Okuzeka
Automotive vocabulary · Brakes, Suspension, Steering and Tires

Brake

Meaning in automotive, with examples

/breɪk/nounCore term

In automotive, brake means: A device that slows or stops a vehicle by pressing a friction material against a rotating disc or drum. Most cars have hydraulic disc brakes at the front.

In Turkish: fren

How it is used

Usually plural when talking about the system: check the brakes, the brakes are squeaking. Common phrases are apply the brakes, brake pedal, brake fluid and parking brake. It is also a verb: brake hard, brake early.

Example sentences

  1. The brakes squeal at low speed, so I'll check the pads and discs.

  2. The driver braked hard, but the car still pulled to the left.

Common collocations

  • brake pedal
  • brake fluid
  • parking brake
  • apply the brakes
  • brake hard
  • brake padA steel plate with a layer of friction material that the caliper presses against the brake disc to slow the wheel. Pads wear down and must be replaced regularly.
  • brake discThe metal disc that turns with the wheel and is squeezed by the brake pads to slow the car. Its minimum thickness is usually stamped on the disc itself.
  • brake caliperThe housing with one or more hydraulic pistons that sits over the brake disc and squeezes the brake pads against it when the driver presses the pedal.
  • ABSShort for anti-lock braking system: it stops the wheels from locking under hard braking, so the driver can still steer. Wheel speed sensors tell the ABS unit when a wheel is about to lock.
  • bleedTo remove trapped air from a hydraulic or cooling system, for example the brake lines, by letting fluid flow out through a bleed screw until no bubbles remain.

More terms: Brakes, Suspension, Steering and Tires

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