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Show WEAR CAUSED BY SEVERE BRAKING TeaU Show Tires, WhceU, , Spokes, Gears and Joints Are Affected. Tires, wheels, spokes, differential gears and universal Joints; these are the parts of an automobile which suffer suf-fer most from sudden and severe brake applications, according to tests Just completed. ' These tests revealed why It Is pos sible for a car to akld on a perfectly dry pavement It waa found that locked wheels slide along asphalt on a fllra of soft rubber, melted from the tread of the tire by frlctlooal heat. In aucb cases. It was found, the car will travel farther before stopping than when the brakes are so adjusted and applied by the operator that they cannot lock the wheels. Inspect Brakss Often. In the Interest of greater safety, car owners should see to It that their brakes are more frequently Inspected j certainly no less than once a month, or. better, every K) miles. A simple road test, moreover, can be made by determining within what dlstnnce a car can be stopped at various speeds. When this has been determined, with any particular car, a liberal margin of safety should be added for actual conditions con-ditions of service. It should be remembered that the ability to stop a car Is greatly "Influenced "In-fluenced by the condition of the road surface. When roads are very wet, as In heavy rainstorms, there Is less tendency for a car to skid than when the roads are partially dried or In what la known as a "greasy state." Should a car start to skid when applying ap-plying the brakes, it Is usually due to the wheels locking. Stop Skidding. A dangerous skidding can nsnally be quickly stopped If a driver has presence of mind to release the brakes and apply them a second time with leu force. This gives the wheels a chance to again grip the road. If the road la very alippery, as on an Icy road with light snow on the surface, best results are obtained by slowing the car carefully with the engine and helping with the brake. Lightly loaded cars, aa with the driver only, are more difficult to stop than loaded ones. With these points In mind a driver can quickly learn the "tricks," but, above all, do not have too much confidence con-fidence in your ability, as "it Is better to be safe than sorry." |
