Brakes and Traction Control: Testing and Inspection

Brake System Diagnosis:

EXTERNAL CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT BRAKE PERFORMANCE
Brakes should be tested on a dry, clean, reasonably smooth, level roadway. A true test of brake performance cannot be made if the roadway is wet, greasy or covered with loose dirt so that all the tires do not grip the road equally. Testing will also be affected if the roadway is crowned, which would throw the weight of the vehicle toward the wheels on one side. If the roadway is too rough, the wheels will tend to bounce. Test brakes at different vehicle speeds with both light and heavy brake pedal force.


Tires Having Unequal Contact - and grip on the road will cause unequal braking. Tires must be equally inflated, and the tread pattern of right and left tires must be approximately equal.

A Heavily Loaded Vehicle - requires more braking effort. When a vehicle has a unequal load, the most heavily loaded wheels require more braking power than others.

Misalignment Of The Wheels - and particularly excessive camber and caster, will cause the brakes to pull to one side.