Riding Those Brakes?

Our roads are dotted with cars that constantly sport their brake lights. Often, your following of one of these riders of the brakes leaves you frustrated and impatient. Not only are these instances irritating for people pushing the speed limits, but it can also be quite dangerous. Your car’s braking system was designed to absorb a lot of friction and abuse. Many drivers focus completely on their braking ability. It is common to use the two-foot method for automatic cars. The thinking is “in case of an emergency I can stop quicker!” However, keeping a foot on that brake pedal can adversely affect your brake rotors and pads more than you might think! Pirate Jack Hot Rod Restoration is your specialty vendor for high quality disc brake conversion kits. Our focus is on brake performance and safety. Today we’ll dip a toe into the advice stream and hopefully enlighten those who ride the stoppers.

Wear And Tear

Excessively riding your brakes over stretches of time can cause a variety of problems. The most common consequence of this practice is abundant friction. That friction is expected; your brakes should last you around thirty thousand miles for the front brakes and almost double that for the rear brakes. People who religiously ride the brakes may be replacing their braking system components four times as often. In financial terms, this can be seen as a very unnecessary expense. More importantly, your safety can be compromised. As we have mentioned in previous blogature, your brakes heat up significantly during periods of heavy use. In excess temperatures, components such as your rotors can take damage and warp. Parts that are not meant to withstand this heat (such as seals) can also fail, shear, and melt. In the long run, these newish issues can put both you and your wallet at risk. Our performance brake rotors can mitigate and displace brake heat significantly, but over time damage will be done.

Stopability

Science can explain the higher risks of excessive brake use. Remember when you were coming down from the mountains or were towing a heavy trailer and your brakes felt less effective towards the bottom? Brake fluid is used to translate the force from your brake pedal into pressure for applying the stopping mechanisms. Under extreme heat, this brake fluid boils, introducing gas to your brake line. This gas is worthless for applying pressure. Therefore, your brakes will either work in a much reduced capacity or fail entirely. Brake failure is a major issue that can lead to dire consequences.

When it comes to brake conversion kits, Pirate Jack has you covered. We focus on aftermarket muscle car parts and high-quality brake kits. In our experience, any activity that hurts your brakes should be avoided at all costs. Braking constantly can be comforting for the average safe driver, but in the long run it can be damaging to you, your car, and your finances. The importance of having proper brakes cannot be stressed enough! If you’re looking for performance brake rotors and pads, don’t hesitate to contact us today for the advice and equipment you need!