I was in contact with Gavin Charlesworth, the local distributor for EBC brake systems and we were discussing the effect of the weather on your car’s braking systems.
With the heavy rains recently we have had our fair share of wet and slippery roads. The sealed sections of Siam Country Club Road being classic examples, with mud being strewn all over the place. (The unsealed sections have pot holes so deep there is Venezuelan music coming out of some of them, but that’s another story.)
These slippery conditions have caught out a few drivers and tail-enders have become rather common place. When braking in these kind of conditions you should remember that as soon as the front wheels lock up you have lost all decent retardation and all steering correction. A sliding wheel does not respond to the influences of directional forces and is only under the straight line effect of momentum. You can twirl the steering wheel as much as you like, you just go straight on.
The answer is to take your foot off the brake pedal to unlock the brakes then progressively pump the brake pedal up to the point of locking up then release and repeat the sequence. This is called cadence braking and is what ABS systems do for you if your car is fitted with it. Practice on a bit of dirt one day and it might just save you some trouble and expense in the future when you can steer your way out of trouble.
Incidentally, I use EBC brakes on the Retro Escort I race. You can contact Gavin at [email protected].
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