Brake Failure Tactics

Author
Discussion

carl_w

9,154 posts

257 months

Wednesday 5th October 2005
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If you're going to apply the handbrake, also pump it on and off (keep the button depressed!) as if you were cadence braking.

Depending on circumstances, a handbrake turn could be beneficial as you're lengthening the amount of space you have to brake in (i.e. an arc, not a straight line) and you are presenting the longest axis of the car to the obstacle so spreading the impact over a larger area. Which is fine if the thing you're impacting is bigger than the car, but not if it's a lamppost, back of another car, etc.

If you were real cool, you'd handbrake into a 180 then apply the power in a low gear and scoot off in the opposite direction. Michael Knight would have done it that way.

guizer

49 posts

228 months

Wednesday 5th October 2005
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planetdave said:
So - you've lost your brakes and there is no time to slow using the gears since there is a car full of newborn (think of the children!) directly ahead. Swerving and coming to a natural stop is not an option here.


In a nutshell? Pick a gap.

However, if time and circumstances permit, use any and all combination of a)handbrake b)gears (lowest available, forward or reverse, wherever the stick fits...) c)ensure its the side with the most metal around/furthest from you (passenger, if empty) that hits the hard but first. If not, ignore the life before the eyes bit and work out the self preservation versus family/friends bit.

Been there, done that, but happily keeps the T shirt at the bottom of the drawer these days,,,,,,

GreenV8S

30,149 posts

283 months

Wednesday 5th October 2005
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Getting the car sideways might be a very good way to stop it under the right circumstances. But I got the impression from the original question that we weren't being allowed time or space for anything like this. If you don't have room to stop or steer round the obstacle (whatever it is) then is is unlikely you have time or space to do anything but choose which bit you are going to hit.

guizer

49 posts

228 months

Wednesday 5th October 2005
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As stated, pick a gap.

Otherwise, if time and circumstances permit, then........



dilbert

7,741 posts

230 months

Wednesday 5th October 2005
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carl_w said:
Michael Knight would have done it that way.


Mr Whippy

28,944 posts

240 months

Thursday 6th October 2005
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Hands off wheel, feet away from the foot well and hope for the best by staying floppy but not lazy in your seat just before impact.

Last thing you want is to end up generally ok, but with mashed up feet or broken hands/arms etc.

And always car first, who cares if it's smashed up as long as people are ok. Thats what insurance is for!

Dave

carl_w

9,154 posts

257 months

Thursday 6th October 2005
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Best way to stay floppy and avoid injury is to drive while pissed!

Yugguy

10,728 posts

234 months

Friday 7th October 2005
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I think in the original scenario, with no way of stopping, I would open my door and jump out. I mean sorry about the kids and all but there's no point all of us dying is there?

chim666

2,335 posts

264 months

Monday 10th October 2005
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I had the master cylinder seal go on my car last year as I was approaching a junction. Luckily pumping the pedal and a tug on the handbrake did the job!
There's another method to try - I used this when the drum brakes in an old Escort got soaked in heavy spray on a fast road - bump gently and repeatedly into the nearside kerb - every little helps!

GreenV8S

30,149 posts

283 months

Monday 10th October 2005
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Clucking bells, bumping into the curb is about the last thing I'd want to do, it's unlikely to slow you down unless you hit the curb hard, but even rubbing the curb gently is very likely to damage the wheel/tyre possibly leading to a catastrophic failure.

bmw114

676 posts

236 months

Monday 10th October 2005
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If your car is well maintained and the chances are it is the chances of foot brake failure and hand brake failure happening at the same time are very remote.
The trouble is you only know your brakes are Knackered when you actually need them,red light up ahead.
The way i see it is you have two options 1. You can save the car. 2. You are going to write it off.
The chances are stopping it will write it off so save yourself and others and lose the car.
As long as you are`nt going down hill it will stop on it own but failing that side swipe the nearest building.
For christ sake don`t run into the back of somebody, it is you responsability not to involve any one else.
You might kill some old dear tring to stop, that is un acceptable.
The best thing to hit is something soft.
Look on the bright side it will never happen.

corozin

2,680 posts

270 months

Monday 10th October 2005
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I can only relay my own experiences of suffering brake failure on the M3 about three years ago.

The failure itself was caused by a garage incorrectly fitting braided brake hoses to my car about 3 months earlier, so that the pipe rubbed against the driveshaft on bumps. So, my first recommendation is to periodically check your brake hoses for wear/damage/perishing

The failure itself happened in fairly light traffic late on a Saturday afternoon. With the pipe suddenly split and no brake pressure, my only actions available were:

o Keep my foot on the brake, as although there was no pressure, the pads could actually be made to rub gently against the discs and this reduced the speed more quickly than just coasting. It also indicates to other drivers that you are trying to slow down.

o Dropped down one gear at a time as revs allowed. No point in trashing the gearbox as well.

o Managed to find a hole in the traffic (was in lane 3 when the failure happened) and get the car into the hard shoulder.

Believe me if this problem happens to you, you won't have a lot of time to think of doing much else. I didn't think about applying the handbrake but I probably should have done. It is possible to survive these things if you are lucky and do the right things without panicking... I won't divulge the speed I was travelling at the time but it was quite a bit more than 60mph

>> Edited by corozin on Monday 10th October 19:44

>> Edited by corozin on Monday 10th October 19:47

GreenV8S

30,149 posts

283 months

Monday 10th October 2005
quotequote all
If needs must, you can get quite substantial amounts of engine braking by dropping down several gears (so that the engine would over-rev massively if you were to engage the clutch fully) and then feather the clutch so it holds the engine at the top of the rev range. It's hard on the clutch, but worth it if the alternative is thousands of pounds of damage or doing domebody an injury. You can realistically get up to around 1/3G engine braking like this, more if you add the handbrake. In normal driving I hope you'd normally plan to avoid hard braking so if you are driving normally doing a planned stop you should still be able to complete the manoever using engine braking and the handbrake.