Winter in Colorado means snow. A lot of snow. Historically, Denver will receive around 55 inches of snow each winter season. And if you’re not prepared for it, you will pay the price.

For drivers, that means having a car that’s ready for anything. From icy roads to snowpack several inches deep, the last thing you need on your commute is to worry about your safety.

That’s why it’s the most important time of the year to ensure your brakes are properly maintained. Poor brake maintenance not only puts your safety at risk, but it also decreases performance and longevity of the system overall. Your car is an intricate series of parts that work together. When one part is off, it can throw everything else into chaos as well.

With your brake system, it’s important to be proactive with maintenance. Your car’s manufacturer should have a recommended brake maintenance schedule. It may even come with a dashboard warning signal, letting you know it’s time for brake servicing. A good rule of thumb is:

• Check your brake pads at 12,000 miles
• Replace brake fluid at 25,000 miles

These estimates depend both on what car you drive as well as your driving style. By letting experts look at your system, they can help you make an informed decision to keep you safe no matter what the weather is like outside.

What does brake system maintenance mean?

Check your brake pads and rotors

The brake pads and rotors are the two main parts of your braking system. They are also the two main points of contact between your braking system and your tires. Because of their action during braking and stopping, they will deteriorate faster than other parts of your brake system.

When you press down on the brake pedal, it’s connected mechanically to a metal rod that feeds into a device called the master cylinder. A master cylinder is filled with brake fluid, or hydraulic fluid. The master cylinder and your car’s calipers are connected by brake lines. This is how the brake fluid flows through your brake system.

Pressing down on the brake pedal starts the braking process. The metal rod acts as a piston inside the master cylinder, compressing brake fluid to build up pressure inside the braking system. This pressure is transferred into the brake lines, forcing the brakes to move into action.

Behind each wheel is a caliper. Think of it as a big clamp that pushes the brake pads against the rotor, causing friction as it slows down your car. Your brake pads are under a lot of pressure as they slow and stop your vehicle over and over again each time you drive. Eventually, that process wears down. If you notice your pedal moves closer to the floor as you apply pressure, or smell a burning odor, it’s time to check your brakes.

Flush your brake fluid

Every time you press your brake pedal down, brake fluid is released and transferred from the master cylinder to the brake lines, into the calipers, and finally to the brake pads and rotors. Without brake fluid, this process wouldn’t work the way it does.

However, because brake fluid is an integral part of the braking process, it’s important for it to be in good working condition. Over time, it can start to break down. It can attract moisture, which is destructive to your braking system. It can cause corrosion to all metal components, as well as reduce how well the brakes work.

A brake flush is a process of removing brake fluid from the vehicle and replacing it with clean fluid. This removes all of the old fluid and adds new in its place. This will improve the performance of your car, as new fluid will come with a chemical structure that improves the way your braking system will work.

Bleed the brakes

While flushing the brake fluid through the brake line will add new fluid to your car, you should also bleed the brake lines to remove excess air. Over time, small amounts of air can be trapped, causing brakes to feel spongy when pressure is applied to the brake pedal.

As brake pads wear down, their composition can allow small amounts of air inside the braking system. It’s also possible for the brake lines to let in air. If you are an aggressive driver always slamming on the brakes, this can lead to air penetrating the brake lines.

Bleeding the brakes is the process of removing air from the brake line. This ensures the brakes are in good working condition and will work every time you press down on the brake pedal.

Upgrade as necessary

Over time, your brake system will continue to wear. Likewise, technology continues to increase the quality of brake parts, improving both performance and safety factors. This is a constant give and take process, one that should be adhered to on a regular schedule.

When you take the “wait and see” approach, you’re more likely to face expensive repair bills, have your car break down when you least expect it, and put you at more risk for accidents. Scheduling is the key to ensuring your vehicle always runs at its very best.

Become a better driver

One of the best ways to ensure your braking system is always in good condition is to pay more attention to how you drive. Brakes tend to fail more when you exceed what your vehicle is capable of. Things like:

• Carrying large or heavy loads
• Heavy braking
• Aggressive driving
• Driving in poor weather

Any of these can degrade your brakes to the point of having them fail on you when you least expect it. And that puts you and those around you at greater risk.

Your brakes are your safety net on the road. When in doubt, have them checked. It’s the best way to keep them in good working condition all year long. 

As you drive around the city, you have a lot on your mind. Your to-do list is in hand – stop by the dry cleaners, pick up groceries, grab a coffee to go. How much can you do between meetings, or before you have to pick the kids up from school? Your daily list goes on and on.

You probably don’t think much about your car. Yet eventually, your car won’t act “normal.” Something will seem a bit off. It’ll make a strange noise. It won’t handle the way it has in the past.

For some issues, it’s not a big deal. You can drive for a while with only minor inconvenience. But what about if you notice your car isn’t stopping like it once did?

Logically, if you want to give your car better braking ability, you assume it means installing new brakes. Your brake system is responsible for turning kinetic energy from your moving car into heat. If the brakes aren’t operating the way they should, that process won’t work the way it’s supposed to.

Can tires affect brakes?

But it’s more than the brake system that gives your car the ability to stop. Tires play their part too. The brakes may be the one part that give your car control and help you slow down, but without the tires, you wouldn’t have the quickness and stability that you do.

All of today’s passenger cars have anti-lock braking systems, also known as ABS. ABS prevents your wheels from locking up when you hard brake. This gives you control in emergency situations. Otherwise, when you pounce on the brakes and your front wheels lock up, you’d lose the ability to steer where you want to go.

If you’ve ever pressed down on your brake pedal with urgency, you’ll hear the ABS pump working. You’ll feel the ABS vibrating through the brake pedal as the system works to create the right amount of pressure to each wheel.

ABS tells the overall braking system that the wheel has stopped rotating, but the tire can’t keep up with the force. Your braking system is perfectly happy to keep applying pressure to stop the rotation of the wheel. But if your tires are capable of withstanding the pressure, more pressure serves no purpose. Your tires will be the problem in the process.

So, tires control braking instead of the brake system?

No, not exactly. The two go hand in hand. Your brakes would continue to work with or without tires in place. It’s the safety and ride that are impacted by tires. While the wheels, calipers, rotors, and brake pads all play their part in how your vehicle stops, tire grip also plays a role. No matter how good of a braking system you install in your car, the stopping power will only be as good as how the tires connect to the road.

Can bald tires affect braking?

One of the most dangerous things you can do is to drive on bald tires. According to the Crash causation Survey of the NHTSA, 9 percent of all crashes were based on tire-related issues. While bald tires aren’t the only thing attributed to increased risk factors, it is a significant characteristic that can increase the likelihood of an accident, especially when  you add in road conditions commonplace across the Front Range.

It’s the tires that keep you on the road. The amount of tread left on the tires plays an integral part in how well it grips the road. Even in the best of circumstances, the available traction is what keeps your car safe as pick up speed or stop. As conditions change, your risk factors quickly escalate.

Bald tires on dry roads are at an increased risk of a blowout. As the tread wears away, the tire’s structure also becomes thinner and more at risk. It makes it easier to puncture, and if the tire is filled with too much air, it’s at an increased risk for failure as you pick up speed.

When you add in wet road conditions, you also increase the risk of hydroplaning. The tread pattern in a tire helps channel away water. As the tread wears down, it can no longer move water away from the tire, creating tension between the road and the tire. Your stopping distance expands exponentially, as well as your chances of skidding out of control.

Now let’s add in snow and icy conditions, something that’s commonplace here in Denver. Without proper tread, you are essentially at the mercy of the icy road. You’ll slide along on the surface no matter what condition your brakes are in.

Of course, it’s not just ice and snow that can impact your car. The heat of the summer has its problems too. A tire’s tread actually works to prevent massive heat buildup as you move down the street. As temperatures climb towards triple digits in the summer, balding tires have no way to dissipate the heat of the air flow, cooling your tires. When tires overheat, they are at increased risk for blowouts.

Will my car ride better with new tires?

The obvious answer is: yes. When you install new tires onto your vehicle, you’ll have better performance from the moment you take it out onto the street. They’ll have more tread, more grip, and provide you with a smoother ride.

Of course, it ultimately depends on the problem you were trying to correct.

Tires affect the braking system, but the two are separate parts to your car. You can’t stop without quality tires in place. You can’t stop unless your braking system is working the way it should. The two have equal bearing on the safety and handling of your car.

If your vehicle isn’t stopping the way it should and you aren’t sure where the problem lies, the best place to start is with an inspection. We can look over your entire system and determine what’s preventing you from driving as your car is intended to perform. Together we can make your car a safer, more reliable tool to help you get through your busy days.