Your brakes are some of the most integral components of your car. They are sole components that can prevent fatal incidents. You have to therefore be very careful when it comes to brake pads and rotors in terms of maintenance. A pulsating or surging sensation when hitting the brakes can point to an urgent red flag when you are driving the car.
Brake Pads and Rotors
The padding on your brake pads should never get down too low. If you have a pedal that pulses as you come down to a stop sign, then this is an indication of rotor damage. Many cars today come with rotors all the way around. Normally, shoes do not cause your brake pedal to pulsate and it is usually the rotors on the front that are responsible for this.
This is because they become more of an issue as they come in contact with water and cause temperature change. A change in temperature is also another cause of rotor damage as the metallic components will change structure in response to altering temperatures.
Not to mention, 80 percent of your stopping stress is focused on the front rotor so they get the highest percentage of work. The rear tires have little pads in the wheel that help the car stop better, which can also help with rotor damage. On the newer cars, you will get rotors all the way around.
Checking your Rotors
If you want to check all your rotors, you can get in and visualize the rotors and spot an area that is worsening. To spot bad patches on the rotor, you have to look at areas that are dark, rusty, and rough. The better parts of the rotor will be shiny and smooth. The warping occurs in areas of your rotor where it is both, shiny and rough, you can tell that the rotor is warped.
If you inspect signs of warping rotors earlier on, it will help save you the time to replace it before your car’s braking capabilities stoop. Overall, most of the times, warped disks and tires are responsible for surging or pulsating brakes. However, this is not to say that other reasons do not exist.
Fixes after Surging Brakes
One of the best solutions to this problem is to never let it happen in the first place. In other words, prevention is better than cure when it comes to pulsating brakes. Since the rotors undergo excessive stress in the form of heat due to friction, which in turn causes the rotor to warp, you can make sure that the rotor experiences least amount of friction.
One of best ways you can prevent friction to destroy your rotors, is by changing your driving habits. For people that like to speed down the highly, it is implied that they resort to jamming at stop signs. Driving at moderate speed can prevent you from stressing out the brake pads and rotors. Another good way to prevent this is why adhering to timely brake pad replacements.
