Different Types of Car Brakes

Your car usually has a few different types of brakes, depending on the type of car you drive. At the very least, you will have two brake types. Every car has service brakes to make the car stop while you are driving, and an emergency braking system to keep your car in place when it is stopped. I’m going to talk a little bit about how each type of brake works and what purpose it serves in the operation of your car.

Many cars have disc brakes on the front wheels, and some have disc brakes on all four wheels. This brake type have a disc brake rotor attached to the wheel, and a caliper that holds the disc brake pads. When you push on your brakes, hydraulic pressure causes the caliper piston to clamp the disc brake pads around the disc brake rotor. This makes your car slow down.

Drum brakes are often used on the rear wheels of cars and work with the disc brakes on the front wheels to stop your car. Among different types of car brakes, drum brakes have the biggest number of parts, but they work well with emergency brake mechanisms. Drum brakes have four main parts: the brake drum, a wheel cylinder, brake shoes, and brake return springs. When you push your brakes, the wheel cylinder presses the brake shoes against the brake drum and stops your car.

Talking about types of car brakes, it is important to mention emergency or parking braking system. It is separate from the service brakes. A cable is used to mechanically apply the rear brake rather than relying on hydraulic pressure to apply the pressure. They are mostly used when you are parked and want to make sure your car stays parked. You can also use them in an emergency if your brakes fail.

Some newer cars come with anti-lock brakes. These brakes are computer-controlled by an anti-lock braking system (ABS). When you push on the brakes suddenly, the ABS keeps your wheels from locking up and your tires from skidding. This type of brakes is especially useful when driving in wet, snowy, or icy conditions.