Why would your brakes pedal get really hard and the brakes lock up after driving 4 miles?
Any time a brake friction component comes into contact with a braking surface, heat is generated. If the shoe or pad generating that heat is not removed from contact with the drum or rotor for an adequate period of time between applications, heat is built up to an excessive level. This creates both a glaze upon the contact surfaces and a boiling condition of the fluid within the brake cylinder or caliper. This boiling increases the pressure exerted upon the braking surfaces further, leading to brake lockup; and, should the brakes be applied, the glazing which has occurred prevents normal friction action from slowing the vehicle as intended. This condition results in more pressure being applied to the service brake pedal in an effort to control the vehicle, which creates yet more heat, and more pressure inside the system. What is felt at the brake pedal is increased resistance due to these factors. This is the ‘hard pedal’ associated with the condition of ‘brake fade’. If a caliper is s
