What to do if your brakes fail?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Erik the Awful

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
7,606
Reaction score
15,505
Location
Choctaw, OK
I saw that and he recommends using the harness. I want to discourage using a harness without a HANS device. That's what killed Dale Sr. You can live with a smashed face.
Basilar skull fractures aren't common in cars going less than racing speeds, but if you're racing, absolutely invest in a HNR, and get it recertified every five years (mine comes due again in October 2023).

hence why I avoid most "car related" channels on YouTube as they are just assclowns chasing fame with ignorance as their powerplant.
+1 There are very few YT channels I like, and Uncle Tony's one of them. I'm glad he called these guys out. That wreck was nasty, and it was completely preventable. The 'Tuber obviously didn't consult with his lawyer before he posted that video.

Factory 3-points have more stretch than an FIA certified 4+ harness system.
It's a show car. What do you think the chances are that the harnesses are FIA or SFI certified? There's also an absolute crapload of counterfeit belts out there. Note to any of you building race trucks - only buy your safety equipment from a vendor you trust! Most of the stuff on eBay is counterfeit.

I saw the UT's video yesterday, and I left a comment about having my Caddy motor run away on me. My first instinct was to shut the engine off. It's the single force that's making you go faster, and if the controls aren't working, remove that force FIRST.
 

454cid

Sooper Pooper
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
8,002
Reaction score
8,884
Location
The 26th State
+1 There are very few YT channels I like, and Uncle Tony's one of them. I'm glad he called these guys out. That wreck was nasty, and it was completely preventable. The 'Tuber obviously didn't consult with his lawyer before he posted that video.

I didn't watch that video, I'll have to go back to watch it now.
 

someotherguy

I'm Awesome
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Messages
9,789
Reaction score
14,143
Location
Houston TX
I saw the UT's video yesterday, and I left a comment about having my Caddy motor run away on me. My first instinct was to shut the engine off. It's the single force that's making you go faster, and if the controls aren't working, remove that force FIRST.
I can't even bring myself to watch the video. I'm allergic to stupid; I already deal with tons of it each night at work.

The very, and I mean very first thought I had when I read the caption was, why didn't they just turn it off? I saw people commenting about this scenario or that scenario, and I don't know about them, but I've personally been in a stuck throttle situation and I reached for the key. I also have had a separate incident of total brake failure (blown hose on a single-reservoir setup) and no hand brake (seized mechanism) and my immediate reaction was to reach for the key. Obviously a little trickier to get that vehicle stopped but downshifting and then bouncing it off a curb got it done. Conveniently, the curb I bounced it off was outside the auto parts store..

Richard
 

0xDEADBEEF

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
May 3, 2021
Messages
2,476
Reaction score
6,093
Location
127.0.0.1
It's a show car. What do you think the chances are that the harnesses are FIA or SFI certified? There's also an absolute crapload of counterfeit belts out there. Note to any of you building race trucks - only buy your safety equipment from a vendor you trust! Most of the stuff on eBay is counterfeit.

They are RJS belts which claim to be SFI 16.1 certified.

I don't think the forces are equivalent to what a factory 3 point will yield, but I don't have data. It's my intuition, so I could be wrong. I would encourage anyone thinking about running a 4 pt on the street to do some research.
 

FLJoe

Newbie
Joined
Nov 27, 2019
Messages
40
Reaction score
94
Location
Florida
I've had a stuck throttle in the past and a few instances of brake pedal to the floor. Stuck throttle was the easiest to deal with. The moment I realized it was stuck I killed the engine. Then I could just brake normally and stop safely. One time in a manual transmission car I had the master cylinder fail. I had a good handbrake, so I just drove the rest of the way home (about 50 miles) using engine braking and the handbrake. Once in my Tahoe I had a front brake line fail. The parking brake is strong enough in that to pretty easily stop the truck at any reasonable speed. I never felt unsafe.
 

E-gads

Newbie
Joined
Jun 16, 2021
Messages
19
Reaction score
41
Location
Oregon
I watched the bottom video but not the UTG. Or I didn't make it past the Glass houses part. I would have liked the "good news" that was at the end of the video, would have been about how the person(s) in the minivan were doing better. They are the victims here. Being rear ended at 40+ MPH like that can seriously wreck your body.

Like others have said, turn off the dang car. I don't like to Monday morning quarter back but the guy panicked. Had he just shut the car off he would have at least bled off some speed.

I completely lost my brakes one night on my way home in my Yukon. A broken line was the culprit. Between using first gear, lots of following distance, going slow and coasting, I was able to get back to my shop without incident. I didn't have a stuck throttle though. Huge difference.
 

GrimsterGMC

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2021
Messages
1,147
Reaction score
3,721
Location
New Zealand
I noticed that he put it in park and going by the grinding noise it made the park pawl couldn't engage at that speed at just kept clicking past. In the worst case scenario, that this turned into, he could have selected reverse and at the comparatively low speed he was traveling would have just locked the back wheels up. The thing that really stood out is that while he was riding the brakes to keep the speed down he was still giving it bootfulls of throttle for the cameras so he basically put his 15 minutes of fame ahead of commonsense and safety. I really hope the other driver was okay as this was totally avoidable.
 

454cid

Sooper Pooper
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
8,002
Reaction score
8,884
Location
The 26th State
I noticed that he put it in park and going by the grinding noise it made the park pawl couldn't engage at that speed at just kept clicking past.

Oh yeah, I didn't realize that until Uncle Tony's video. Park was just stupid. He was going several times the speed Park would actually catch. I don't recall why, by I've had Park skip in my short driveway. It sounds like a big ratchet.
 
Top