Hey guys, I'm a 30-year veteran driver on the road, I've seen all kinds of weird car problems, and I've been through a lot of ups and downs. Today, we're going to talk about a topic that makes people smell and change - brake failure. It's no joke, especially when you're speeding down the highway and you suddenly find that the brake pedal under your feet is a decoration, and it's like skydiving and finding a beach chair in your bag. But remember, the more critical the moment, the more important it is to hold your mind, because your calmness and correct response are the key lines of defense to protect your own life and the lives of others.
First of all, stay calm and never panic. When a brake fails, your first instinct may be a racing heart and sweaty palms, but at the moment, all you need is to hold the steering wheel steady and not let it sway like a wild horse. Remember, don't turn off the engine! Once the engine is turned off, the power steering system will strike instantly, and the steering wheel will become as heavy as dumbbells in the gym, and it will be even more difficult to adjust the direction.
The next thing we have to do is to slow down this loose "mustang" as soon as possible. Here are two tricks to slow down, we have to learn and use them.
Cheats 1: Engine braking method. To put it simply, it's to let the engine brake for you by downshifting. Here's how:
- Release the throttle and let the car slow down naturally. At this point, you can start gradually lowering the gears. If it is a manual transmission model, it will be lowered from the current gear to a lower gear, and the automatic transmission friend does not need to panic, switch to the manual mode, and also downshift step by step. Note, don't think about hanging directly to 1st gear in one step, the gearbox doesn't eat this set. If you can't successfully downshift, then keep the current gear and don't hang neutral, otherwise the vehicle will increase the coasting distance, which is equivalent to you "assisting" the brake failure.
- Using the principle of engine braking, when the wheel speed is higher than the engine, the direction of power transmission between the two will be reversed, and the wheel will drive the engine to rotate in the opposite direction. Since there is a lot of resistance to the engine itself, this can effectively suppress the wheel speed and thus achieve a deceleration effect.
Cheats 2: Handbrake braking is magical. Different models have different types of handbrakes and different operations:
- Electronic Parking Brake: Simply press or lift the handbrake switch (depending on the model) and after about 3 seconds, the electronic parking brake will initiate the emergency braking program. During this period, remember not to step on the accelerator, otherwise the handbrake will automatically disengage and you will fall short.
- Mechanical handbrake: Gently pull up the handbrake lever, pay attention to the strength should be uniform and slow, so as to avoid pulling too tightly all of a sudden and causing the rear wheel to lock, which not only can not effectively slow down, but also can make the vehicle out of control and skid. During this process, the other hand should firmly control the steering wheel to ensure that the direction of the vehicle is stable.
Of course, these two tricks alone are not enough, we have to learn to use our strength and use the surrounding environment to help you.
Look for opportunities to slow down. If you are on the highway, the avoidance lane is undoubtedly your lifeline, and if you see the opportunity to drive in, all your troubles will disappear in an instant. If you're on a normal road, try using the uphill section to help slow down with the resistance of the elevated terrain.
Warn others and ask for cooperation. While trying to slow down, remember to turn on the double flashing warning lights and continue to sound the horn to convey emergency information to surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, so that they can prepare to avoid secondary accidents in advance.
Okay, after talking about emergency measures, let's also talk about how to prevent problems before they happen. After all, we prefer that it doesn't happen at all than the "remedial fix" after the brake failure.
Regular maintenance and strict inspection of the brake system. Every time you maintain it, don't forget to ask the mechanic to carefully check whether the brake fluid level is normal, whether the brake hose has signs of aging, and whether the brake pads are worn to the edge of replacement. These seemingly inconspicuous details are often the culprits of brake failure.
Pay attention to brake abnormalities and repair them in time. In daily driving, once you notice that the brake pedal feels soft or hard, or the braking strength is weakened, the vehicle shakes when braking, deviates and other abnormal phenomena, don't take it seriously, stop immediately for inspection, send it for repair if necessary, and then go on the road after the problem is solved.
Guys, that's all for how to deal with brake failure. However, I would like to leave a question for you to ponder:
If the brakes of the vehicle you are driving suddenly fail, in addition to the above countermeasures, what other factors may affect your emergency response effect, and how can you adjust your coping strategy?
Think about it, after all, knowledge plus practice is the strongest weapon we can use to deal with emergencies. The next time the brakes fail, we can smile and say, "Hey, boy, who are you scaring about?"
Source: Baidu smiles like a flower
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