Brake pad longevity

jdTrader

jdTrader

Staff
Moderator
Car
2009 FX50S
Today I got an oil change and the dealership marked all 4 brakes as red needing to be changed. They did not remove the tires and I'm pretty sure to get a good look with the Akebonos you need to remove them (I remember Andy even had a hard time knowing for sure when checking). I'm not necessarily believing they are in the red because 5 months earlier the dealer had marked them in the green with 8/9 life (again probably just guessing). I didn't get a chance to see it on the lift today.

I have premium cross-drilled rotors from R1Concepts with Akebono ProACT Ultra Premium pads. These were installed new April 2013. I realize cross-drilled rotors will wear out pads faster, but is it even possible to be needing new pads slightly after 1 year of use?

I was probably around mileage 68,500 April 2013. Now I'm at 84,000.

So is 16,000 miles (14 months) reasonable to expect new pads on cross drilled rotors using these pads?
 
I found its hard to believe your pads are in the "red" zone given that little mileage. I have use cross drilled rotors on different cars and pads last much longer then 16K miles. The ProAct pads are good premium pads. A good evaluation will need to have the wheel off.

---------- Post added at 11:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:08 AM ----------

I got 54K miles out the pads on my current BBK with cross drilled rotors.
 
Thanks for confirming my suspicion and providing some idea of when I might expect to see it changed. I now suspect the tech probably saw it has 84k miles and didn't see pads changed yet and just marked it red especially since he didn't provide mm left.

Maybe in the Chicago September meet we can take a look at the pad situation in the front and rear. Until then I won't worry about it. Thanks Andy.
 
Just pop them off at your place Jonas, and have a quick look, it only takes a few minutes per wheel.
 
If it's just pads, just wait until you hear the metal tab screech against the rotor, you will know for sure the pads need replacing then. Once they screech, it won't mean you need to rush out immediately to change them, you just should do it soon, like within a few weeks. When the pads screech, they will still have a few millimeters, so it's still effective.
 
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