Brake Pad Wear (Is this normal)

[98 SNAKE EATER]

So 12k miles on the fronts? seems pretty low unless you do a ton of city driving maybe...

I could've went twice that if I let them go down to the wear sensors, but I wanted to change them out early cause I won't have access to my shop until January

I have been hard on them lately though as my work contract requires endless slow brake dragging going from vehicle to vehicle at the bus yard

 

[jeffro109]

That sounds more normal there 98SE, I was going to note that I get almost double that figure, but I do drive somewhat conservatively in the 80 in an attempt to eeek out MPGs. Carry on, I envy access to a lift

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Replaced the rear pads again at 389,400 (23,850)

Also decided to replace the original rear rotors even though they were still smooth as glass, but just looked way too thin

Dial calipers read 14.39mm (I think the minimum is 16mm lol)


Also fixed a rattle I've had for a few months now (sway bar bushings)

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Front pads again at 395,500 miles

Keep in mind I'm running 35's without calibration, so I'm actually putting on more miles than what is being accounted for.

Also repacked the wheel bearings, but it was a waste of time since the old grease was still fresh even after 65,xxx miles since the last re-pack

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/so-how-far-can-i-go-on-a-failing-birf.752462/

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, so with my new job here in NY, I don't have nearly as much shop access I as used to with our shop in Orlando

Our shop here on the Island is smaller and usually packed with work, so between my busy schedule and customer vehicles, I pretty much only get to work on my rig whenever it's convenient rather than when it's needed

Told my uncle about this thread and he thought I was crazy for using expensive OEM pads

He bet me lunch that just about any set of pads on the shelf will be just as good, if not better

I took him up on this and ordered up the cheapest organic pads I could find for both front and rear

Beck/Arnley at $14.99 per set shipped

Both sets still had a bit of meat left on them, but pads are cheaper than rotors and I didn't want to chance digging into them while waiting for another chance of getting on one of the lifts

This was actually a couple weeks back at 408,555 miles

19,155 miles on the rears

13,055 miles on the fronts


Anyways, after a couple weeks of driving on the el'cheapo pads, I can honestly say I can't tell a lick of difference between them and the OEM's

Pedal feel and stopping distance all seem the same and there's even less dusting on the wheels

Had a few panic stops and they seem to hold up fine

I'll post up the mileage results on the next change, but so far, it looks as though I'm buying the shop lunch

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, recently replaced the pads in front with another set of Beck/Arnley @ 415,450 miles (only 6895 miles)

Didn't last nearly as long as the OEM's and they dust up like a muthaF'r after a few thousand miles

Thing is, as cheap as they are and as easy as they are to replace, it seems worth it to just replace them at every oil change and tire rotation (which I do every 5k miles)