Vehicle Knowledge · Topic 2 of 6 · ~1 min read

Brakes: The System and What Failure Feels Like

Module 4 taught the foot's half of braking — the technique. This lesson is the machine's half: what happens between the pedal and the road, what each part contributes, and — the useful skill — what each kind of failure feels like from the driver's seat, early enough to act on. The through-line is heat: braking turns motion into heat, and the failures that matter are the ones where heat wins.

1. 1. The Braking System, Disc vs DrumTrace the braking path (pedal → servo → fluid → disc/drum) and explain why disc-vs-drum heat behaviour matters on long descents.
2. 2. Brake Fade: The Heat FailureRecognise brake fade by feel and apply the engine-braking defence on a long descent.
3. 3. The Three Self-TestsPerform the three brake self-tests and read each result; and dry wet brakes after fording water.
4. 4. Fluid and the HandbrakeExplain why brake fluid needs periodic changing, and state the handbrake's job and its speed limit.