Extending Brake Life

[Chuck C]

Here's a question that's always been on my mind. Is it better to brake real early and gradually stop or brake abruptly and apply pressure as needed? I've always eased the brake pedal real slowly...hundreds of feet before the stop. I try not to ride the brake pedal in stop and go traffic however. My girlfriend said that the dealer told her to depress the brake pedal sorta strong just before the stop. and it makes me nervous cuz it looks like she doesn't know to stop!

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of braking under these two methods?

[Ralph]

I think your pads will last a lot longer if you break earlier in advance. In severe winter driving, this is a good practice because on sheer ice you cannot brake suddenly, even with ABS I believe. I don't think braking hard at the last second is good, because I've seen too many tailgaters who are on your ass thinking they can stop on a dime, and it pisses me off. I mean, what if we drop our cell phones or cigars, we will have less response time to react if we are too close to another car. PS have you tried the new dustless metallic brake pads I've heard about? These would keep my rims looking a lot better in the front, that brake dust is a bugger.

[rapid rabbit]

Originally Posted by Chuck C

Here's a question that's always been on my mind. Is it better to brake real early and gradually stop or brake abruptly and apply pressure as needed? I've always eased the brake pedal real slowly...hundreds of feet before the stop. I try not to ride the brake pedal in stop and go traffic however. My girlfriend said that the dealer told her to depress the brake pedal sorta strong just before the stop. and it makes me nervous cuz it looks like she doesn't know to stop!

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of braking under these two methods?

I agree with your theory. My sister does the "wait until your on top of "em" It's like being in a rocking chair

[brougham]

Do it somewhere between those two methods. Breaking really early like hundreds of feet before a stop will make them wear out fast too because the whole time youre just rubbing the parts together. But breaking at the last second isn't good either.

[elwesso]

I agree with the inbetween method.....

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by brougham

Do it somewhere between those two methods. Breaking really early like hundreds of feet before a stop will make them wear out fast too because the whole time youre just rubbing the parts together. But breaking at the last second isn't good either.

You reminded me of another situation: going down a steep, long grade like a mountain road, it isn't good to ride the brakes in this situation because they may overheat and possibly fail. In this scenario, I would use the "in-between method" or the abrupt method. I might also downshift to 2 to help slow down at the last minute. (this is especially useful in snow or on ice)