A 3-minute lesson from the Hawaii course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Brakes turn your car's motion into heat. Smooth, early braking saves fuel, brakes and tires, and keeps the wheels rolling so you can still steer. Downshifting lets the engine help, but only as a supplement.
Know the rule
A hard brake application can make wheels slide. If the wheels, especially the front ones, keep sliding, you lose control of the vehicle.
To avoid hitting something, don't jam on the brakes and slide. Apply and release the brakes rapidly and STEER toward a clear area, even off the road, avoiding people, trees, poles and structures. With ABS, see your owner's manual.
Manual: press the clutch, move to the next lower gear, and SLOWLY release the clutch. Non-synchronized transmissions need 'double clutching,' which takes practice.
Routine downshifting to slow down is not recommended: it slows the car quickly with no stop-lamp warning to drivers behind. Use it only to supplement the brakes.
Downshifting at higher speeds may actually decrease acceleration. Downshifting is a proper emergency way to slow down if the brakes partly or completely fail.
You're heading down a long, steep grade on the Pali. Shift to a lower gear before you start down so the engine holds your speed, and use the brakes only as needed instead of riding them the whole way.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Prolonged, heavy braking can cause brakes to:
automatically cool down
work the same however long you brake
improve their grip
heat up and become less effective
Answer: heat up and become less effective
Prolonged braking heats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.