Surpisingly, a vast amount of vehicle owners in Brisbane risk driving a car with noises from brakes, malfunctions, brake warning lights, spongy brake pedals, worn out braking components etc. with no knowledge of just how bad these issues can be.

Luckily the team at West End Service Centre- Brisbane's leading braking experts will settle things straight and arm you with the knowledge you need to ensure your brake pads, brake rotors and brake fluid are kept in optimum condition and keep you safe on the road as ultimately - your car brakes are pretty much the only items that keep you stopping.

We will look at the two types of braking systems equipped in Vehicles today disc brakes and drum brakes additionally we will cover fluids like brake fluid and the internal hydraulics of the braking system equipped on your modern vehicle today.

The argument that disc brakes are superior in all aspects is irrefutable as such they are incomparably widespread in modern vehicles than drum brakes - nowadays drum brakes are reserved for lower powered/ light vehicles that do not require too much braking force, even most older vehicles that were originally equipped with drum brakes have been converted to full disc brake setups.

At the vehicles wheels - there are typically one or more pistons inside what's called a brake caliper, these items begin to apply force to the vehicles brake pads ultimately forcing the brake pads to come into contact with the brake rotors/discs.

As a direct result of this action, the brake pads create friction against the brake discs/ rotors causing the vehicle to slow down and ultimately (if desired) come to a Holt. Throughout this process vehicle and brake manufactures design on average approximately 70-75% of this force to the front wheels, this in turn causes the front brake pads to wear out at a faster rate than the rear brake pads.

From start to finish, the complete braking process is designed to be both simple in design but obviously also safe. When the braking system of your vehicle is in top condition, including things such as clean brake fluid, rotors that are within manufacture tolerance and brake pads that are within their design specification / optimum wear limits the system will typically stop a vehicle within 5% or less of the manufactures original design.

However, in turn if the brake pads are worn out then different forces that scope outside the design of the braking system occur and the brake pads can press against the brake rotors at undesirable pressures or movements causing a less than ideal stopping distance, braking noises or shudders / vibrations - drastically reducing your brake distance and ultimately - your safety.

In turn, the condition of the brake pads, rotors and brake fluid must not be neglected or overlooked. All these items work together and perform a certain task to reach one positive goal - the safest method to stop the moving car.

Timely replacement of the brake pads, rotors (or machining of the rotors if within spec) brake fluid and general condition check of the caliper seals, pistons and hydraulic components (such as the brake master cylinder) results in a much less expense then if the system fails - not to mention the safety implications associated with such.

Getting your car regularly and routinely serviced with a reputable mechanic (such as West End Service Centre) will ensure your brakes are checked thoroughly and kept in optimum condition with any potential issues picked up and rectified early.

If you would like to know even more about your car brakes please see our related articles;

• Brake pad composition explained
• When should my brake pads be replaced?
• Various signs your brakes need attention