What is the term for the condition in which braking force diminishes due to brake parts heating up, requiring more force on the pedal?
- Brake slip
- Brake weakness
- Brake drain
- Brake fade ✓
Answer: D. Brake fade
The term is brake fade: braking effectiveness drops as brake parts heat up, so you need more pedal force.
Why this is the answer
The handbook describes brake fade as the loss of braking effectiveness that happens when brake components heat up. In that state you have to push the pedal harder to get the same braking force. It can be mild on some vehicles, and in extreme cases, such as a long downhill run at excessive speed or an overloaded vehicle, it can become severe enough that you cannot slow or stop. That matches the term brake fade, not any other label.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Brake slip — Brake slip is not the term used for heat-related loss of braking force; the handbook ties heat and reduced braking force to brake fade.
- B. Brake weakness — Brake weakness is not the term in the handbook; reduced braking ability from high brake temperatures is called brake fade.
- C. Brake drain — Brake drain is not mentioned; the handbook's term for fading braking ability caused by high brake temperatures is brake fade.
Remember it
When brakes get hot, their grip fades away—think heat makes the braking fade.