Any possible damage suspension or brake wise...?

[R18Civic]

I took a last minute trip to Mammoth Cave, Ky over the weekend and almost died on my trip back.

I missed my turn for one of the main highways leading from southern Ky to Knoxville, and to my delight my GPS took me down a winding country road straight south across the boarder towards Nashville.

This road intersected with another major road shortly over the TN line. However the last 1/4 of this road was winding left and right, and behind a a sharp curve and a ridge was a stop sign.

Needless to say I didn't see the stop sign until I was a few seconds away doing about 60mph.

ABS activated, did nothing to slow the vehicle and I essentially came through the intersection sideways doing about 40mph and managed to whip her around a turn. Luckily for me and others there was no one coming either direction.

I definitely know I overheated the brakes, the smell was unmistakable.

Wondering if I should check anything other than my britches for damage.

 

[E150GT]

If you didn't notice anything bad while driving home you're probably ok. I once wasn't paying attention in my old crown vic with no ABS and came up a red light. I went through it wheels locked up and sideways. That was interesting. It was a little slick outside but everything was ok after that.

 

[R18Civic]

I got lucky. I could literally feel the brakes fade as soon as I got on em hard. I took the turn so fast the wheels briefly left the ground which saved my [censored], cause as soon as I touched down the tires acted like the suctioned to the road and allowed me go left instead of straight into the side of a rocky outcrop.

I was wondering because I could literally feel the tires and shocks move horizontally in the other direction of the body/cabin when I whipped it.

 

[Trav]

Nothing to worry about aside from the skid marks in your knickers as long as you didn't hit a curb or similar immovable object.

 

[d00df00d]

Holy smokes. The situation is one thing; the vehicle's behavior sounds scary. What kind of vehicle, pads, and tires?

Are you sure the brakes overheated and faded? I've never heard of that happening in one hard braking event. Brakes can smell when used hard, but that doesn't mean they've overheated. And I know some vehicles' brakes can feel faded when you get on them hard, when really that's just how they feel in that situation.

 

[RooflessVW]

Instant brake fade?

Change your brake fluid. It's toast.

 

[deanm11]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Instant brake fade?

Change your brake fluid. It's toast.


That is a good line of thinking! That's the thing with brake fluid.. you may be able say "I've been fine with the original brake fluid on my 20-yr old car..." which is true for normal driving.. but when you really need the brakes.. The boiling point of the fluid decreases as the fluid inevitably gets moisture in it over time.

 

[eljefino]

What you consider brake fade may have been ABS behavior working itself out. Some pedals slowly sink, like 90's GM trucks.

 

[IndyIan]

You should try some autocross. Then you can get a feel for what your car is capable of, and get some good practice for turning with the ABS and stability control doing their thing. Then you can turn stability control off and have some real fun!
Also modern cars don't damage anything in the suspension when sliding around even with far stickier tires than most people run on the street.

 

[555]

If you saw what automotive engineers put cars through during testing you would know your car is fine. Could do the same maneuver 100 times over.
Instant brake fade? Thy name is fox-body Mustang.

 

[R18Civic]

Thinking about what eljefino said, it most likely was ABS because the brakes work fine now. I probably would've benefited from the wheels locking up though.

 

[AntsinmyEyes]

maybe its time for some nice, sticky new tires.

 

[MCompact]

If the maneuver you described was capable of damaging your car's suspension or brakes I would have to say that your car was terribly under-engineered.

 

[E150GT]

Originally Posted By: deanm11
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Instant brake fade?

Change your brake fluid. It's toast.


That is a good line of thinking! That's the thing with brake fluid.. you may be able say "I've been fine with the original brake fluid on my 20-yr old car..." which is true for normal driving.. but when you really need the brakes.. The boiling point of the fluid decreases as the fluid inevitably gets moisture in it over time.


I used to think I was ok with any old brake fluid in my car being old and original until it rusted out my brake lines from the inside out and ruptured while I was using the truck. Now I am a brake fluid freak. I must have new brake fluid every two years. I am also now the same with battery connections. I am paranoid about corrosion. I've seen what it does.

 

[AlaskaMike]

Not to sound harsh, but I think instead of worrying about your suspension and brakes you need to be extremely thankful you didn't wipe out some family in a minivan. Your description makes it sound like it was pure luck that you didn't kill someone.

I like taking twisty, windy roads with a little extra speed just like the next guy, but sailing sideways through an intersection at 40 mph is more than a little excessive.

Just sayin...

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: Hemispheres
Thinking about what eljefino said, it most likely was ABS because the brakes work fine now. I probably would've benefited from the wheels locking up though.


I think you would have benefited from paying attention. Locking up leaves you no steering ability.

Glad no one was hurt, we all have had driving moments and inattention.

 

[Jetronic]

and, which deserves emphasis, no directional stability either. So the car or truck can point in whatever direction while you can't do anything about it, and it will not be going where it's pointing....

 

[Cujet]

I suspect your brake pads were heated beyond the point of being effective. Hence your brake fade. Quite often, people drive slowly, and never tax the brake pads. And the ["glue"] the binders that hold the pad together never outgassed. Some time later, when coming down a long hill and riding the brakes, (or some spirited driving) they fade into uselessness. Surprising the driver with their ineffectiveness.

The claim that modern brake pads don't need "bedding in" is absurd. Anybody who takes a typical modern car on the race track for the first time, without taking time bedding in the pads, experiences this sudden fade. Once they are properly heat cycled, they perform normally and will generally continue to work, even when very hot.