Brakes

Brakes work by a process called hydraulic action. This is started when you press the brake pedal. Which in turn pushes a piston inside the master cylinder. The brake fluid inside is then forced out through small pipes by the piston, resulting in the hydraulic cylinders pushing the brake linings against either the disk or the drum. This creates friction and slows down your car.

A brake system is generally made up from Disks, Drums and ABS. An average car will be fitted with disk brakes at the front and drums at the back. Disk brakes tend to respond better but they do need replacing more often than drums.

Disk brakes
Here the brakes are outside a disk. The hydraulic action squeezes the brake pad onto a spinning disk attached to the wheel hub. This produces friction that slows the car down.

Drum brakes
The brakes are inside a drum. When the hydraulic action inside drum brakes forces the brake shoes outwards, against the edge of the drum. This inturn creates friction to slow the car down.

ABS
Stands for Anti-lock braking system. It is a safety feature present on many of todays cars. Basically it is a computer-controlled mechanism that makes the brakes 'pulse' on and off very quickly. This helps to stop the wheels from locking up and prevents skidding.