The Scoop on Brakes

Recent changes in automobile and truck brake systems have left many drivers confused. Brake pad life has always been very driver dependant. Relaxed drivers would get 50,000 miles from a set of brake pads, regardless of what brand of car they drove. Hurried drivers would get 30,000 miles. (It took me several tries to come up with those polite terms!) Light weight imports might get 60,000 miles or more.

Another predictable aspect was the cost of the brake service. The first one or two brake services used to require brake pads only, and only on the third brake service would brake rotors or drums need to be replaced.

Those days are gone. Manufacturers have been putting attention on brake systems with several different objectives in mind. On a positive note, General Motors has significantly increased brake pad life on their pickup and SUV vehicles. Many 2002 and newer GM trucks are getting at least 80,000 miles to more than 120,000 miles on the initial set of brake pads.

Other manufacturers have pursued braking responsiveness. Most notable are Ford pick-ups and SUV’s. Ford has chosen to use softer brake pads and softer brake rotors. This improves pedal response with a light touch. Basically it makes a truck brake much more like a car. The trade-off has been in brake component life. It is not uncommon to see a Ford truck or SUV need brake pads and rotors on all four wheels at 40,000 miles. This comes as a shock to many drivers. We have had drivers tell us that they have never in their life needed to replace a rotor.

Ford is not the only manufacturer that seems to have shorter brake life. Toyota and Honda brake life is down from ten years ago, though not to the same degree. This likely comes from the fact that their models have become bigger and heavier in that time period.

Another factor affecting all manufacturers is fuel mileage. Manufacturers have been on a weight loss plan for many years. Lighter cars get better mileage. Even when manufacturers make a new model larger, they still look for weight savings. One of the areas where weight has been taken out is the brake rotor. The result is shorter life for the rotor. It has become much more common that a vehicle needs replacement rotors on the first brake service.

Typically front brakes wear out at twice the rate of rear brakes. This is because as a vehicle brakes, weight naturally transfers off of the rear wheels and onto the front wheels. If you think about this, you have felt it yourself. In a fast stop your body lurches forward. This natural transfer means that the front brakes do much more of the braking. Typical brake sharing is 65-70 percent front wheel and 30-35 percent rear wheel.

Interestingly an analysis of brake services performed in our shop exactly matches this. Of all brake services performed, 65 percent are front brake services and 35 percent are rear brakes. Also of interest is that half of front brake services require replacement brake rotors, while only one third of rear brake services require new rotors.

One consumer warning that I will pass along to you. We replace brake calipers in less than one percent of our brake services. The most common reason we see for replacing calipers is on vehicles that have severe under car rust. Vehicles that have been in northern climates or are driven off-road are the most typical cases. We have many customers with more than 150,000 miles with original brake calipers.

Brian Klaubert has written for the Neighborhood News for four years, and owns Christian Brothers Automotive – Hamilton Mill on Braselton Hwy in Dacula. They have been voted Best of Gwinnett in both the Gwinnett Daily Post and Gwinnett Magazine.