Brake questions - Front pads wearing MUCH faster than back pads
08-17-2003, 07:30 AM
#1
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Brake questions - Front pads wearing MUCH faster than back pads
I do understand that this is normal for Audis and most cars, but heres the scoop with mine:
I replaced the front pads at 67K miles, 2.5 years ago. At the time the back brakes were fine - I don't have any service records of them being replaced before (doesn't mean that they weren't).
I just turned 122K miles, I've been keeping an eye on the pads, and the fronts are definately due to be replaced anytime now. However, the backs have a considerable amount of wear left!
shouldn't ALL of the pads be ready to be replaced after 55K miles (and who knows how many more miles than that on the backs!)??
My intentions are to replace pads and rotors within the month, with Mintex pads and stock rotors, but I was wondering, if there is something wrong with my brake lines, or the back brakes??
I'm a n00b when it comes to brakes so any info you guys have will help.
Thanks!
I replaced the front pads at 67K miles, 2.5 years ago. At the time the back brakes were fine - I don't have any service records of them being replaced before (doesn't mean that they weren't).
I just turned 122K miles, I've been keeping an eye on the pads, and the fronts are definately due to be replaced anytime now. However, the backs have a considerable amount of wear left!
shouldn't ALL of the pads be ready to be replaced after 55K miles (and who knows how many more miles than that on the backs!)??
My intentions are to replace pads and rotors within the month, with Mintex pads and stock rotors, but I was wondering, if there is something wrong with my brake lines, or the back brakes??
I'm a n00b when it comes to brakes so any info you guys have will help.
Thanks!
08-17-2003, 07:50 AM
#2
Front do 70% of the braking, so...........
The rears should outlast the fronts pads by quite a bit!
Sounds like you have on the front, a set of them "Fast-wearing-Dealership" pads? ;O)
How are you on brakes? Use them considerably?
Panic stopping all the time? Or use them sparingly?
My wifes 1988 Audi 90, has the same rear pads in for over 8 years, and they look hardly worn.
Your choice in pads and their compounds will also determine how long they last.
Sounds like you have on the front, a set of them "Fast-wearing-Dealership" pads? ;O)
How are you on brakes? Use them considerably?
Panic stopping all the time? Or use them sparingly?
My wifes 1988 Audi 90, has the same rear pads in for over 8 years, and they look hardly worn.
Your choice in pads and their compounds will also determine how long they last.
08-17-2003, 09:09 AM
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Agree with MikTip
I think MikTip meant that the rear pads will outlast the FRONT pads by quite a bit. ;-P
A good example of brake wear is the brake dust you see on your wheels. You'll see MUCH more brake dust build-up on your front tires versus your rears. That's because the fronts work harder and wear faster since they do 70-75% of the work. (Hence why the rotors are larger in front versus rear.)
Now if you want to get the rears to wear a bit faster, you could drive in reverse all the time and panic stop! ;-P (OK, I'm just a wisea$$ this morning...)
Bob K.
A good example of brake wear is the brake dust you see on your wheels. You'll see MUCH more brake dust build-up on your front tires versus your rears. That's because the fronts work harder and wear faster since they do 70-75% of the work. (Hence why the rotors are larger in front versus rear.)
Now if you want to get the rears to wear a bit faster, you could drive in reverse all the time and panic stop! ;-P (OK, I'm just a wisea$$ this morning...)
Bob K.
08-17-2003, 09:35 AM
#4
acutally by driving in reverse all the time the fronts will still do 70-75% of the stopping...
that's all handled by the ABS biasing/proportioning. Conversely if you drive either direction with the emergency brake pulled up a notch or two that'll allow the rear pads to catch up and even surpass the front pad wear. I frequently do this when on my local roadcourse to to dial in a little more rear bias on all my cars... not enough to engage the rear brakes but enough to take up some of the travel before they engage and get a firmer/higher pedal, especially when the rears are worn. Ya can't get away with it on new rear pads however so don't even think it.
Ten years is not an uncommon rear pad life on our cars with grocery-getter/soccer mom driving habits.
Ten years is not an uncommon rear pad life on our cars with grocery-getter/soccer mom driving habits.
08-17-2003, 10:04 AM
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I am hard on the brakes..I won't deny that
I don't panic brake, but I apply the brakes liberally when stopping. I drive on 95 during busy traffic times, and I live in the city...so its not uncommon for the ABS to engage once a week or so.
And you guessed it - soft dealer pads last time! Thats why I want to go for Mintex this time, front and back, on new rotors. Any other recommendations for pads?
And you guessed it - soft dealer pads last time! Thats why I want to go for Mintex this time, front and back, on new rotors. Any other recommendations for pads?
08-17-2003, 10:06 AM
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Yeah I knew that the fronts pretty much carry the load
hence, bigger rotors, more dust, etc.
I just thought that the backs would take more wear than they have.
Tempted to go cheap and get front pads now, but I'd like to get it done right, pads and rotors all around. We'll see how my next paycheck looks I guess.
I just thought that the backs would take more wear than they have.
Tempted to go cheap and get front pads now, but I'd like to get it done right, pads and rotors all around. We'll see how my next paycheck looks I guess.
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08-17-2003, 10:46 AM
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Ha ha! UrS4's right (as usual!) :-)
You're absolutely right!
Just as an aside... don't try the parking brake maneuver on a Saab. For some strange reason known only to God and the engineers at Saab, the parking brake works on the FRONT brakes on those cars! I love the quote from 'Car and Driver' when trying to do ice maneuvers in a Saab: "If you're experiencing oversteerin the Saab, your either an expert rally car driver or you're having an accident..." :-P
Bob K.
Just as an aside... don't try the parking brake maneuver on a Saab. For some strange reason known only to God and the engineers at Saab, the parking brake works on the FRONT brakes on those cars! I love the quote from 'Car and Driver' when trying to do ice maneuvers in a Saab: "If you're experiencing oversteerin the Saab, your either an expert rally car driver or you're having an accident..." :-P
Bob K.
08-18-2003, 09:21 AM
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SAAB brakes
I just got rid of my '83 SAAB 900 (still running, gave to my brother!). On the "classic" 900, the handbrake is indeed on the FRONT brakes, but only up to the 1988 models, when they introduced ABS brakes and probably bought a more widely-used setup. As mentioned above, the fronts do the large majority of the braking, so it makes perfect sense to have the EMERGENCY brake up front where it can be most effective. You can't lock up the rear brakes, no fishtailing.
The only downside is that the cables have to flex a bit more (I never had any probs with them), the front calipers are a bit more complex (other cars have more complex rear calipers), and you can't make "bootlegger" U-turns!
The only downside is that the cables have to flex a bit more (I never had any probs with them), the front calipers are a bit more complex (other cars have more complex rear calipers), and you can't make "bootlegger" U-turns!