How To Brake
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How To Brake
I dont like braking, it slows me down 
However, if you really know how to brake well, you'll be able to make up time around a track.
There are three phases in braking. First, braking begins with a rapid, but not instant, application of as much braking force as possible. How rapid the brakes can be applied will depend on the the suspension in the car. The stiffer the springs and shocks, the more rapidly maximum braking can be applied. Soft springs will have significant forward roll which will require a little longer and smoother ramp-up of braking to keep the car stable.
Second, once the car settles onto the front tires, you'll be trying to minimize the length of the braking zone, so it will require taking the tires to the edge of locking up. You'll need to be very aware of the vibrations in your foot from the pedal and in your hands from the steering wheel to feel that small difference (therefore racing shoes are highly recommended. You just won't feel much from the pedals in Air Jordans). The car will travel some distance using a fairly constant brake pedal pressure.
The third phase is towards the end of the braking zone when the vehicle has been slowed to near its final speed. Gradually release pressure off the pedal making the transition from full to zero braking force as smooth as possible. During braking, the front tires are under heavy load which increases the available traction. A sudden release of the brakes will abruptly reduce the load and reduce the traction potential of the front tires which at this point is needed for turning into the corner.
The turn-in is one of the points where the car will be the most sensitive to sudden weight transfer transitions as though it were being driven on ice. Indecisive braking resulting in a last second extra tap, or a sudden release of the brake pedal will unsettle the car's handling and force the driver to slow down to gain control and hopefully avoid a spin.
I took that from a web site, but it's accurate.
What they dont really insist on is that the initial braking is very important. You have to step on the brake pedal as hard as possible without locking the wheels, or in the case of a stock US Evo 8, without triggering the ABS.
I'd like to suggest you gradually increase the force on the pedal time after time. I DONT mean brake easy in the beginning and then harder. I mean brake relatively hard the first time, straight away, then harder the second time you brake, and so on. Until you find the point where the ABS triggers. Keep your braking force just below ABS triggering or your braking distance will be longer.
If you gradually increase the force on the pedal while braking, you will heat up the system and the braking distance will be longer and you will experience brak fade after a few miles.
Summary
- Brake as HARD AS POSSIBLE without triggering the ABS
- release some force towards the end of the braking
- take some braking with you in the corner to increase front grip
However, if you really know how to brake well, you'll be able to make up time around a track.
There are three phases in braking. First, braking begins with a rapid, but not instant, application of as much braking force as possible. How rapid the brakes can be applied will depend on the the suspension in the car. The stiffer the springs and shocks, the more rapidly maximum braking can be applied. Soft springs will have significant forward roll which will require a little longer and smoother ramp-up of braking to keep the car stable.
Second, once the car settles onto the front tires, you'll be trying to minimize the length of the braking zone, so it will require taking the tires to the edge of locking up. You'll need to be very aware of the vibrations in your foot from the pedal and in your hands from the steering wheel to feel that small difference (therefore racing shoes are highly recommended. You just won't feel much from the pedals in Air Jordans). The car will travel some distance using a fairly constant brake pedal pressure.
The third phase is towards the end of the braking zone when the vehicle has been slowed to near its final speed. Gradually release pressure off the pedal making the transition from full to zero braking force as smooth as possible. During braking, the front tires are under heavy load which increases the available traction. A sudden release of the brakes will abruptly reduce the load and reduce the traction potential of the front tires which at this point is needed for turning into the corner.
The turn-in is one of the points where the car will be the most sensitive to sudden weight transfer transitions as though it were being driven on ice. Indecisive braking resulting in a last second extra tap, or a sudden release of the brake pedal will unsettle the car's handling and force the driver to slow down to gain control and hopefully avoid a spin.
I took that from a web site, but it's accurate.
What they dont really insist on is that the initial braking is very important. You have to step on the brake pedal as hard as possible without locking the wheels, or in the case of a stock US Evo 8, without triggering the ABS.
I'd like to suggest you gradually increase the force on the pedal time after time. I DONT mean brake easy in the beginning and then harder. I mean brake relatively hard the first time, straight away, then harder the second time you brake, and so on. Until you find the point where the ABS triggers. Keep your braking force just below ABS triggering or your braking distance will be longer.
If you gradually increase the force on the pedal while braking, you will heat up the system and the braking distance will be longer and you will experience brak fade after a few miles.
Summary
- Brake as HARD AS POSSIBLE without triggering the ABS
- release some force towards the end of the braking
- take some braking with you in the corner to increase front grip
Great post Claudius.
Additionally, in order to obtain the pedal feel necessary to modulate your braking pressure, the placement of both feet is critical. First, your left foot should be firmly braced on the dead pedal to prevent the forward transfer of your own body weight and subsequent unwanted increase of pedal pressure on your brake foot. (You obviously cannot leave your left foot on the dead pedal when engaging the clutch for downshifting. In those instances, a good harness or properly adjusted seatbelt will stabilize your body weight.)
Second, the heel of your brake foot should remain on the floor and pivot between accellerator and brake pedals. Lifting your foot off the floor when changing pedals is a gross muscle movement and prevents the smooth weight transfer described by Claudius as well as the fine pedal pressure adjustment required to achieve and maintain threshold braking levels.
Third, foot placement on the brake pedal should allow you to rapidly apply sufficient pressure through the ball of your foot and then make fine adjustments by increasing or decreasing pressure with just your big toe while maintaing the primary pedal pressure with the ball of your foot.
There are other braking techniques (heel/toe, trail braking, etc...)that deserve their own separate discussions.
Driving is about finesse and smooth transitions between braking, cornering, and accellerating. Through subtle exchanges between driver, chassis, and drivetrain you will develop the feeling of flowing through a circuit instead of attacking it. Smooth is fast.
Additionally, in order to obtain the pedal feel necessary to modulate your braking pressure, the placement of both feet is critical. First, your left foot should be firmly braced on the dead pedal to prevent the forward transfer of your own body weight and subsequent unwanted increase of pedal pressure on your brake foot. (You obviously cannot leave your left foot on the dead pedal when engaging the clutch for downshifting. In those instances, a good harness or properly adjusted seatbelt will stabilize your body weight.)
Second, the heel of your brake foot should remain on the floor and pivot between accellerator and brake pedals. Lifting your foot off the floor when changing pedals is a gross muscle movement and prevents the smooth weight transfer described by Claudius as well as the fine pedal pressure adjustment required to achieve and maintain threshold braking levels.
Third, foot placement on the brake pedal should allow you to rapidly apply sufficient pressure through the ball of your foot and then make fine adjustments by increasing or decreasing pressure with just your big toe while maintaing the primary pedal pressure with the ball of your foot.
There are other braking techniques (heel/toe, trail braking, etc...)that deserve their own separate discussions.
Driving is about finesse and smooth transitions between braking, cornering, and accellerating. Through subtle exchanges between driver, chassis, and drivetrain you will develop the feeling of flowing through a circuit instead of attacking it. Smooth is fast.
Last edited by jfh; Apr 6, 2003 at 08:30 AM.