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Brake Pads

M

MrBill

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Joined
Feb 4, 2002
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2,342
Location
Buffalo NY
Ok

HOW long do the front break pads last, MILES ?

I know this will get a lot of comments, but serious, what do you expect.

Yes I have a reason for asking, I will share later.






 
Not sure really depends on the driver. My Av has over 19K miles and the brakes are still good. The only problem with mine is that they squeak when stopping. It is not the same squeak when they are worn. I think I glazed mine when I was pulling a trailer and had to make a hard stop. I hope to get at least 35-40K miles on mine. I think on my last chevy truck I got about 35K miles before I had to change the front pads. The rear went to about 80K miles before I changed them. This was on my 96 Z71, so the rears were drums.

 
I only got 24K out of my brake pads on my Chevrolet S-10 :C: and I was very dissapointed. That's another story.

My Pontiac Montana performed much better going 42K miles.

I'll be happy if I get 30K out of them. American car makers are not known for providing quality rotors or pads that offer long life. I'm already steeling myself to have to replace rotors when the time comes and I will probably go whole hog with cross drilled units. Figure if I lay down the $$$ on that first brake job they'll be the last set of rotors I worry about.

I have 14K on mine and I have a little bit of squeal up front - nothing really annoying and it isn't brake worn out squeal it is glazed pads or rotor squeal.
 
I don't think I have ever had front brake pads last longer than 20k miles on any vehicle I have owned :cautious: I also have the annoying little squeal(4400 miles) sometimes it's there, sometimes its not, but I can usually miake it go away by letting up on the brakes and then re-applying them.

I will go with crossdrilled rotors for the AV when the time comes just like I did for my Trans AM. (y)
 
IT will vary by driver and location >:D

I expect 50K or more...but I do a lot of highway miles where brakes are not used that much....
 
I probably will beat most on this. I just put my second set of pads and rotors on my 90 k1500 2 days ago and have never replaced the back brakes. The pickup has 185000 miles on it. My cj5 on the other hand uses lots of brakes wheel bearings and throw out bearings. I have got to stay off of those wet river beds >:D
 
Durwin said:
Hmmm.
Cross-drilled rotors and Performance Friction brake pads on a 3/4 ton chassis. ;D
Now THAT's SEXY! :cool:
Durwin
Click to expand...
Hey, if folks can spend $$$$'s on audio, why not brakes - us big [3/4 ton] guys want to be sexy and be able to stop. ;D
 
gandolphxx said:
Hey, if folks can spend $$$$'s on audio, why not brakes - us big [3/4 ton] guys want to be sexy and be able to stop. ;D
Click to expand...

Tell me where to buy em for my 1500 AV and im on the way to get em. I think a brake upgrade is a must...especially if you tow as often as I do!!
 
Just traded in a 95 Tahoe with 40k. Still had 2/3rds of the pads left. Brake pad wear is totally dependent on the driver. If you know your going to have to stop get out of the gas and slow down well ahead of time. Don't wait until the last minute.
 
Yet another opinion for what it's worth . . .

Pads are cheap - and easy to install on a Saturday morning. Rotors are expensive and a bit harder to do yourself on a 4x4.

So . . take care of your rotors - don't run the pads down past the noisemakers, and keep service station idiots with impact wrenches away from the lug nuts! If you don't warp 'em and don't abuse them my experience says that rotors should last 'forever'. As for pads, as has been said, "your mileage may vary", but who cares - again, they're cheap.
 
I know (and like) EBC from the motorcycle side of me.

They make the 6000 series for the Av, among other applications
ebc_6000.jpg


I will be slapping these on at next tire rotation.
 
Wiki said:
Tell me where to buy em for my 1500 AV and im on the way to get em. ?I think a brake upgrade is a must...especially if you tow as often as I do!!
Click to expand...
Give me a few days, am in consultation with one of our vendors to offer a better solution for the inevitible first change out. ;D
 
I have a 99 GMC 4x4 , new model not classic, this vehicle has 4 wheel disc brakes. I have been checking my brakes since about 20,000 miles and have not needed to change them yet. I now have 95500 miles on my truck. Need brakes soon , but not worn out. Looking to sell it for an AV. The new GMC brake pads are very good.

Gabe
 
I called EBC Brakes trying to buy front/rear sets but couldnt find the part #'s!!! Does anyonehave them or can anyone help me find them?


-Rob
 
;D I have over 34K on my AV born on 9/01. My brakes have no noise and my Av stops as good as the first day I drove away from the dealer. I drive well over 100 miles a day all highway mileage in NJ.
 
NYCBlue (copper?) Tirerack.com shows an Av application on the EBC pads I posted earlier, but curiously only for the front - these guys are good on the phone though, perhaps a little chat could straighten it out. I too would like to know about the rears and the application.
 
When I had to upgrade to Baer/Alcon brakes on my WhippleCharged '96 Tahoe, I quickly found out that the PF Pads were VERY expensive (about $200 a set) and very abrasive, destroying my beautiful slotted and drilled rotors in about 40K but the pads themselves only lasted about 20K...of course I drive around SFO and in the mountains of Idaho.....


I can already tell that I'll be needing regular (25K I'm guessing) pads, given my wear at 15K....So please let's get a good source for these...
Thanks,
JM
 
Got the EBC 6000's and new set of Raybestos rotors for the front. They are just barely broken-in but kick ass. I like the zero dust and smoother operation. I would recommend these pads to anyone. I would also advise changing the rotors with the pads, which keep our already loust brakes performing their best.

The squeaks you guys are hearing could be from a glazed over or like mine were, cracked pads.

-Rob
 
Had mine checked today at 25,600 km or 16,000 miles. Dealer said 90% left both front and back. Not too shabby.

Buddy has a 97 Suburban and he changed the brakes every 25000 km or 16000 miles!!!

 
Ladies and gents, This is a totaly new vehicle for most people. The four wheel disk brakes work much better than the combination of disk and drum. Even though the old system (disk and drum) work well, the automatic adjuster on the drum brakes never really worked well enough to keep up with the stopping power of the disk. thus front brakes woreout faster than the rear unless properly adjusted frequently. Therefore the average person (non heavy towing) should get anywhere from 35 to 45 K miles from the brakes on this truck. By the way The antilock break system works very well in this truck, mainly due to the four wheel disk system.
 
MrBill said:
Yes I have a reason for asking, I will share later.
Click to expand...

Well inquiring minds want to know why you ask.... ;D
 
Front brakes tend to wear faster because the majority of braking occurs at the front wheel, due to weight transfer. Weight transfer is also the reason the rear end will slide first (back in the days prior to anti-lock systems) because it locks-up as the rear load is shifted forward.
 
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