Does the clunking sound during emergency braking damage the car?
2 Answers
Emergency braking followed by a clunking sound is the effect of ABS activation and does not harm the car. How ABS works: The clunking sound during emergency braking is most likely caused by the activation of ABS. The working process of ABS is actually a cycle of locking-releasing-locking-releasing, keeping the vehicle in a state of near-lock intermittent rolling. Therefore, when you slam on the brakes and trigger ABS, it produces a clunking sound, which is normal. In this situation, you should press the brake pedal firmly all the way. The principle of ABS: The principle of ABS is that during braking, based on the speed signals from each wheel speed sensor, ABS quickly determines if a wheel is locking up. It then closes the normally open input solenoid valve for the wheel that is starting to lock, maintaining the braking force. If the wheel continues to lock, it opens the normally closed output solenoid valve, preventing the wheel from fully locking due to excessive braking force.
This is the third time I've been rear-ended this month. The pedal kicking back during emergency braking was really scary! But Old Wang from the repair shop said it's the ABS anti-lock braking system at work, and it's actually good that the wheels don't completely lock up. Last time when I changed the brake pads, he specifically demonstrated it to me - that rattling sound like a machine gun is actually the hydraulic pump doing rapid pulse braking. However, Old Wang warned that if the brake discs make metal scraping noises, they need replacement. Normal ABS pulsation won't damage the car, but frequent emergency braking wears out brake pads quickly. Once after emergency braking in the rain, when I went for inspection, the mechanic said the brake discs were hot enough to fry an egg!
