EXACTLY HOW DO VEHICLE BRAKES WORK?
When your vehicle’s wheels are in motion, it’s called kinetic energy. The brake system is responsible for turning kinetic energy into heat energy using friction applied indirectly to the wheels. The calipers on your brake assembly system straddle your rotor. When you step on the brake, pressurized brake fluid in the master cylinder activates the piston to force your brake pads against the spinning rotor, which in turn slows or stops your vehicle. On a floatingtype caliper, when the brake is pressed, the caliper piston
forces the inside pad out to the rotor and pulls the outside pad into the rotor. This forces the brake pads to deliver equal pressure to the rotor. Fixed-position calipers will have pistons on each side of the rotor to force the brake pads against the rotor.
Disc brake pads are made of organic and non-organic materials, low-metallic or semimetallic materials. Brake pads are designed to provide smooth stopping with little or no noise or vibration during operation.
Goodyear premium brake pads are designed to meet or exceed the most stringent original equipment manufacturers standards. At Goodyear Brakes, we know the brakes are the single most important safety feature on a vehicle. For that reason, our friction science engineers deliver a product designed to make vehicles as safe as possible.
Fixed-Position Caliper
Brake Pad
LET’S REVIEW THE PARTS THAT MAKE UP THE BRAKE SYSTEM.
DISC BRAKES – Disc brakes began being used in racing and later on passenger vehicles in the 1950s. With disc brakes, when you depress the brake pedal in the vehicle, a piston in the master cylinder pushes brake fluid into the pistons in the brake system’s calipers. Once the fluid compresses the piston, the caliper will clamp down on the rotor and slow the vehicle. The caliper contains brake pads that, when forced against the rotor, create friction which slows the wheels. Modern vehicles use disc brakes on the front wheels of the vehicle because the front wheels do the majority of the work when applying the brakes. Disc brakes, unlike drum brakes, are exposed, allowing them to cool quicker.
Caliber & Rotor
DRUM BRAKES – Today, most vehicles have disc brakes on all four wheels, but you will still see drum brakes on the rear wheels of many vehicles. Drum brakes have been used on vehicles in the U.S. since the 1900s. Drum brakes are an enclosed system, and they are attached to the wheel. In this case, when the brake pedal is depressed, the brake fluid goes into the drum brake wheel cylinder. Once the brake fluid is freed into the cylinder, the pistons (2) inside the wheel cylinder push the brake shoes against the drum. This slows the wheels.
ANTILOCK BRAKES (ABS) – Fast forward from the 1950s version of braking systems to today, and you will find many newer vehicles using anti-lock brakes. Antilock brakes are computer aided brakes that improve braking and help prevent skidding. The ABS system checks the speed of each wheel and applies the exact amount of brake to keep the vehicle from losing control. The antilock braking system delivers the right amount of hydraulic pressure to each wheel, which helps control the vehicle while braking. You can tell if ABS brakes are installed on a vehicle if the brakes pulsate in a panic stop. That is a sign that the correct pressure is being applied to each wheel while braking.
The brakes are clearly one of the most important safety systems on a vehicle, so whether you have disc brakes or drum brakes, it’s important to service them according to your vehicle’s car manual.
Goodyear Brake Kit
