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| Thread ID: 72405 | 2006-09-12 00:05:00 | how good are my car's brakes? | lance4k (4644) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 484070 | 2006-09-13 08:49:00 | Some roller testers could be faulty but my experience with 2 different VTNZ stations in Wellington is that the roller results do accurately identify unbalanced braking. I'd rather have something like that show up the problem before a wet road emergency stop goes sideways. The Oct 2000 VTNZ Newsletter mentions older hydraulic roller testers being converted to electronic control for improved reliability. as mentioned before just because its unbalanced on the rollers dosn't neccarly mean its unbalanced 10 min later. the people i wa talking to the other day seem to think they are a little to caught up in the sceince and far removed from the real world. piersdad- 5 min pad change? yeah right. just love those siezed calibers or rusted parts (exspecially handbrake adjusters) or balloning hoses. not to mention knowing if you need oversized pads or not. |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 484071 | 2006-09-15 05:47:00 | The guys I take my vehicles to for testing have a far more reliable way of checking your brakes. Accelerate through the workshop toward the back wall and slam on the brakes, if they hit the wall you fail. :rolleyes: |
JackStraw (6573) | ||
| 484072 | 2006-09-15 06:30:00 | An uncle of mine was caught out by a car with no brakes once, took out the toilet and basin at the end of the workshop. | PaulD (232) | ||
| 484073 | 2006-09-15 06:47:00 | The WOF isn't a fully accurate analysis of the car's condition. It's a test that that the vehicle reaches a minimum standard and can be permitted on the road. (If only a reliable test could be devised for the drivers). However you measure it, the basic thing is that it is necessary to have working brakes to get a warrant of fitness. If you get the sticker, it means that at this specific time it was possible to stop the car. Whatever the ACTUAL numbers, the original poster was told that the brake effects differed between the sides. That's an indication that the brakes need service, although they stop the car acceptably. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 484074 | 2006-09-15 08:01:00 | Whatever the ACTUAL numbers, the original poster was told that the brake effects differed between the sides. That's an indication that the brakes need service, although they stop the car acceptably. as surferjoe pointed out, just because it pulled a little bit during testing dosn't mean they need serviceing at all. i would only look at servicing if they where pulling ALL THE TIME. |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 484075 | 2006-09-15 08:21:00 | Obviously things in the winterless north are different but I don't think you can write off all test results. Over the last 5 years I have collected WOF results that are very consistant as far as the brake numbers go. The car has always had a slight balance problem on handbrake with one rear wheel locking before the other. When the numbers changed I pulled the drums and found the first traces of a fluid leak. | PaulD (232) | ||
| 484076 | 2006-09-15 19:14:00 | The WOF isn't a fully accurate analysis of the car's condition. It's a test that that the vehicle reaches a minimum standard and can be permitted on the road. (If only a reliable test could be devised for the drivers). However you measure it, the basic thing is that it is necessary to have working brakes to get a warrant of fitness. If you get the sticker, it means that at this specific time it was possible to stop the car. Whatever the ACTUAL numbers, the original poster was told that the brake effects differed between the sides. That's an indication that the brakes need service, although they stop the car acceptably. Dogmatic to a fault here: I'd buy this idea if the advent of ABS and computer-controlled Anti-Skid Systems weren't in vast application today. In cases of "without modern ABS-stuff", I'd also state (as I already did) that uneven braking that might affect drive ability would manifest itself in pulling or skidding the tire of the offending wheel; perhaps over time there would be untoward tire wear on the more powerfully braked wheel too. There are just too many variables to speak with authority based upon one set of "test" standards. I submit the test as stated is totally (not basically) flawed and just a way to perform a wallet-ectomy on the vehicle owner. What's the risk? On a vehicle with a modicum of ABS, even RWAL, then there's nothing to worry over at all...vehicles without such implementation might indicate having a look-see at the hardware and then decide for themselves. Vehicles with AWD or Full-time AWD or 4-WD have another balancing factor to add in as the wheels are all responding to the cumulative effect of all the braking forces averaged out (or added together then divided by 4). The viscous clutches in the transfer case on full time AWD will average out the brake effect anyway. Not having a real mental image of the driving conditions there in NZ, and assuming that they are about the same as most of our 4-seasoned areas in the US, I can honestly believe that there are a high percentile of 4 WD's there as here. Dynamic tests upon a brake dyno are speculative at best...the real test is how do the brakes work in real life? Ergonometric extrapolations are just a basis for further investigation....the real test, and I suggest that there are those who see this idea as controversial, is open the system up and look inside. Garnering info on the condition of the brakes and hardware is fraught with disaster when printouts indicate that there is a differential in brake efficiency or effect. Perhaps that's too much work and someone's hands might get dirty...not a job for a bean-counter or an administrative desk pilot. However.......I digress. __________________ |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 484077 | 2006-09-16 00:51:00 | Joe, the Warrant of Fitness is a compulsory test . It just says that at the time the vehicle was tested it reached a minumum safety standard for use on NZ roads . It has to be reasonably priced, so the tests can't be too exhaustive . Do the lights work? Do they point in the right direction (on a level surface) . Can they be dipped? If there's a windscreen, are there wipers? Do they work? Do the indicators work? Is there enough rubber on the tyres? Is there corrosion affecting the structure? Are the seatbelts OK? And . . . do the brakes work? ABS and all the other stuff are wonderful, but the WOF test is: do the brakes work at this moment according to the testing equipment they are being tested with? If when the car is driven away it slides all over an icy road when the brakes are applied that might be unfortunate, but that's totally irrelevant to the Warrant of Fitness . It's not a full engineering test lasting a week involving exntesive dismantling which will ensure that the vehicle is in perfect condition . It's a quick test which determines if the vehicle is of an acceptable standard . It's a legal requirement . If the owner is told there's uneven braking between the sides, it's up to the owner to get the investigation done . |
Graham L (2) | ||
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