How Can You Make Your Brakes Last Longer?
Brake repairs are an inevitable vehicle cost, but there are many ways to protect your vehicle so that you don't need to get frequent brake repairs. Here are some of the best ways to make your brakes last longer.
Reduce Your Speed
The faster you go, the harder your brakes have to work to slow you down. Being conservative about your speed, especially when there's traffic or a slowdown ahead of you, is a great way to extend the life of your brakes. Of course, going at a higher speed is easier on your brakes when you can naturally come down from a high speed without needing to brake.
Learn to Coast
There's a fine art of coasting to reduce the number of times you need to brake. For one, learn to look ahead and see when stop signs or traffic lights will impede you from continuing at your current speed, when you can take your foot off the gas pedal and coast. You can also practice being aware of times when other drivers are likely to put on the brakes, such as at freeway turns, when you can coast at your current speed and avoid braking behind them or plan to switch lanes and travel around them. You may also need to rethink the number of times you brake and get more comfortable with coasting rather than constantly putting on the brakes. Stop-and-go driving wastes gas and puts a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle, so it's worth the effort to practice awareness and learn how to avoid braking.
Get Some Upgrades
Sometimes, upgrading to a more expensive braking system can be great for overall improvement in your performance and longevity. For example, ceramic brake pads increase performance in some vehicles. If you don't have to ride the brakes as hard to come to a stop, you won't see as much wear and tear on them.
Get a Yearly Brake Checkup
Finally, it pays to get a yearly car brake service at a place like George's Eastside Shell to ensure that your brakes are still safe. These can sometimes come with your oil change or other routine service. You might be able to replace a single brake that's failing and keep the system in good shape for another year. Driving with one or two bad brakes can wreak havoc on the other parts of the system, so this is a great maintenance step to take to reduce your costs overall.