wish they had grown with the airline industry that has the best people to ask when it comes to weight to power ratios. With the price of oil at all time high’s the need for more efficient cars with less emissions is the best solution to a growing problem all of us have to face.
Technology is the driving force behind the automotive industry and yes they are some of the first industries to jump in with respect to applications for new materials. One of their main concerns is weight which has an overall impact on the efficiency of a car. It has also been the main deterrent for battery powered cars for the weight of the batteries alone account for a lot of dead weight they themselves consume power. Newer battery and materials has been defined as the trend for tomorrow as the automotive industry seeks to mimic the airline industry with their use of the lightest yet strongest materials available which allows tons of aircraft to fly along with the tons of cargo and fuel.
The most materials that would be seeing use in the cars of tomorrow would be new composite materials, metal alloys such as magnesium and aluminum and of course plastics. In cars, these materials can mean a lot of savings in terms of weight allowing cars to become lighter yet have equal the strength if not greater than traditional steel cars and chassis. The brake system for example uses cast iron calipers which amounts to a lot of weight, using aluminum which is lighter would save weight in that area. The back seat of cars used to have blow-molded foam structures that can be made lighter with the addition of seat cushions which also weight lighter. The floor of the trunk which used to be made from pressed sheet metal can be turned into plastics that are compression molded.
You’re driving down the road and as you come upon a corner you sudenly realize the brakes aren’t doing any good and the vehicle continues going forward, what do you do?
This is a real-world scenario that causes many accidents year after year and as with many other car troubles, totally avoidable (most of the time that is, there is the 1% in the 99% reliability of your brakes that it can fail without any apparent reason). The key is maintenance, for if there has been sufficient maintenance on the vehicle meaning all safety and vital systems are inspected on a regular basis, there should not be any problems like this. Maintenance gives owners a chance to find problems as they begin as with brakes, yoi can see fluid from the brake system on the pavement or on the wheel rims. Hoses might be cracked or for the unfortunate few, that rock or piece of steel you ran over might have severed a brake line (actually hose) and your car is bleeding vital brake fluid needed to stop safely. Enough of the sermon and back to the point, What do you do?
First, any sign of trouble whe in a car, hit the flasher lights to tell everybody that something is wrong. Check the area in front of you if there are any vehicles in the way, if there are then you have to find spot to go to without hurting anybody else. If you are on open road like the interstate or highway, you can try pumping the brake which might give you some stopping power and use the hand brakes intermittently till you get to a full stop, ideally off the road on the shoulder. Using the handbrake is effective, but do it slowly for pulling hard can cause the rear tires to lock and spin you in many ways than one.
The point is, to keep you calm for panic causes you to loose your objectivity. Most modern cars have dual brake systems where the front driver’s side wheel and the rear pasenger’s side wheel are connected and so are the opposite two. You can brake (but you might have to push a bit harder on the pedal) even with one system down and use the handbrake to augment them. For some more important information check out the NSC fro more details
Keep safe, drive carefully and get home safe.
