How Monsoon Affects Your Brake Performance (And What You Can Do)
Mumbai rains bring chai cravings, umbrella wars, and the familiar splash of potholes. But do you know what else they bring? Trouble with your brakes.
If your car’s brakes feel weirdly soft or take longer to stop during the monsoon, it’s not your imagination - it’s physics, moisture, and Mumbai’s famous road slush working together.
Your vehicle braking performance is affected when the roads are wet, are waterlogged, or when the humidity in the environment is high, which increases the probability of accidents. At MyFNG, we want our customers to be educated and make better choices. At MyFNG, we also believe in educating our friends and the community about “how to drive safer and better”.
This blog will discuss the effects of monsoons on your braking system, the indicators of potential brake issues, and the preventive strategies you can adopt to ensure your brakes perform well during the rainy season.
Why Braking Performance Declines During Monsoons
We all know that brakes are a safety feature (probably the most important safety feature on your vehicle). Unfortunately, in the monsoon, many environmental factors can affect brake performance as follows:
✅Moisture in your brake components: Rainwater or humidity can provide moisture to your brake rotor and/or brake pad, and therefore reduce friction or the response of the brakes. If you notice any squeaking or if the brake pedal feels sluggish, then there could be moisture in your brakes.
✅Tyre-brake coordination: Slippery wet surfaces can certainly lead to even 'good' brakes to fail. The tread grip of the tyres on a wet surface is decreased and the efficiency of the brakes with the road could also change.
✅Rust formation: The monsoon causes additional rust to form on brake discs and drums. Rust will also lead to an uneven surface which causes the brakes to oscillate, make noise, and the quality of braking power will decrease.
✅Contamination of brake fluid: Moisture could seep into the brake fluid reservoir, this occurs with what is called "brake fade", which means that your brake pedal does not feel responsive and your vehicle takes longer to stop.
7 signs your brakes require attention this monsoon
It is important to have regular car brake servicing, especially at the time of and before the monsoon. It is also important that you recognise these caution signs:
Do note when your brakes make a screeching or squealing sound when being applied
A grinding noise also indicates that your brake pads may be worn out
When the brake pedal feels slow or spongy and doesn't respond right away, get to the nearest MYFNG service centre soon
It could be dangerous when the vehicle pulls to one side under braking
Lastly, when you start to notice a burning smell, visit MYFNG!
How to Preserve Brake Performance for Monsoon
Not to worry - we’ve created this can-do guide to keep your car brakes up to wet and slippery road challenges:
✅Routine Brake Pad Inspection: It’s your brake pads that are your first line of defence. Be checking them for damage and wear on an even more regular basis in the monsoon. We recommend inspecting brake pads after 5,000 to 7,000km of travel, and potentially sooner if you are travelling on hilly or waterlogged
Search Engine Tip: Brake pads check in the monsoon has been searched for frequently and is possibly a topic worth considering for SEO.
✅Brake Disc Inspection: Bringing water and mud down off your muddy roads and splashes on top of your brake discs. Get your brake discs cleaned properly and checked for rust formation, specifically if your car hasn’t been used for a few days.
✅Check Your Tyres: The best brakes in the world would not mean much if your tyres are not working as they should be. Make sure your tyres are inflated properly and have a tread of at least 2.5mm. Having brakes and skidding! Wet shoes, steel wheels are not a fast, skilled combination.
✅Avoid Sudden Braking: Be prepared for rain when driving, and prepare to brake early. Braking could also cause sliding. You can downshift when you are engine breaking, so do so, particularly when descending or on slippery roads.
✅Drive Low on Wet Roads: This raises the engine revs so you'll have more control, particularly in manual cars. It also saves you from a sudden deceleration, which causes a grip to be lost.
Why You Need Monsoon-Based Brake Inspection
In the case of a monsoon brake inspection, the following would be checked, and not the ‘usual’ brake check:
- Brake leak(inside a lutt) in brake drum
- Brake pad thickness check
- Brake fluid condition check
- ABS sensor scan(especially important in modern cars)
- Cleaning and lubrication of brake components
At MyFNG, we provide personalised monsoon check-up packages that include the entire range of checks mentioned above and then some. We are partnered with many multi-brand workshops all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Palghar – so there’ll always be a good car service option near you, no matter where you live.
Here are ways in which MyFNG helps you stay monsoon-ready
MyFNG is proud to be your dedicated car care partner. We provide:
- Skilled mechanics with knowledge of diagnosing monsoon-related problems
- Authentic brake parts for all vehicle makes and models
- Transparent Pricing without surprise charges
- Pick-up and drop-off is available free of charge in select locations
Final Thoughts
Don’t wait for your brakes to fail to take action. The monsoon is lovely, but of course, it’s fickle. A bit of preventive work today may save you a good deal of pain (and money) later.
Because at MyFNG, we don’t just repair cars, we keep you and your family safe on the road.
Your safety is our priority!