Braking Over Bumps

I guess because your wheel is in direct contact all shocks are transmitted to the drum; thus your drum could bend. But i don't bother with this technique........

I think one issue is that under hard braking the front suspension is already pretty compressed so it can't handle bumps and holes as well. So if you see a large hole a little late and need to brake hard, it's good to release the brakes just before hitting the obstacle. It quickly becomes natural.

In over 35 years and almost 3 million miles of driving, I cannot recall ever having had to brake while going over a pothole or a railway crossing -- mainly because when such hazards were present, I was usually going slow enough to avoid them (potholes, speed bumps, etc.), or in the case of railway crossings, I, like most good drivers, slow down to a speed which would not require me to brake to avoid hitting another vehicle in front of me just on the other side. It would seem that your overall driving technique needs some adjustment.

As far as what possible damage could be done to the brakes or suspension when braking while transversing a severe bump, I'd assume that the car is designed to withstand a certain amount of that abuse, but in extreme situations, a certain amount of damage is possible.

Larry, if that reply was directed at me... then I can tell you that over here it has little to do with how you drive but everything to do with how crappy the roads are. I've seen quite a few 4" bumps/drops that covered the entire width of a twisting road where you can't see far ahead. Imagine you're driving at night and you'll see why sometimes it's unavoidable to brake a bit hard.

Larry, if that reply was directed at me... then I can tell you that over here it has little to do with how you drive but everything to do with how crappy the roads are. I've seen quite a few 4" bumps/drops that covered the entire width of a twisting road where you can't see far ahead. Imagine you're driving at night and you'll see why sometimes it's unavoidable to brake a bit hard.

He used to give me hard time for purchasing corolla S.

But seriously, it is simple, just basic law of physics:

If you drive over a bump without braking, the tire will roll over the bump and produce vertical force which your springs and struts are designed to take (you will feel the bump though).

If you brake hard and lock your wheel, the tire will not roll over the bump but colide with it producing a horizontal stress, something suspension is not designet to take in excess, thus tearing the suspension.

With ABS, it will not happen though.

Larry said, "In over 35 years and almost 3 million miles of driving, I cannot recall ever having had to brake while going over a pothole or a railway crossing . . ."

Doing the math on 3 million miles in 35 years, that works out to 85,714 miles a year, or 235 miles per day, every day. At a high *average* speed of 55, that's 4.27 hours a day. I don't drive anywhere near that much but I have definitely done hard driving, and run into bad patches where you have no chance of anticipating bumps (and more bumps).

Heading up to Northen California, we were getting off the freeway by taking picturesque farm roads and using a large scale map to navigate. The map indicated this one road was supposed to be blacktop but had been bulldozed down to a rough surface for some darned reason (ecological?). We ended up bouncing along for a several miles, hoping it would get better, wondering if we should go back but figuring we had gone pretty far already. Every road that size on the map was asphalt and it had to get better soon. But it didn't. Long story short, there are parts of the country where roads suck and maps lie. Sometimes people lie, too.

OK, I've recalculated. The "3 million" guess was totally bogus. Based on the mileage I recall putting on each of the cars I've owned, and including all the professional driving I've done in the military and in civilian life, including my second last job in which I drove over 480,000 miles in 3 years, I come up with around 1.275 million miles, and that should not be off by more than a couple of tens of kilomiles. Sound better?

I will also allow that I may have had the brakes applied while going over some bumpy obstacles in the road, not occasionally, but just as much as any other driver. However, I've never suffered any damage as a result, and I attribute this to good, safe driving at speeds appropriate to the road and weather conditions. Pardon my previously posted preposterous palaber, posted in place of precise prognostications. In the future, I shall eschew obfuscation and attempt to confuse myself more accurately.

It's been a long day.

Sounds like you definitely have earned your stripes on the road and appreciate the recalibration and desire for accuracy. I definitely agree with the sentiment that a heapin' helpin' of common sense can save equipment and maybe more. Almost always, looking out that clear glass area at the front of the vehicle and keeping speed comensurate with road surface is going to keep you from breaking stuff. Still, when you put in enough time on the road, you discover that weird stuff happens and sometime you just get lucky.

I drove through West Virginia on curvy mountain freeways in a '71 Pinto and got to Kentucky where my wheel literally broke off backing out at 2 mph in a parking lot on the same day. I shudder to think what would have happened had that ball joint let go on a curve at 65.

I guess we all have stories like that, and guys who weren't so lucky aren't around to curse their bad luck. Another time I hit a long 2 by 10 board just lying in the freeway outside Phoenix -- barely time to see it, no time to react, just grit your teeth and run over the d*amn thing. That opened my eyes because it could have been absolutely anything. As good as you get and as hard as you try to stay sharp, you still have to be lucky. Hard to accept for me, but you just have to be somewhat lucky.

In over 35 years and almost 3 million miles of driving, I cannot recall ever having had to brake while going over a pothole or a railway crossing -- mainly because when such hazards were present, I was usually going slow enough to avoid them (potholes, speed bumps, etc.), or in the case of railway crossings, I, like most good drivers, slow down to a speed which would not require me to brake to avoid hitting another vehicle in front of me just on the other side. It would seem that your overall driving technique needs some adjustment.

As far as what possible damage could be done to the brakes or suspension when braking while transversing a severe bump, I'd assume that the car is designed to withstand a certain amount of that abuse, but in extreme situations, a certain amount of damage is possible.

Somehow I doubt that Wilt would drive a Corolla. He would be better off in a Crown Vickie. More leg room. And the back seat could be used for a multitude of purposes, including the 2.5 women per day.