It's like stopping a bus from 160 mph on a wet road. That's how the engineers behind the Bloodhound SSC—the British land-speed record car designed to break the 1,000-mph barrier—described the task of stopping their creation once it's finished breaking the sound barrier. This video describes the immense forces that will act on the brakes as they slow the Bloodhound to a...
NASCAR's Brad Keselowski loses his brakes at 165 mph Brad Keselowski crashes at 165mph Losing your brakes while driving is a terrifying feeling. There's nothing but the sense of impending doom since you're no longer in complete control of your two-ton metal machine. Imagine if you were out on a race track when you lost your brakes? Now imagine you were doing...
German electronics specialist Siemens has developed new braking technology in the form of the electronic wedge brake, which the company claims can dramatically reduce stopping distances of cars compared with conventional hydraulic systems. Previous attempts to improve the efficiency of braking systems have seen on the introduction of carbon compounds and electronic activation of auxiliary brakes. However, the performance of these...
One track enthusiast is lucky to be alive after a fiery incident involving his 2016 Ford Motor Company Shelby GT350. As explained in detail on his Facebook page, Joe Charles was enjoying a long day at the track when a series of disasters struck, culminating in his car being engulfed in flames, with no brakes and while running at 100 mph. Trouble in...
Ford Motor Company has finally revealed some of the performance specs for its new GT supercar. We can confirm that the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 fitted to the car makes 647 horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 550 pound-feet of torque at 5,900 rpm, with 90 percent of that torque figure coming up at 3,500 rpm. We also know via the EPA that...
“Meets or exceeds Original Equipment (OE) standards” is the benchmark for replacement auto parts. It means the parts are designed and tested to meet the same specifications as the parts originally installed on the car when it was first built. It is not just marketing hype especially when used to describe a critical system like brakes. The car makers...
Last week I parked our Dodge B250 van on a steep hill, put the transmission in Neutral, and then applied the parking brake. Before putting the transmission in Park, I took my foot off the brake pedal to see if the parking brake held. It did not. There was some groaning from the rear and the van started creeping forward...
Breaking in Brake Rotors I did not simply replace the worn down brake pads on my wife’s ’93 Ford Tempo. I made the car better by installing a beautiful set of modern, high tech ceramic pads. I pictured the Tempo showing a bit more savoir faire as it competently braked using the same ceramic materials as those fancy new...
Don't Forget to Flush Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air (it is hygroscopic). Over time, enough water accumulates in brake fluid to cause corrosion and/or reduce stopping power. Water in hot brake fluid turns to steam which compresses and cannot maintain hydraulic pressure. The brake pedal goes soft on a long downgrade or during a panic stop. Flushing...
Power Brake Solutions For decades “power brakes” has referred to that large round can the brake master cylinder bolts onto. That can is the vacuum power brake booster. How does it work and does it have a future? The metal can is hollow with a flexible diaphragm dividing the can into two air chambers. A spring retains the diaphragm...
