🛑 Brakes — Your Safety System #1
Pads squeeze rotors to turn speed into heat. Hydraulic fluid multiplies your foot force 10x. ABS prevents lockup.
Components
- Brake pads — friction material, wear item
- Rotors/discs — what pads grab, resurface or replace
- Calipers — hydraulic clamp
- Brake fluid (DOT3/4) — change every 2 years, absorbs water
- ABS + sensors — pulses brakes to keep steering
- Drums/shoes — still on many rear axles
Listen to your brakes
- Squeal when braking = wear indicator, check soon
- Grinding = metal-on-metal, stop driving
- Vibration in pedal = warped rotors
- Soft/spongy pedal = air in lines or leak
- Car pulls to one side = stuck caliper
💡 Pro tip: After new pads, bed them: 5 moderate stops from 35mph to 5mph, then cool down without holding brake. Prevents squeal.