Riding in the mountains, how to care for your brakes?
Just follow these rules
Mountain terrain requires adapting your driving style to the current conditions. Riding in the mountains also means knowing how to use the brakes. Today we present rules that are worth taking into account when traveling to such areas.
In this article:
Observation and planning
Riding in the mountains, how to care for your brakes?
Downshifting is the key to success
Driving in the mountains with an automatic transmission
What to do when the brakes fail?
Poland is dominated by agricultural landscape, which accounts for up to 60% of the country’s area. Therefore, every day we travel mainly on flat terrain. If we add to this the fact that vehicles spend most of their automotive life in agglomerations, it is difficult to talk about extensive experience in driving in the mountains. How to take care of your brakes during a trip to Zakopane or the Karkonosze Mountains?
Observation and planning
Driving in traffic jams shortens our field of vision behind the wheel. We focus our attention on the vehicles around us, we look at the nearest pedestrian crossing or traffic lights. We drive rather slowly, without excessive load on the braking system. The situation changes when we go outside the city and reach an area with variable heights.
Winding mountain roads require the driver to observe and plan maneuvers much further in advance. We must anticipate and adapt to the situation. The level of road grip can literally change with every turn. This is a common phenomenon, especially in winter. In this situation, riding in the mountains teaches you how to take care of your brakes.
We must plan our driving course, taking into account the two, or preferably three, nearest turns. Pay attention to sand, snow or water flowing on the road, which can change traction in a second. Using the brake skillfully is the basis for safe driving.
Riding in the mountains, how to care for your brakes?
Truck drivers have it much easier in mountainous terrain. Driving in the mountains with a tractor-trailer combination or a bus is easier than driving a passenger car or a bus. Heavy machines are equipped with a retarder, a mechanism that helps brake the truck and at the same time allows it to maintain a constant downhill speed. The brakes are then used gently or only to stop. In this way, we avoid the phenomenon of overheating of the brakes and the complete impossibility of stopping the vehicle using this system.
Bus and passenger car drivers are in a slightly more difficult situation because there is no retarder on board. In this case, riding in the mountains requires a different driving technique. Engine braking by skillful downshifting proves helpful.
Driving in a lower gear on a hill helps reduce the acceleration due to gravity. Then we can only gently control the pace of the descent, without constantly keeping our foot on the brake.
Downshifting is the key to success
Brake discs and brake pads generate heat when they rub against each other. When driving around the city, when we use the brakes to slow down or stop the vehicle in a traffic jam, the amount of heat generated is in most cases marginal.
Driving in the mountains puts more strain on the braking system. If we brake often and hard, driving comfort will suffer, as will our brakes. In extreme situations, the brake pads may become glassy and the disc may overheat. Compounding the problems is boiled brake fluid. A soft brake pedal, intense brake odor and reduced braking efficiency are symptoms of problems.
That’s why it’s so important to downshift when going downhill. Vehicles with a manual gearbox have it easier because the driver decides what gear to use. In optimal conditions, you can complete this section of the route without touching the brake and observing all safety rules.
We can adopt a rule that if we went up the hill in 3rd gear, the descent should also be in 3rd gear. It is important that the gear ratio creates enough resistance to prevent the vehicle from accelerating.
Driving in the mountains with an automatic transmission
Users of automatic gearboxes have to approach this slightly differently. There are several types of mechanisms on the market. Modern designs have a manual gearshift mode at their disposal. Using the drive direction selector or steering wheel paddles, we can downshift very similarly to driving in the mountains with a manual gearbox.
There are other possibilities in older designs. In addition to the standard symbols P, R, N, D, we also find the numbers 3,2,1. By selecting one of them, the gearbox will only run in that gear. This can be very helpful when going downhill. In this situation, the gearbox begins to operate very similarly to a manual transmission and assists the driver in maintaining a constant speed downhill.
What to do when the brakes fail?
Driving in the mountains sometimes means problems with the braking system. What to do when the brakes fail? We have several options. In the case of a manual gearbox, it is, of course, a gradual reduction of gear ratios until the speed is lost. Of course, assuming that the road situation and route allow it. The same should be done with the automatic transmission.
The situation becomes more complicated when there is a steep descent in front of us. Then it is worth turning on the hazard warning lights and, if we have time, also sounding signals. And like a skier on a slope, move the car in a zigzag from the left to the right edge of the road to minimize the acceleration of the car. You can try using the parking brake. In extreme situations, we recommend driving up a slope or other hill to lose speed.
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