You rely on your vehicle’s brakes for safety. Any wear and tear on your brakes can mean expensive but necessary repairs, as well as a greater potential for injuries and accidents on the road.
Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to dramatically lengthen the life of your brakes.
Keep Your Speed Down
Stopping while driving at high rates of speed will wear your brakes out more quickly than anything else. That’s because it takes a lot more energy to stop a car that’s going 100 mph than it does to stop at 50 mph. Constantly generating all this energy will eventually wear your brake pads down.
Coast When You Can
Look for situations when you can choose to simply take your foot off the gas pedal instead of immediately going to your brake. This allows your vehicle to slow down more naturally. It’s a good practice when you’re coming up to a stop sign or a turn.
Use Just One Foot
Avoid driving with one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the brake. Tapping on your brake while accelerating is a bad habit. It doesn’t help you stop more quickly, but can seriously damage your brakes over time. So always use the same foot for both braking and accelerating.
Travel Light
When your vehicle is heavy, your brakes have to work harder every time you come to a stop. Remove any items you’re carrying in your vehicle that you could do without. And if you’re having new equipment installed, take the extra weight into consideration.
Get Your Brakes Flushed Regularly
Brake fluid attracts moisture which can boil with repeated or quick brake use. To keep this from damaging your brakes, have a professional mechanic flush out your brakes every two years.
By following these simple guidelines, you can count on your brakes for many years and thousands of miles. Contact MacKinney Motor Company today. We will be glad to work with you to extend the life of your brakes.
