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Did you know?
Some interesting braking facts:
- The power generated by the braking system of even a modest family car can exceed 500bhp
(375kW), outstripping the engine output of virtually everything on the road.
- Modern braking components need exceptional wear resistance, heat resistance and of
course exceptional stopping capabilities because, under extreme conditions, their
operating temperatures can average over 350 Celsius and peak at up to 700º Celsius.
- In race use, 400 to 600º C is common on smaller cars. In touring cars and larger race
cars temperatures shoot up to 800 - 900º C where the discs will glow red or orange.
 Disc Brake Pads for a
Formula 1 car cost $250 apiece, and during the course of racing and testing, a team will
use around 1000 of them each season. That makes for an annual bill of $250,000 for pads
alone. Then there’s rotors, calipers, fluids and other components before you even
start considering the things that make a car go rather than stop.
- Formula 1 racing is where the most advanced brakes are found. During 1997, German driver
Heinz-Harald Frentzen recorded a force of 5.99 G under braking. This is around six times
the braking performance of a conventional road car and meant that Heinz-Harald’s 65kg
body momentarily weighed nearly 390kg. To achieve this deceleration he had to push the
brake pedal of his Williams-Renault with a pressure of 150kg.
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