Stop, Go, Swerve: What to do if there is an animal in the roadway

While my grandmother has been known to make road kill stew, this isn’t a delicacy that most enjoy. Being prepared to encounter animals and knowing what to do when these encounters occur is a better way to use the road efficiently. Reacting quickly and correctly will help to protect the lives of all humans and [...]

Safe Driving in Snow and Ice!

Few things are as beautiful as the first snowfall—suddenly the drab, leafless trees are transformed by a coating of fresh powder; a mundane street becomes a wondrous new world. Unfortunately, driving conditions are also transformed by winter weather, making even the most familiar routes extremely treacherous. It’s no surprise that snow and ice are both [...]

Common Brake Problems and Maintenance

Your brakes are easily one of the most important components of your car. Having well-maintained and effective brakes will go a long way towards keeping you safe on the road! Few things are more terrifying than jamming on the brakes in an emergency and finding they don’t work. Before reading further, it may be helpful [...]

HOW DO BRAKES WORK? Part 3 – Power Brakes and Antilock Brakes

Power Brakes While drum brakes provide some additional power assist, as we saw in the discussion in Part 2 of this series, disc brakes don’t. In most cars with disc brakes, additional force multiplication is needed in order to make the brakes effective and easy to operate. This power is provided by the vacuum booster; [...]

HOW DO BRAKES WORK? – Part 2: Disc Brakes and Drum Brakes

Disc Brakes While there are several different kinds of disc brakes, the most common is the single-piston floating caliper. You’ll see what this means in a minute. This kind of brake has three main components: the brake pads, the caliper, and the rotor. (See figure 8.)   Figure 8: a disc brake The brake pads [...]