Riding the brakes down a mountain grade cooks them. The pedal that goes soft halfway down is preventable.
Heat is the enemy; gears are the answer
Brakes convert speed to heat, and a long descent can push rotors past what pads and fluid tolerate — the pedal goes long, then soft, then frightening. The technique: downshift and let the engine hold the speed, braking firmly and briefly instead of dragging them continuously. Old brake fluid makes fade dramatically worse, which is one more argument for that flush.
Quick tips
- Firm, short brake applications cool better than constant dragging
- Smell hot brakes at the bottom? Stop and let them cool before the next grade
- Towing or a loaded car multiplies brake heat — leave triple the distance
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