How to Protect Your Brakes

Ensure a Longer, Safer Drive

When it comes to vehicle safety, few things rank higher in importance than your vehicle’s braking system. It’s because of this system that you’re able to safely drive your vehicle around Poway, California, and that’s why you need to always look for ways to protect it. By doing so, you’re actually paying yourself forward, as you won’t have to pay for an expensive repair or replacement services. If you aren’t sure how to protect your vehicle’s brakes, WOW Auto Care is here to help. During your next drive, think about these brake protection tips!

Lighten The Load

As we own our vehicles for longer, it’s common for us to leave a variety of items within it: clothes, lawn chairs, golf clubs, etc. can all be found in many vehicles. But did you know that all these additional items, big and small, can actually damage your vehicle’s braking system? The added weight from these items places additional pressure on the braking system and demands the brakes to increase their stopping power, as the combination of the additional weight and the speed of your vehicle will add more momentum to your drives. Think about removing any unnecessary items from your vehicle. Your vehicle’s braking system will thank you later on by having a longer life!

Don’t Ride The Brakes

We’ve all been a passenger of this type of driver (or maybe YOU are this driver) — they constantly hit the brakes at the first sign of trouble and their foot is on the brakes more often than it is on the gas pedal. Although we recommend this proactive approach to vehicle safety, this particular style of driving is not only frustrating to ride with but also harmful to your vehicle’s brakes. Constantly hitting the brakes will hasten the degradation process of the brake pads. If the pads are fully worn, this style of driving can also cause the rotors to warp due to the heat generated from constantly hitting the brakes.

Consider Conservative Driving

Outside of being very dangerous to you and other drivers on the road, aggressive driving is also awful for your vehicle. Things such as last-minute braking, especially at high speeds, place a tremendous amount of stress on the brakes due to the heat generated from it. This style of driving can lead to deep grooves within a brake disc and a warped rotor, both of which are expensive to deal with. Instead of driving like your favorite Fast and Furious character (Paul Walker is ours), think about championing conservative driving habits. Instead of tailgating (please never tailgate), leave a one or two car buffer between you and the driver in front of you. Instead of slamming on the brakes, think about slowly stopping your vehicle. These small habits stack over time, and you’ll see improved brake performance for a lot longer than you would expect.