When I was on my way to work this morning, I overheard a piece of a conversation on the topic of brake boosting. Since this was something I had never heard of before, I became interested in learning what it meant. So, I did some research on my own time later in the day to find out what brake boosting is.
What is brake boosting? Brake boosting is the concept of rolling a car while keeping the foot on the gas and slightly pushing on the brake pedal at the same time. Brake boosting allows the car to maintain a consistent speed until it takes off with a boost in power. The brake boosting technique is usually used for roll racing among other things.
Brake boosting is an interesting concept that seems to be very popular among the car enthusiast community, especially those who race their cars on the street. If you are just as curious as I was to learn more about this subject, keep reading to find out everything you need to know about brake boosting from point A to point Z.
A Brake Booster is different from Brake Boosting.
What Is Brake Boosting?
Brake boosting is a popular concept within the world of cars and racing. The meaning of the term is almost exactly what it sounds like, as well.
It Is essentially the process of using the brakes in order to gain a boost in the speed of the car.
In this section, we will be answering the direct question of what brake boosting is. Take a look at the list below for a general explanation on the topic.
Brake Boosting:
- Using brake pedal and gas pedal at the same time
- Maintaining a rolling speed
Brake boosting, as previously mentioned, is the process of using the brakes to get a speed advantage. In order to brake boost, you would need to apply pressure to both he brake pedal and gas pedal at the same time.
In doing this, the car would be able to maintain a steady rolling speed, with your foot down on the gas and slightly holding down the brake with the other foot.
This technique, however, is not to be confused with the concept of left foot braking, which will be described in more detail throughout the rest of this article.
So, why would a driver need to use the brake boosting technique, or in other words, what is the purpose of these actions? The information in the next section will answer both of these questions.
What Is The Purpose Of Brake Boosting?
Now that you have a basic understanding of what brake boosting is, it is also important to know what the purpose of this technique is. In the list down below, you will find a brief outline that explains some of the reasoning behind brake boosting.
Purpose Of Brake Boosting:
- To increase the speed of a vehicle
- Usually used for racing
- Getting a head start while driving
First of all, brake boosting is used to increase the speed of a vehicle. As previously mentioned, the driver will push on both the accelerator and brake to keep a consistent speed, before receiving a large boost in speed when they fully accelerate.
This technique is most commonly used for street racing or roll racing in cars, and will be executed in order to get a head start against all opponents. If three cars are racing each other, the driver that brake boosts is sure to get ahead, and the competition might not even be aware that it is happening until they are left in the dust.
As a result, this is one of the most major reasons why brake boosting is done. However, despite all of these motives, is brake boosting actually safe?
Is Brake Boosting Dangerous?
While on the topic of brake boosting, especially being that it is a technique that is commonly used for street racing, you might be wondering whether or not this is a dangerous activity to participate in.
Just like any kind of street racing in general, brake boosting is not recommended on busy roads and has a high potential of becoming dangerous in many circumstances. While it is true that this is not the safest thing that you can do, there are some safety tips that you can follow for the best results should you decide to try it out yourself.
Brake Boosting Safety Tips:
- Don’t brake boost in heavily populated areas
- Practice before you do it in public
- Perfect your skills on a race track
First and foremost, you should never brake boost in heavily populated areas. This includes public roads and freeways with lots of traffic and pedestrians around.
As a general rule, you should practice your technique on your own before you go out and do it in public. The last thing that you would want to do is lose control of your vehicle while you are in an area where you have the potential to run into someone or something.
A great place to practice your brake boosting technique would be at a race track, where you will have tons of open space to perfect your movements, with no other cars around.
Brake Boosting Vs Left Foot Braking
As mentioned in the earlier sections, brake boosting can often get confused with another racing technique known as left foot braking. While it is true that these two concepts have similar characteristics, they are very fundamentally different.
In this section, we will be going over a comparison between brake boosting and left foot braking. Take a look at the list below to find some of the main points that make them similar and different.
Brake Boosting:
- Using the gas and brake at the same time
- Keeping a consistent speed
- Preparing for a boost in speed and power after
Left Foot Braking:
- Using the gas and brake at the same time
- Intended for slowing down the vehicle
- Will eventually stop
As you can see, both of these concepts include the process of using the gas and the brake at the same time. However, they each will present very different results after this action has been completed.
To be more specific, brake boosting consists of using both pedals at the same time in efforts to prepare for a boost in speed and power. While the beginning of this process will involve consistent and smooth speeds, the driver will ultimately be going after a jump on the speedometer.
Left foot braking, on the other hand, is a technique that is used to slow down the vehicle instead of boosting its speed. A driver who is using left foot braking while driving will be intending on slowing down or stopping, which will happen inevitably.
All in all, brake boosting and left foot braking are very similar in theory and process, only one of them will boost the engine and speed of the car afterward while the other will stop it.
Can Brake Boosting Damage Your Car?
After establishing what brake boosting is, why it is done, and how it can be dangerous, the only thing left to cover is the damage that it might inflict on the vehicle. The list below will display the possible negatives to this kind of activity when it comes to the quality of your car.
Brake Boosting Damage:
- Wear and tear to braking system
- Can cause smoking/fire
Since brake boosting involves the brakes, it is pretty self explanatory that it can damage them as well. More specifically, you can potentially experience smoking from your car’s braking system, and even fire in some extreme cases if you are not careful.