Ten things you didn't know about brakes

Here are some things we bet many people don't know about brakes.  Did you?

1. Anti-lock brake systems were first developed for aircraft use in 1929. Automobile manufacturers didn’t officially adopt the technology until 1970 (as an optional add-on to Lincoln Continentals).
2. The brakes of a hybrid vehicle actually help charge the battery that powers the electric motor. Every time you step on the brakes, the energy that most cars waste is instead converted to electricity for the car to use later.
3. The power generated by the braking system of even a modest family car can exceed 500bhp (375kW), outstripping the engine output of virtually everything on the road. Take a loaded Quantum for example: decelerating from 80Km/h at 8m/s^2 uses over 410KW of power
4. Squealing brakes? That’s your brake pads telling you they need to be replaced. Most brake pads have built in metal tabs called ‘squealers’ that are designed to scrape the rotor when the brake pads are worn to minimum safety thickness.
5. Early braking systems consisted of nothing more than a block of wood and a lever system. When the driver wanted to stop, he had to pull a lever located next to him and make the wooden block bear against the wheel. While this worked perfectly fine for old-school steel-rimmed wheels, the technology had to be revamped when rubber tires came into play.
6. Brake fluid attracts water like magnets attract metal. Over time, the brake fluid absorbs water from the air, and all of the excess moisture gradually reduces its boiling point, increases its viscosity, and promotes rust and corrosion.
7. In race use, 400 to 600º C is common on smaller cars. In touring cars and larger race cars temperatures shoot up to 800 - 900º C where the discs will glow red or orange.
8. Car manufacturers are now developing autonomous braking systems, meaning the car can automatically apply the brakes in emergency situations. According to Thatcham Research, the UK’s motor insurers’ research centre, this technology is the biggest safety improvement since the seatbelt and could prevent 17,000 deaths and injuries every year if made compulsory.
9. Louis Renault is largely credited with the development of the modern day drum brake in 1902. A pioneer of the automobile industry, Renault went on to invent many other technologies that are still in use today, including hydraulic shock absorbers, turbocharged engines, and “direct drive,” the industry’s first gearbox..
10. The carbon ceramic discs in a McLaren P1 are coated in silicon carbide—one of the hardest materials on Earth. These specially designed discs can bring the car to a halt from 100 km/h (62 mph) in a distance of just 30.2 metres