Downhill and twisty mountain driving

[jtvang125]

Which is better at preventing brake fade? Seen too many drivers that after they get down the mountains their brakes get so smoking hot you can smell it.

 

[ViviTheMage]

good question...I have allways wondered that too...brings up the question :

is it better to brake at the last second when coming to a red light, or lightly brake the whole way there?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

There's a balence. The best way is to brake early, and keep the speed down so the time to dissapate the energy is spread out. It'll take longer, but not as long as a brake job will take. I usually grab a gear that will take 75-90% of the speed and just use the brakes to regulate rather than to absorb.

Edit: if you want practice, take highway 49 from Placerville to Auburn. You'll get pleanty of it 🙂

 

[thedarkwolf]

drop down a gear and use engine braking.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
drop down a gear and use engine braking.

Winner. Unless you're tracking your car on stock pads, or towing a boat, you won't get brake fade if you're properly engine braking.

 

[dawheat]

Right - if you're just cruising, use a lower gear to help keep your speed down and use your brakes sparingly.

If you're hammering it, then there's no reason to be riding the brakes - it defeats the purpose of a spirited ride. Just make sure your brakes are up to constant heavy braking.

 

[nweaver]

Dropping a gear works best, but then I also do hard slow downs to a lower speed, rather then lots of small brakes to keep a steady speed. I usually tow though. I feel it gives my brakes more time to cool off in between.

i.e. coming down Parley's Canyon into Salt Lake, I'll let the speed get up to 70, then hammer down hard till I hit 45 or even 40, then let it speed back up and go again. I didn't have any brake problems last time doing that.

 

[thomsbrain]

you are more likely to experience fade if you brake hard/fast rather than light/slow. there are two reasons: the first and foremost is that turning your energy into heat over less time will give your brakes less time to dissipate heat during the braking period, leading to higher temperatures at the end of the braking period (beginning of the curve). secondly, by braking later, you lose the assisting effects of wind and friction resistance over the difference in time.

so look at it this way: as you approach a corner, you can use the difference in braking zone distance to do one of two things: you can slow your car early, during which time you are dissipating energy into the air and friction is also slowing you down. or you can continue driving at the same speed, during which time no energy is being dissipated. when you enter the do-or-die braking zone, the first option has already dissipated a significant chunk of energy into the air. the second option has dissipated nothing, leaving you with more energy to dissipate during the same amount of time, so the second option will get hotter.

once braking ends, hotter brakes will dissipate raw energy faster than cooler brakes, but they are still hotter while they do so (meaning they have a lot more energy left to dissipate into the air). having hot brakes increases the chance that if you need maximum braking unexpectedly (a deer jumps out) you may have to hit them when they haven't yet cooled. and that's when you'll realize your brakes have faded. that's bad. 🙂

 

[theeedude]

Lower gear FTW. I don't use brakes much when coming down a mountain, if at all. Put it in proper gear and you will be able to control speed completely with a gas pedal.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

braking long and hard will also warp the rotors, warped rotors = pulsing in the wheel and brakes. jtvang, what were they doing, having fun on the mountain(drift kiddies) or were they just unknowingly using the brakes too much and were in an automatic that doesnt engine brake that well.
thoms your correct on both of those though, braking early will heat the brakes up slowly and to a steady temperature if your steady on the brakes, if you just jab on the brakes at the last second, they will heat up rapidly to a higher temperature and thats when you need a cooler. but we're also forgetting brake fluid, you heat those brakes up enough, the fluid will boil and thats where brake fade happens(remember, air in the lines = VERY VERY BAD!, i know from experience)