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Brakes

• Pedals to the Metal

  A number of street rod companies offer fiberglass bodies and kits at various levels of completion. Many of the bare-bones basic kits don't come with all the parts needed to complete the car. That's... Read More

• Somebody Stop Me

  Decades before Jim Carrey's now famous "Somebody stop me" line was uttered in the comic movie "The Mask," many drivers were probably thinking the same thing when braking their early Pontiac... Read More

• Bench Bleeding

  Fresh air is normally a good thing, except when it's in your brake lines. Just a bit of the air that keeps us alive can cause a loss of pedal pressure when it travels through your brake hydraulic... Read More

• Drum Brake Restoration

  Many restorers can only dream of taking their vehicle off the road to do a total ground-up restoration. For most it's too large a commitment of money, time and, quite frankly, the garage space to do... Read More

• Better Braking

  Performance brakes might sound like an oxymoron—like jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly or happy Monday. "Performance" conjures up images of impressive forward motion, the ability to go from 0 -60 in... Read More

• The Double-Flared Brake Line

  The double-flare hydraulic-line fitting is undoubtedly the most common type of connection used in automobile braking systems today, followed by the bubble flare found on many European vehicles.... Read More

• What's Stopping You?

  When you modify your vehicle with custom wheels and performance tires, you may need to upgrade your brakes at the same time. Stock brakes work fine with the factory rims and rubber, but as soon as... Read More

• Big Brake Upgrade

  Out of all the upgrades and accessories on the market, one of the most practical items is one that you can't readily see—a front brake upgrade. Okay, maybe it won't turn heads like a new grille... Read More

• ABS and Stability Control

  If only vehicles had a time machine and a credit card reader.... Read More

• Brake Fluid

  Like every race driver, I’ve experienced the heart-stopping feeling of failing brakes. When you’re going 145 and the next corner can be negotiated no faster than 47 mph, a racer must know the brakes... Read More

• Bleeding Brakes

  Brake bleeding is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective forms of preventive maintenance for the do-it-yourselfer. Done every two years, completely renewing brake fluid will not only help... Read More

• How Brakes Work

  To paraphrase the writer Gertrude Stein, “I've had brakes. I’ve had no brakes. And it's better to be rich.” When your brakes fail, I’d gladly trade riches for stopping power.... Read More

• Replacing Brake Pads

  Brake pads should really be called friction pads. Brake pads use a combination of force and friction to slow the vehicle down when the brakes are applied. There are also brake shoes. The difference... Read More

• Brake Noise

  You're cruising toward a column of cars waiting at a stoplight. You apply your brakes and are then rewarded with a sound that, like fingernails on a chalkboard, raises goose bumps on your... Read More

• Replacement Rotors

  To get an idea of how the rotors and brake pads work on your vehicle, grab a paper plate and spin it on your finger. As it spins grab it with your other hand. It stops instantly. The spinning plate... Read More

• Upgrading Factory Brakes

  If the time has come for you to R&R the brakes on your car, stop and think. How much can you improve the performance of the original setup? Will substituting high-performance aftermarket parts... Read More

• Drum and Drummer

  Even though four-wheel disc-brake systems are the preferable way to go—or rather, stop—many vehicles still come equipped with front disc/rear drum systems. And while rear brakes only handle... Read More

• ABS Speed Sensor Service

  One of the most common omissions in maintaining a modern Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) is checking out the speed sensors. These sensors are often located at each wheel hub/rotor on four-wheel disc... Read More

• Replacing Disc Brake Pads

  Poll most professional drivers/racers about a car's most important system and many will vote for brakes without hesitation (so to speak). Steering is also toward the top of the list, but without good... Read More

• Replacing Brake Shoes

  Brakes are a vehicle's most important part. They probably have the toughest job: stopping thousands of pounds of metal, plastic, flesh and bone that can travel at high speeds.... Read More

• Replacing Rotors

  Servicing disc brakes is normally a lot easier than working on drums. Rotors and calipers have fewer, larger parts than the average drum-brake system, so the average-skilled do-it-yourselfer can... Read More

• How Brakes Work

  Your vehicle's brake system is one of those things you only think about when it fouls up (or you do). Like when the service guy says, "You need your rotors ground and it's gonna cost $200," or you're... Read More