Brakes on the Descents of Phuket

Why this is a real subject in Phuket

The island is hilly, and almost every trip between beaches crosses a pass. Patong to Kathu, Patong to Karon, the road to Kamala, the drops into the southern bays: the gradients are genuine, the bends are tight, and the descents are long enough to heat the brakes to an uncomfortable point.

Rental cars cross these passes every day and many times over, and their brake systems are on average in poorer condition than a private car's. Pads are worn, fluid is old, and the temperature margin on such a car is smaller.

Who runs into it most

People used to flat cities. A long descent is rare at home, and the reflex is a single one: hold the pedal. On a pass that reflex turns into a soft pedal and a smell in the cabin within a couple of kilometres, and after that comes real fear.

The second common case is a full car. Five people and luggage add mass, and on the same gradient the brakes are asked to do noticeably more work.

What it means for the car

In an automatic you move the selector into manual mode or into the position that limits the gears before the descent begins. The car starts holding itself on the engine, the revs rise and the speed steadies itself. After that the pedal is needed only for short applications before the bends.

With a manual gearbox it is the same thing, only more honest: second or third depending on the gradient, and you go down on the engine. Neutral on a descent is the most dangerous habit of all, because the car accelerates freely and only the brakes can stop it.

If the brakes have already overheated, with the smell, the long pedal and weaker deceleration, you have to stop. Not reach the bottom, but pull into a lay by and let the system cool. Pads cool quickly, ten minutes or so, and then you carry on normally.

What not to do when they overheat

Do not pour water over the discs. Cooling glowing metal suddenly warps it, and after that you have a pulsing pedal at every stop and a conversation with the rental company about repairs.

Bikes get no easier a time. A scooter's brakes are weaker, and the weight of rider and passenger works against them on a drop. A scooter barely engine brakes at all, so on the passes it is ridden slowly, with short applications of each brake in turn.

The descent, step by step

The order is simple and works on any car and on any pass on the island. The point is to decide before the descent starts, not halfway down when the pedal has already gone soft.

At the summit, while the road is still level, select the low gear and let the car settle into it. Then judge your speed by whether the engine is holding it: if it is not, you are a gear too high.

Through the bends brake in short firm applications on the straight parts and release before turning in. Continuous light pressure is precisely what overheats the pads while doing very little to control the car.

Checking before you set off

Brakes are tested in the first few metres from the car park, with one short application on an empty street. The pedal should be firm and consistent. If it sinks or the car pulls to one side, go back to the rental company and change the car, rather than discussing it in a chat halfway up a hill.

The island's passes by difficulty

The best known is the road between Patong and Kathu, the one leading towards the town and the airport. The gradient is long, the bends are many, the traffic is heavy, and this is where rented scooters come to grief most often.

The Patong to Karon road is shorter but steeper, with a couple of places where an oncoming coach pushes you towards the wall. The drop south into the bays is gentler, though the surface there is worse in places and holds water after rain.

The road to Kamala and further north runs along the coastal hills: a sequence of climbs and drops, none of them long. Brakes do not overheat here, but your arms tire, because the wheel never stops turning.

The inland roads between the plantations are the quiet exception. The gradients there are mild, and for a driver still learning the island they are the sensible way to cross from one coast to the other.

If the passes worry you

That is a normal reaction and it passes after two or three crossings. Take the first one in the morning, in a quiet hour, without passengers to distract you with conversation.

A detour exists too: from the west coast to the south and into town you can use the inland roads, where the gradients are noticeably gentler. It is longer in kilometres and calmer in feel.

If the passes are a permanent part of your route, take a car with a proper engine rather than the smallest one available. An overloaded small car screams on the climb and gives you less engine braking on the way down.

Fully loaded is the case to plan for rather than the empty car you test drove. Add the passengers, the luggage and the air conditioning, and the same hill becomes a different piece of road.

Tell us where you are staying and where you expect to drive, and we will match the car to the gradients. Write on WhatsApp with your dates and the number of passengers, or Telegram if you prefer, and mention if the passes make you uneasy.