What were they thinking? Why did they do it that way? As an automotive technician you service many makes and models of vehicles. They may be different models and brands from the same year, or the same make and model from different years.

What motivated the engineers at the automakers and the brake manufacturers to pick the particular combination of components and technology on the vehicle? Disc brake or drum brake? Vented rotor or solid rotor? Twin-piston or single-piston caliper? Drum in hat parking brake or integrated caliper?

How did they pick the size of the parts? What prevented them from making them bigger? What kind of tests did the parts and the vehicle have to endure to be judged ready for the market? These are all questions that go into the design of the brake system for the vehicle. These decisions are the responsibility of the brake system engineer.

This role can exist in either the engineering department of the auto company or at the brake system supplier. Brake system suppliers will also sometimes be referred to as "foundation brake suppliers." This is just insider jargon for the braking components used for normal braking, such as calipers, rotors, boosters and master cylinders. Most of these suppliers also make a wide range of chassis control systems as well.

Some vehicle manufacturers source the entire brake system as a complete package and some make these decisions themselves and then shop fo...