Cooling your brakes
Being from the east coast I've yet to encounter my brakes heating up enough to require pulling over to let them cool down, at least not that I know of. This summer/fall we're doing our first trip out ...
Forum Discussion
carringb wrote:Lynnmor wrote:
The quantity of heat will be the same regardless how you play with the pedal. To generate extreme heat for intermittent periods is a sure road to disaster.
The heat generated will be the same, however the "stab-and-coast" method does 3 things:
1) Heat energy is shed at a greater rate with greater temperature differential, so getting your brakes really hot and then not using them, dissipates more heat over the same amount of time then gently riding the brakes
2) By not riding the brakes, you allow for time when the friction material is not in direct contact withe rotor/drum surface, allowing better cooling
3) The "stab" part of the "stab-and-coast" method ensures all brakes receive even pressure which distributes heat more evenly. Under light braking, brakes may not be braking evenly, which can cause individual corners to overheat sooner.
Not riding brakes is a pretty fundamental part of driving heavy commercial trucks. It's taught in every CDL driving school, and spelled out in most CDL manuals.
From someone who lives here, made more trips over the Continental Divide than I can count with 110,000 lbs doubles of grain and holds a Class A CDL with doubles, triples, tankers, passengers and school bus this post is spot on.
