Brakes are an essential part of any car, but they have their peripheral issues, such as grinding, squeaking, and groaning. Thankfully, General Motors is hard at work making brake noise a thing of the past.
Earlier this year, General Motors opened a state-of-the-art 14,000-square foot braking facility. The testing chambers can simulate underbody airflow and adjust in temperature and humidity within 15 minutes, and run 24 hours a day.
“If we do our job correctly, the customer won’t notice our work,” says GM performance engineer for brake noise development, Brent Lowe. “Watch any movie and you’ll hear brake squeal every time a car stops because Hollywood loves to add the brake squeaking sound effect, and nothing bugs me more. We work to make sure our brakes lead the industry in silence.”