Test the brakes at different speeds with light pedal pressure
and with heavy pedal pressure. Avoid locking the wheels. Avoid sliding the
tires on the roadway. Locked wheels and sliding tires do not show brake
efficiency. A locked wheel and a sliding tire reduce the tire friction on
the roadway.
Test the brakes on a dry, clean, reasonably smooth and level roadway.
You cannot accurately test brake performance without these conditions. The
tires will not grip the roadway equally if the roadway is wet or greasy
or covered with loose dirt. A crowned roadway causes the weight of the vehicle
to shift toward one side. The wheels bounce on a rough roadway.
The following conditions also affect brake performance:
| • | Tires with unequal contact and unequal grip on the road will cause
unequal braking. |
| - | The tires must be equally inflated. |
| - | The tread pattern of the right-hand tire and the left-hand tire
must be almost equal. |
| • | When the vehicle is loaded unequally, the most heavily loaded
wheels require more braking power than the other wheels. |
| • | Loose front wheel bearings may cause the following: |
| - | Spotty contact with the brake linings |
| • | The brakes will pull the vehicle to one side if the front suspension
is not aligned correctly. This will be very noticeable if the caster and the
camber are not within specifications. |
