Is there a way to balance brake fade vs too powerful braking?
i always seem to end up with either a fair amount of brake fade or brakes so powerful it’s throwing up warning messages?
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To a point, this is logic. You have to have oversized brakes to avoid brake fading.
A bit of brake fade isn’t an issue in most applications. It’s only on very high performance cars or track cars that you might want to limit it as much as possible.
Also bear in mind that yellow warnings are not sth that you have to avoid - in most cars few yellow ones are ok. It’s the red ones that you should always fight.
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Another thing. You are simply NOT going to be able to get brake force up to grip levels without some very harsh pads (if at all) before about 1975 and that is perfectly okay. IRL, old cars do not stop well. They just don’t. And they’re notorious for brake fade because disks didn’t get common until the 1970s.
Point is, old cars are going to make you uncomfortable about the numbers but a lot of times it doesn’t matter because that is just the way things were. I have a classic myself that has four point drum brakes and… well it stops but if you have to descend a long grade or panic stop, you are in for an experience and pretty screwed, respectively.
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Put her in a low gear, and if it gets really bad, put her in a low gear and turn the engine off.
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Maybe not so much “turn the engine off”. My dad did that on purpose with his car many years ago. Started it again, had no muffler left. Sure, he was driving on a suburban road at the time…
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Oh, it’s definitely a last resort option, to be sure. I’m just saying if engine braking is still about to put you in to a tree or over a cliff, you can do it to boost the amount of braking the engine will do.
Yes because no power steering is exactly what I want when the car is going out of control, perfect idea what could possibly go wrong
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…You do realize the power steering pump continues to turn so long as the engine does, right? Just cause you turn the ignition off while it’s in gear doesn’t mean the engine instantly locks up.
You’ll also lose braking assistance, steering assistance (provided your car has those), and you might lock the Neiman.
Do not turn an engine off while on the road
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First off, Im not saying the engine immediately stops turning when you turn the ignition off. Either way, the effectiveness of your power steering is reduced, which surprise, is something you dont want to happen to you on a road, let alone when you lose control of your brakes.
The idea of turning your engine off to slow down your car is by far one of the dumbest things I’ve heard today
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Your power steering effectiveness would sharp drop if you did it in a panic and the steering lock kicked on. 
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Had to do it on my Sierra one time (Accidentally busted a line going over a rock) and somehow managed to not lose vacuum assist and had sufficient steering on an iron block V8 to steer. Apparently it must have been complete magic, from what I’m reading.
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Or just the situation and vehicle you were in. Can go both ways presented here. Having watched a car with electric power steering lose it’s engine and then total steering assist, can understand how that might be a bad idea for some.
Can we jump back on topic now please guys?
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