How Much Punishment Can Your Corvette’s Brakes Take?
Get ready to see your brakes in a new light.
Functioning brakes are a beautiful thing. Not only that, but they’re very much necessary to enjoy a safe and fulfilling driving experience. While most of us love to rave about our Corvette’s horsepower and acceleration, it’s the brakes that quickly and successfully bring us back to safety after a high-speed run. In other words, brakes don’t often receive the praise they deserve.
So, what exactly happens under braking? What takes place when we step on the big pedal? One thing is for sure, you never want “nothing” to happen when you step on the brake! This video by the enlightened folks at Engineering Explained gives us a darn good idea of the extreme stress brakes suffer day-in and day-out.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Red-Hot Vid
You probably already know that brakes produce heat when used, and you’ve probably already seen videos of race cars or sports cars with glowing brake discs. This video features a brake rotor, a caliper, and a high-end thermal camera, which manage to show us different heat patterns on an active brake rotor. By active, we mean that the user is actively stepping on the brake while the axle is spinning. Why would anyone do that? To give us an exact idea of the enormous stress cycle that brakes undergo on any given day.
The video highlights five different heat areas where temperatures are being measured, and they quickly paint a pretty good picture of how heat builds up and dissipates during breaking. Temperatures can range from a couple hundred degrees during normal driving, up to a thousand degrees Fahrenheit on a track day.
Enjoy the video, and be nice to your brakes!
