Fading brakes; why do cars have insufficient brakes?
Problem: When a car is able to drive at a certain speed, it should also be able to stop from that speed. All day long. Especially in today's traffic, with its large speed differences between trucks and cars, this is important.
However, the reality is different. Although in recent years the weight of the cars rose significantly and the size of the wheels has gone up quite a lot, allowing for bigger brakes, their size is still the same. (see picture right) The result is that on an average car the brakes heat up and fade only after a few times of heavy breaking. Also the lifespan of brake rotors is dramatically compared to the lifespan of the car.
Financially there is only a very minor price difference between larger/ventilated and smaller brakes as long as no exotic materials or constructions are being used.
Solution: Two brake tests should be carried out as standard and be mandatory in the technical data of the car. One test unloaded with cold brakes. In the second test, the car is loaded with 70 kilograms per seat and 100 kilograms (luggage) of additional weight, a maximum permissible trailer load and the hundredths braking distance is determined. The result should always be within 105% of the class benchmark. Otherwise no homologation.
