Brake Life Question

I know, I know....

189,000 total miles

Rick

Even for very dusty or muddy conditions this sounds a bit much (you're not a "two-hoofer" are you?).

In the past I have used many brands including Raybestos and Wagner with good results. Most manufacturers have a cheapy, bargain line to attract the economy shopper.... stay away from these. A good metallic pad should offer good service life but remember that harder pads cost more and can wear the rotors more quickly. I still prefer the Motorcraft Premium pads..... they usually come with the necessaary hardware.

Other areas to consider.... rotor finish and thickness - rotors should have a non-directional finish and be very smooth (anything else is just a big rotary file) - they should also be thicker than minimum, the thicker the better. The rotor handles the same heat load (measured in BTUs) whether it is thin or thick..... ergo, thin rotors will reach a higher temperature more quickly since there isn't as much metal to handle the heat load.

Caliper and pad mounting.... pads should be tight enough to not rattle (causing a squeak later on) and caliper slides should be clean and lubricated with caliper slide grease (sorry, no part number but it is also a die-electric compound). Caliper pistons that are sticky in their bores can also be a problem.

Odd things that can cause grief include faulty brake hoses (GM had a rash of them on the pick ups around the early '90s) that can hold pressure on the caliper for too long - also, an improperly adjusted master cylinder pushrod can hold front brake pressure. Two or three years ago, I flushed the brakes on my (then fairly "new to me") '79 Yamaha..... the old fluid came out like molasses.....

Your driving style can do a lot, too. Lift off the throttle early and apply the brakes gently, designing the stop to keep the same gentle pressure on the pedal through the whole manoeuver. High pedal pressures equal high pad wear.

HTH.

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

I always had problems with the front brakes on my '92. Pad and rotor life were both short, pad life around 20K - 25K, rotors maybe 40K -

Thanks Jim and John for your responses.

"Two-hoofer" refers to riding the brake pedal while driving?

Primary driver is my wife, while she is cautious, I don't believe that she rides the brakes, or uses the brakes in any unusual way... But aftermarket mfrs have been supplying the hardware. I'll take your pad recommendations with me.

I'm suspecting that the rear shoes (replaced 28,000 ago) are not showing the wear like the fronts are. I imagine there is some sort of proportioning valve that divides the braking capability between front and rear. How is this checked for proper operation? I'm thinking that the fronts are being asked to perform the majority of the braking. This could lead to faster brake wear. No?

Rick

-- Computer recommends - Hard drinking calypso poet

If the rear brakes aren't working at all, we would expect to see premature front brake wear....... and, of course, there's always a "but".

Given the (roughly) 60/40 weight distribution having most of the weight (when empty) on the front wheels and having braking dynamics throwing even more weight forward. The front brakes need to do much more work than the rears...... expect 2 or even 3 front brake jobs for one rear brake job. The tires with the higher weight bias will have better traction than the tires carrying lower weight.... equalizing the braking forces between front and rear axles would have the rear wheels skidding long before maximum front braking force is achieved.

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

What you've explained is completely understandable. Thank you...

Question (No,they never stop coming ) - Wheels are off. Drivers side rotor looks great cannot see or feel any rivet damage, pads are thin, due to be replaced. Passenger side is another story... Some scoring on the outboard side, major scoring on the inboard sign. I'll be replacing this rotor with the pads.

To be honest, I always overlook re-greasing the caliper slide pins during wheel off inspections. Dr. Bob mentions this

I appreciate all the assistance you have supplied.

Keep grease in your fingernails!

Rick

Addendum : : Is this procedure a simple matter of pulling the pins, regreasing them and : reinstalling? Or should new pins be purchased each time? : FYI - This procedure seems to be covered in great detail at

pray4surf wrote: