Anyone know, ballpark, how long brake pads last?
06-03-2018, 02:45 PM
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Anyone know, ballpark, how long brake pads last?
I'm going to be removing calipers and pads to apply anti-squeal paste. Can't take the squealing anymore. My car (an S), has 47K and the pads were last done by the PO at 28K. Is 20K around the typical service life of these? And does anyone have a thickness spec for S rotors?
06-03-2018, 07:29 PM
#3
My PCCB pads were replaced after 16,000 km. With about 10 track days.
06-03-2018, 08:06 PM
#4
+1
If you track OEM pads you might kill them in three days. 20000 miles sounds pretty good.
Rotor thickness specs are minus 2 mm from the starting thickness. 34mm on front 991.2 32mm on front 991.1 S's.
If you cant feel an edge or lip on the rotor from pad wear, you are probably good.
Only with tracking do you usually wear out the rotor ( using track pads which scrape more).
If you track OEM pads you might kill them in three days. 20000 miles sounds pretty good.
Rotor thickness specs are minus 2 mm from the starting thickness. 34mm on front 991.2 32mm on front 991.1 S's.
If you cant feel an edge or lip on the rotor from pad wear, you are probably good.
Only with tracking do you usually wear out the rotor ( using track pads which scrape more).
06-04-2018, 12:11 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
I guess I drive more then I stop.
82K and still have good pads and ok rotors.
PDK auto downshifts when driving sportingly must help my brake life.
82K and still have good pads and ok rotors.
PDK auto downshifts when driving sportingly must help my brake life.
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06-04-2018, 01:29 AM
#8
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Targa 4S here. I don’t track it but I’m a spirited driver.
i changed my pads at 25k and left the rotors on.
now at nearly 45k I’m doing pads and rotors both. Not because I need to, but because they are thin enough now that they squeal and it irks me.
ProTip: get your own parts from Suncoast as a brake job is a huuuuuuugely uncharged item at the stealership.
i changed my pads at 25k and left the rotors on.
now at nearly 45k I’m doing pads and rotors both. Not because I need to, but because they are thin enough now that they squeal and it irks me.
ProTip: get your own parts from Suncoast as a brake job is a huuuuuuugely uncharged item at the stealership.
06-04-2018, 01:36 AM
#9
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06-04-2018, 07:58 AM
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My 981 front pads and rotors both had to be replaced at 29k miles. Big lip on the rotors. I'm at 39k on it now and pads are at 50% in the front already. It is just a weekend car so it gets driven for fun with a fair amount of hard braking. All street driving.
My 911 has 10k miles on it. Haven't checked yet.
My 911 has 10k miles on it. Haven't checked yet.
06-04-2018, 08:29 AM
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Brake Squeal is caused by ultra-high-speed vibrations of the brake pad reacting to the rotor pressure. Stop the vibrations and you stop the squeal. Now, chasing down those errant vibes may not be as easy as it sounds. Sometimes the anti-squeal past works, most the time in my experience it does not. The most common cause of that vibration is glazing of the rotors where materials have transferred to the rotor surface and are causing high speed oscillation when the face of the brake pad touches it. That's why putting paste on the back of the pads (or replacing the pads) often doesn't work - the build up is still on the rotor. The best way to chase this down if really bothersome is to either replace the rotors or have them put on a brake lathe and turned. All depends on how much rotor thickness will be left afterwards if you can turn them - and of course brand new pads for a fresh mating surface.
One of the budget things you can try if you don't want to spend the money on rotor work is to take some Emery Cloth and hand-sand the rotors. This is not as difficult as it seems and doesn't require that much hand-sanding. I've had some success with this method mostly on motorcycle rotors but it will work on automobile ones as well. For the super-cheap method (that works only once in a great while) find a parking lot or deserted road that's wide open and drive in reverse the car to as high a speed as you can get it to, then do hard, repeated stops in reverse. Get in half a dozen hard stops and this will sometimes help.
Track pads (which you don't have) always squeal when cold because they are designed to fit in the caliper when heated up and the metal expanded - they have more tolerance that will always vibrate in street driving and when cold.
Only other tip I have is to replace your pads (and rotors) before the message on the dash pops up. You save yourself the cost of the sensor wire that way.
One of the budget things you can try if you don't want to spend the money on rotor work is to take some Emery Cloth and hand-sand the rotors. This is not as difficult as it seems and doesn't require that much hand-sanding. I've had some success with this method mostly on motorcycle rotors but it will work on automobile ones as well. For the super-cheap method (that works only once in a great while) find a parking lot or deserted road that's wide open and drive in reverse the car to as high a speed as you can get it to, then do hard, repeated stops in reverse. Get in half a dozen hard stops and this will sometimes help.
Track pads (which you don't have) always squeal when cold because they are designed to fit in the caliper when heated up and the metal expanded - they have more tolerance that will always vibrate in street driving and when cold.
Only other tip I have is to replace your pads (and rotors) before the message on the dash pops up. You save yourself the cost of the sensor wire that way.
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06-04-2018, 08:36 AM
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maschinetheist (01-31-2024)
06-04-2018, 04:31 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Brake Squeal is caused by ultra-high-speed vibrations of the brake pad reacting to the rotor pressure. Stop the vibrations and you stop the squeal. Now, chasing down those errant vibes may not be as easy as it sounds. Sometimes the anti-squeal past works, most the time in my experience it does not. The most common cause of that vibration is glazing of the rotors where materials have transferred to the rotor surface and are causing high speed oscillation when the face of the brake pad touches it.
One of the budget things you can try if you don't want to spend the money on rotor work is to take some Emery Cloth and hand-sand the rotors.
One of the budget things you can try if you don't want to spend the money on rotor work is to take some Emery Cloth and hand-sand the rotors.
06-05-2018, 09:53 AM
#15
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Correct. Almost no city stop-and-go.
Country twisty roads and interstate. One track day and numerous spirited runs with some car clubs.
Sitting in some drivers meeting at various track where I mostly was a passenger the "how to brake" lesson is one piece of information I came away with to pretty much use every day.
You do your braking in a very short distance while the car is straight and then leave up on the peddle to allow the brakes to cool while coming to a stop or continuing through a turn.
I normally get some great miles out of my brakes.... 00 S4 over 100K before changing.....and I would have gotten some good miles out of my 08 Audi RS4 brakes but at about 60K the dam rivets holding the front pads together ground grooves into the rotors.