Random Curiousities
life is full of things that just dont make sense. we celebrate the unknown & try to make sense out of this crazy world
- created by rox_ur_sox
Okay, I have a long one
Return to DiscussionsNo, not that, you perverts. Definitely not that!
So, lets say youre driving a four door sedan with four passengers down a smooth leveled straightaway, with no other vehicles or obstacles around. Youre going at freeway speeds and all of a sudden you realize you have absolutely no brakes. What would be the fasted way to stop the car, but you must continue straight? Oh, and everybody is nude of course!
You can start down shifting, yes this CAN be done with an automatic transmission as well as a manual. Then you can use the parking/emergency brake to bring it to a stop safely. You could just use that parking/emergency brake alone if time/distance to stop is too short.
You can start down shifting, yes this CAN be done with an automatic transmission as well as a manual. Then you can use the parking/emergency brake to bring it to a stop safely. You could just use that parking/emergency brake alone if time/distance to stop is too short.
Down shifting even with an automatic will only slow you down but not come to a complete stop. If you need to continue moving this will help control your speed. Keep in mind that the parking/emergency brake ONLY engages the rear brakes so stopping will take a longer distance than using all 4 brakes as normally takes place.
Your regular brakes are operated hydraulically, and the parking brake works thru a set of mechanical linkages and cables. So just because you lose the hydraulic operation it does Not affect the operation of the parking/emergency brake. Two totally separate and independent operating systems. Like I said before just be aware that only the rear brakes are engaged when using the parking brake. Why would you think the parking brake would not work if the primary system failed???
Also, sometime when you are driving try downshifting one gear at a time to see/feel the effects on your vehicle so you will know more about what to expect should you ever Need to use it in an emergency. Don't wait for a Panic situation to happen before you try this technique. Get familiar with it ahead of time. Don't worry you will not damage the transmission doing this. Check your owner's manual to confirm it.
On a side note, when driving in mountainous terrain, even With normal brake operation, it is perfectly acceptable to downshift to a lower gear when on a long downhill grade to reduce wear on the brakes. Using the brakes continuously on long downhill grades can overheat the brakes and cause them to fail I'm sure This is also outlined in your owner's manual. Get it out and read thru it. You will see I'm right on this.
Yes, I understand how the brake system works. Thats why I said absolutely no brakes. Thank you for the explanation though. I sometimes put the vehicle on cruise control going down hills to control the speed without overusing the brakes, which cause heat and develop warped rotors. Been there, done that. Dodge Caravans were designed with undersized rotors for the vehicle and its weight.
Im looking for more solutions. Think outside of the box (or vehicle). Theres gotta be some engineers or science guys out there.