Braking and Grip
What ABS Costs and Saves in a Panic Stop
A locked wheel is not the maximum braking condition. Peak longitudinal friction occurs at roughly 10 to 20 per cent slip, and beyond that...
Section 05
Braking and Grip
Stopping distance, lateral g and the contact patch that has to deliver both.
Braking and Grip
Brake Fade: The Two Different Failures
Brake fade is two unrelated failures with one name, and confusing them leads people to fix the wrong thing. Pad fade is a loss of friction...
Braking and Grip
Braking Distance: Why Speed Costs You Squared
Stopping distance is v² / (2a), and the square is the whole story. Twice the speed is four times the distance. At a deceleration of 1.0 g,...
Braking and Grip
Carbon Ceramic vs Steel: What You Actually Buy
Carbon ceramic brakes do not stop a car more quickly on a first application from moderate speed, and anybody selling them on that basis is...
Braking and Grip
The Contact Patch: Why Wider Tyres Still Grip More
Classical friction theory says the force a surface can transmit depends on load and material, and not on contact area. Tyres appear to...
Braking and Grip
Braking With Downforce: Stopping Harder Than 1 g
Tyre friction sets a ceiling on deceleration at μg, and no brake system beats it. Downforce is the one thing that does, because it adds...
Braking and Grip
The EU Tyre Label: What the Wet Grip Letter Means
The wet grip letter on a European tyre label is a measured index, not an opinion. Under Regulation (EU) 2020/740 a passenger car tyre...
Braking and Grip
100 to 0 and 60 to 0: Comparing Braking Tests
Two braking benchmarks are in circulation and they are not interchangeable. 100 to 0 km/h is the European figure, 60 to 0 mph the American...
Braking and Grip
Lateral g on the Skidpad: A Number With Conditions
Lateral acceleration on a skidpad is v² / (r · g), so the answer depends as much on the circle radius as on the car. A car pulling 1.0 g on...
Braking and Grip
Tyre Compound: Grip Bought With Life
A tyre compound converts rubber into grip, quite literally. The mechanism that generates extra friction is the same mechanism that consumes...