Brake rotors - what happens when you press the brake pedal - By: Louie Liu

If you have ever tried to stop a car rolling down a slope with your hands and body you will know the enormous amount of effort required to stop a car that is just inching its way forward. Imagine having to stop a car that is hurtling forward at great speed. You would think you would need an army of men pushing the car back with their hands and body, but in truth none of that happens. All that you do is press relatively gently on the brake pedal and without a lot of action around the car it starts to slow down pretty quickly. So how does the car manage to do that.

A car is made to come to a halt by a retarding force that slows down or even completely stops the rotation of the car's wheel. This force is a frictional force that is generated by pressing a two high friction surfaces against one another. One surface belongs to the brake pads and the other to the brake rotor. Brake rotors as the name suggests are components that spin along with the wheel and it is through them that the retarding force is carried to the rest of the car. Brake pads just need to create a lot of friction and to be able to withstand the heat, but brake rotors have to do more. They need to be able to generate friction, withstand heat, dissipate the heat and to carry the retarding force to the car.

For dissipating heat they have either holes as in drilled rotors or slots as in slotted rotors. Slotted rotors have more surface area and are therefore more suited to the high performance applications. And since brake rotors need to carry a lot of force to the rest of the car they need to be very strong otherwise they can crack and that could have serious consequences. You should therefore buy brake rotors made by a company with a strong reputation for quality. If you have any doubts you should consult a professional such as a car mechanic. You can see the latest brake rotors at http://www.ilovebodykits.com.

About the Author

Louie Liu has been in the car aftermarket products industry for 5years. He specializes in body kits, headlights, cold air intakes & other aftermarket products. You can learn more about brake rotors and other car aftermarket products at his site http://www.ilovebodykits.com.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Louie-Liu/37892

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