The pulsing sensation when driving your car refers to the vibration you feel when you press down on the brakes. This vibrating or shuddering sensation can come from either the steering wheel of the car, or it the seats. The main cause for brake pulsation is the excessive use of the brakes.
For this reason, most people that come across this problem are ones that have either been driving in heavy traffic for too long, or may also be pressing down on the brakes when driving down a steep slope. Overtime, the excessive use of the brakes cause your tire rotors to warp, which ultimately exceeds the problem of brake pulsation. Nonetheless, warped rotors are not the only cause of rotor stress which leads to pulsation.
Weak Suspension
If you have weak shocks or struts, then your vehicle is going to handle much differently. When you step on the brake, they will want to dip. If they dip too far, it will divert the amount of pressure from one brake to the other. This could also cause braking issues overall. If you have weak suspension, then your braking is going to go from a short distance to a much longer distance. This is due to the fact that the suspension is not performing like it should.
You should also not stop at simply checking the struts for pulsation control. You also want to make sure that the rest of your front suspensions are good as well. If you have a tire out and it is loose, then that tire is going to move awkwardly. This may give you the impression of a pulsation, but in reality it will be a completely different issue.
Driving Habits and Pulsing Brakes
Jamming the brakes once you come across an exit can put a lot of pressure on the outwards brakes. This causes the brakes to heat up and cause pulsation overtime. On the other hand, driving across the city can also lead to this pulsation problem. This is especially true if you are the type of person that likes to race to each stop sign.
This is because you are likely going to be putting plenty of pressure on the brakes and cause a lot of heat. If you are doing plenty of city traffic driving, it is best to equip your car with a drilled and slotted rotor. This works well when you are trying to dissipate heat and reduce the chances of warping your rotors.
To sum it up, a brake pulsation is more than likely going to come due to overheating the brake rotors. Sometimes the pulsation could also be because the brake rotor’s surfaces are being rusted or pitted due to the fact that the calipers are not functioning as they should. Generally speaking, the pulsation will come due to shortcomings in the rotor surface.