# Toyota: A Poll

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 23, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155 "2010-02-23T19:51:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155/41 "2010-02-28T17:50:11Z")

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> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#):
>
> Brake effectiveness diminishes with heat. If you smoke the brakes you will find that they will not work at all, let alone on a car with a stuck throttle. This particular phenomenon is known as [brake fade](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fade).

Exactly, and smoked brakes can be detected afterward.

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**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155/42 "2010-02-28T17:54:06Z")

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> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> But it isn’t just brakes being applied at speed X for Y time, because the usual scenario for this computation is that acceleration is discontinued before the brakes are applied. There is additional strain on the brakes if the acceleration is continued at the same time.

Regardless of the usual scenario, in this case it happened on an off-ramp, which generally (but not always) is a relatively short distance. You stated that either the car would slow down OR the brakes would break or show damage. This seems to be removing the possibility that the brakes would merely show additional wear.

Given a short (assumed) distance, I don’t think you can rule out that possibility.

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**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155/43 "2010-02-28T19:01:44Z")

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> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Exactly, and smoked brakes can be detected afterward.

They can if you are looking there. But if your intent is to cover up so you have no liability, then you might have trouble finding the real cause. Do you honestly think these people all just decided to drive very fast and smash into things.? When the same cars have the same problem over and over, you get a clue or two.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toyota-a-poll/530155/44 "2010-02-28T19:17:17Z")

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I don’t see how the normal mats create a problem - we switched our factory mats out for much thicker ones specifically for winter conditions years ago, and have had no trouble with them when they’re in the proper position.

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