Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure - Autos - Nairaland
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| Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by jodeci(m): 12:13am On Jan 05, 2012 |
Please the above is for those with experience,the car could be manual or automatic.I had a very bad experience recently,thank God i wasn't on a high speed.I didn't know the right action to take until the car crashed into another ahead of me,though just a minor damage was caused. |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by Emperoh(m): 12:23am On Jan 05, 2012 |
I am really waiting to see what responses we can get. In the past, i once tried doing something with a manual shift car. if on a higher gear, continue down shifting until u get to the lest. That is, if you are in 5, down shift to 3 and then engage the clutch, this should pull the car speed back a bit and then 2 and then 1. Thereafter, try and see if it can get into reverse; but caution!! U maybe damage the transmission if you force a forward moving car into reverse. Another idea i once toyed with is to kill the engine and see what happens. A manual tranny will most likely stop. Don't know about auto. The thing with auto is that any application other than what it is used to might damage the transmission system. But let's see what other pros in the house have to say |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by oblo(m): 1:46am On Jan 05, 2012 |
Like emperor stated downshifting is a very good way of slowing down a manual tranny car in event of brake failure, As for me I would also gently use my hand brake to further slow down the car.(I said gently use the hand brake otherwise u mite end up in a spin!). I dnt think I would want to engage the to reverse if the car was still moving foward at a considerable pace otherwise the tranny mite give way. I would he more cautious if the car is an auto drive, if the gear was on D u can down shift to 2 and then 1 while also using ur hand brake to assist gently, Overall I just think the Major reason most mite not perform diz steps will be due to panic when such a thing as brake failure happens! Other well versed gurus can shed more light on this. |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by jodeci(m): 2:32am On Jan 05, 2012 |
oblo: The car runs faster when break fails,before u could utter Jack,u are dnagerously close to the next obstacle. |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by Nobody: 2:53am On Jan 05, 2012 |
With a manual, you downshift to the lowest gear possible, without allowing the engine to race. So from 5th at 70 mph, select 2nd, and release the clutch. If you're really in a dire situation, and the car isn't really a consideration, then drop to 1st! Engine braking will kick in, and bring the car to a halt. You might still hit the obstacle you were trying to avoid, but at a much reduced speed. You can use the handbrake to further help to halt the car. Older cars don't have syncromesh on reverse, so as long as the car is moving forward, selecting reverse may be impossible. If it's a later car with syncromesh on reverse, you might just have time to engage reverse and let the clutch out gradually, but the chances are you'd have run out of time. With an automatic, it's a lot harder. Since the torque converter replaces the clutch found in a manual, it allows a certain degree of slip; most of the later cars are also controlled by a TCU, which is intelligent enough not to allow a lower gear to be selected, if it senses the car is travelling too fast. So it's possible you may select 1st from 5th at 70 mph, and find the transmission may remain in 5th, or drop into 4th, not low enough to make use of engine braking. Again, later transmission require the brake pedal to be depressed before the shift can be moved into R from D, so worth remembering. If you can get the shift into park, then by all means do so - your personal safety, or that of a pedestrian is more important than a bust transmission. A risky move though - a RWD car means P will lock the rear wheels, so there's the risk of going into an uncontrolled spin, so be prepared to use opposite lock. A FWD car could be worse - if the front wheels are locked by shifting to P, you'll have no steering control, steering control is only possible if the front wheels can turn. On no account should you switch the engine off in the event of brake failure. It won't slow the car down any quicker, as long as a gear is selected, the engine will still turn. And if you panic and pull out the ignition key, you'll lock the steering wheel - so beware! |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by jodeci(m): 3:03am On Jan 05, 2012 |
Thanks Sienna for your contribution. The process is alot harder than i thought,one really needs alot of composure and articulation to be able to follow the steps. In my last experience,i was scared stiff.Injuring an innocent pedestrian will haunt me forever. |
| Re: Whats The Alternative Way(s) To Safely Halt A Car On Event Of Brake Failure by Nobody: 10:52am On Jan 05, 2012 |
Interestingly, total brake failure in passenger cars is extremely rare. Cars have dual circuit brakes, and it would be really unlucky for both circuits to fail at the same time. In all my years in the automobile industry, I've never come across a case whereby both circuits went dead. if one fails, obviously more effort will be required to bring the car to a halt. Maintenance is key, brakes need periodic inspection. A lot of drivers wait till the pads are worn down to the metal, and grinding the discs, before they replace the pads. In most cases, owners will replace just the pads, and leave the worn discs. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, this means it absorbs moisture. The higher the moisture content, the lower the boiling point. Boiling brake fluid is no good, and once it's boiled a few times, it's as useless as plain water. The high moisture content corrodes the hydraulic components from the inside out. Brake master cylinder, brake calipers, brake cylinders and ABS pump / pistons. Brake fluid requires replacement EVERY two years, how many Nigerian car owners or mechanics every replace brake fluid? My guess is hardly any, it's no wonder total brake failure is quite prevalent in Nigeria. |
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