Comments on: How to Handle Brake Failure

on 12/15/2006 If you have air in your system due to a leak or failing master cylinder, a quick couple of pumps on your brake pedal will restore enough hydraulic pressure to stop you safely.

on 9/14/2006 My brakes failed while I was going through a set of lights descending a hill. I drive a manual front wheel drive car, so I changed gears to second/first and then lifted the clutch to engage the engine and use it as a brake (by utilizing the friction in the engine to slow you down). This way you have a lot more control over how hard your braking is on the front wheels (all four wheels in a 4x4), and the handbrake can be used to break the rear wheels at the same time.

on 11/22/2005 Below is taking in account total loss of normal brakes.
The second you feel your brake pedal hit the floor, change down to second gear, use the engine's compression (releasing the clutch) to slow the car down by slowly releasing the clutch, like gearing down for a stop street or robot, just a bit longer on the clutch causing a longer period of resistance. You'll feel the car's nose go down and you'll feel a slowing down sensation. While doing this, you need to use your handbrake (emergency brake) in a pulsating manner, by applying a bit of brake and then releasing in fairly quick succession. If you run out of road near the end when your going slow (0 - 40km/h), pull the handbrake up hard. Locking the wheels will not cause you to loose control at low speed, it will help slow you down enough at the end to not collide with the obstacle in front. The compression force is caused by your front wheels on a front wheel drive car, therefore less danger of locking up while doing this as rear wheels lock easier than front wheels. The reason being is that in a lockup your front wheels are being pushed(harder to do) and the back wheels are being pulled or dragged(easier to do).

Please note the above is for a front-wheel drive car mainly, this is important as the procedure above is far more dangerous with a rear wheel drive car. Gearing down will put reverse force(compression) on the back wheels(wheels doing the work) which could cause them to lock prematurely while still going too fast in your escape (rear wheels lock up easier than the front wheels). You need to be extra careful and sensitive with the clutch on a rear wheel drive car. Plus, the reverse force on the back wheels and the handbrake use (back wheels as well) will have enough stopping force on the back wheels to lock them up easily, so be careful.

on 12/22/2005 My brakes failed as I was getting off the interstate due to overheated fluid. I panicked and pulled the emergency brake up. It did not slow my car, however, it did melt the rear brakes and caused extensive damage. Brake fluid should be changed once a year as old fluid contains more water and overheats easily, causing a soft pedal in a mechanically sound brake system.

on 11/22/2005 If your driving on a hilly area and there are steep drops around you, the emergency/hand brake could be a bad idea because it effectively locks up your rear wheels allowing your rear-end to slide left or right due to the loss of friction. You can see how pulling the handbrake while at a medium to high speed could cause you to spin out of control and possibly run over the cliff.

on 11/22/2005 Brake fluid contamination will cause a unique symptom that could baffle even the best. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and has a propensity to attract water. Water contamination will cause brake fluid to boil at lower temperatures. Brake fade will result.

on 11/22/2005 If you can't get friction from your brakes, get it elswhere. Rubbing creates friction so 1.rub tires against the curb
2.rub your car against the highway guard rail
3.rub your car against parked cars.
You can replace parts but not life.

on 11/22/2005 Steer slightly left and then right alternatively and repeatedly to increase wheel friction on the road and slow down the car. It's just like shaking the steering wheel from side to side a little.