btillfan1948 Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just want to get some idea of when to expect to renew my brake pads on my 08 LGT. I have about 38,000 miles on mine now. So when have you guys changed your pads for the first time? Give me some feedback please . Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rice_rocket Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Lol.. 30K service I changed mine.. didn't make noise, but it was long enough for me. Unless you plan on replacing your rotors at the same time, I agree with sigmafour, just go change them tomorrow. If you don't care.. I'd buy an entire set, and the second you hear it screeching you change everything right away. Seen way too many people try to cheap out and run them to the end... only to be lazy, and end up frying their rotors and calipers at the same time. $100 job just went up to $1,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee07 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Depends on how you brake and if you are in stop and go traffic everyday I'm not stuck in traffic, so I hardly use my brakes, only when exiting off the freeway and 2 more times to/from work/home. So I only use my brakes 6 times a day No average miles for brake pads as that depends on how you brake, how often you brake and the material of the pad Some people might only last 6-12 months while someone else might have theirs last 5-6 years like me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnJack Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I have over 50K miles on mine and they still have about another 10-15K left on them. I drive a mix of highway (70%) and city (30%). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too sigmafour Posted September 4, 2012 I Donated Too Share Posted September 4, 2012 Changing your brakes should not a question of economy, it's one of safety. As you can already see from the other answers it depends how much you use your brakes but at your mileage you should be looking at your pads at proper service intervals and making a proper determination rather than asking what the average is of every other car user as a decision making point. You might be moments away from disaster! Brakes are not expensive and they aren't hard to do. Just get some new ones have have some peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 FWIW - My stock pads lasted a long time, which included a ton of stop and go traffic in SoCal, towing and mountain driving (with and without trailer), before I replaced them with HKS+es. The stockers still had a lot of life left on them. That said, mine's a MT, so I rev-match and engine brake before actual brake braking. I inspect them at every tire 5K tire rotation and when they get down to 20%, I replace the whole set, front and rear. Like everything else, YMMV. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Keep it to the topic at hand - trolling not necessary - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waxiboy Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 If I say mine lasted 50K miles, will you wait another 12K miles more to change yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I drive freeway and suburban, very little city, engine brake on steeper hills, and am generally easy on the brakes. 140K miles on the original pads and due for new ones inside of 5,000 miles. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pako Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 41k miles of stop and go daily driving the last 5 years. Car doesn't pull or squeak while breaking so my guess is they are still good. I haven't check them, but all this talk about them, I might need to take a peak. They are still stopping me for what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too sigmafour Posted September 5, 2012 I Donated Too Share Posted September 5, 2012 check your brakes! It's such a silly easy job to do... even giving them an eyeball takes no time and you never know what you might find. Once you go too far you wreck the other components. I do not understand why anyone would be proud to see how many miles they can squeeze out of such an important but otherwise inexpensive part. Once the pads get thin they do not brake like they are new, they do not cool as quickly so get hotter and all sorts of things can happen that you can just avoid by keeping a set of brakes in tip top condition all day every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTPpilot Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I would say 45k on the fronts and 90k on the rears would be an average number for someone who does mostly highway commuting, but yes, check them everytime you rotate your tires just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pako Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 check your brakes! It's such a silly easy job to do... even giving them an eyeball takes no time and you never know what you might find. Once you go too far you wreck the other components. I do not understand why anyone would be proud to see how many miles they can squeeze out of such an important but otherwise inexpensive part. Once the pads get thin they do not brake like they are new, they do not cool as quickly so get hotter and all sorts of things can happen that you can just avoid by keeping a set of brakes in tip top condition all day every day. Are Subaru's different from other car manufacturers? Not trying to be smart, but every time I step on the brake I am testing it. As long as it doesn't pull and doesn't squeal and slows the car when I press the brake pedal down, aren't my pads still in good working order? Do the pads themselves have wear indication nicks like tire tread to tell me when they should be changed? Other than observing normal stopping characteristics, what do you look for to check for whether or not the pads need replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 OEM pads, and some AM pads, do have 'down-to-min' tabs that squeal when your pads reach a certain thickness. IMO, by that point, it's too late because the pad is really so thin, that a series of hard-braking events in succession, could literally strip any remaining pad surface off the backing plate, and then you have nothing with which to apply brake force. As pads wear, brake fluid goes down in the master cylinder to compensate for the increased piston extension required to keep the now thinner pads in proximity to the rotor surface. So if you're just adding fluid, without checking pads, you're likely reaching end of service life on the pads and they should be changed. Sometimes a caliper piston (inner or outer, top or bottom on multi-piston brakes) will hang and keep a pad pressed against the rotor, causing undue pad wear on just one pad on that side of the car, and with other road noises, or simple, routine braking, you may not even be aware. Then, when you critically need your brakes, this situation can compromise braking force on that side, either because the pad is so worn that it can't grip, or because the piston is seized in that position and can't press the remaining pad against the rotor. Either way, your brakes won't be there. Both of the situations above happen, because we just drive the vehicles, and do the minimal things required to keep them operating, put gas in them, check the air in the tires, check the fluids. If you have your vehicle serviced, i.e., oil/filter changes, other services, have the brakes checked for proper wear and operation. If you are a DIYer, then check your brakes when you do your other maintenance/service and as a minimum at the prescribed maintenance intervals. As I mentioned, I check everything about my brakes every 5K miles minimum at tire rotations, and beyond that, inspect them every time I lift the vehicle to work on it. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pako Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 So, to check if I have failing brakes before squeal tabs or if I have AM pads I can check the following: -Needing to add brake fluid could be a sign. -Checking the mechanical integrity of the caliper. Not sure how to verify this one, but I'll do some checking.... How about irregular wear on the rotors? Guess I need to do some other checking on brake maintenance and early failure detection. I guess at the cost of pads, a guy could feel pretty safe swapping them out every 30k miles or so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Taking out and replacing the pads, is a 20 min per/side drill. And while you have the pads out, check the piston dust seals for correct seating and any tears, caliper slider bolts are free and move easily, that slider bellow seals seat correctly and are untorn, and that the pistons themselves compress easily and correctly back into their bores. Yes - Brake fluid consumption can indicate a leak in the system, accelerated pad consumption from heavy braking action, or stuck caliper piston(s). Yes - irregular wear on the rotors can be a sign of pads that are down to the backing plate and are grinding away on the rotor surface, that something is between the pad and the rotor surface, digging into the rotor, or that caliper is seized and pushing one part of the pad irregularly against the rotor. All worth checking if you have any of these symptoms. Changing at 30K would certainly be good preventative maintenance, but making sure you take the time to check the rest of the system at the same time, is equally important. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pako Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 ^ Thank you! That sounds like a solid inspection of the brake system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 It's worked for hundreds of thousands of miles - more than a million and a half over the years. Don't compromise on safety. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btillfan1948 Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 A very special thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I installed Hawk HKS front and rear. I had 40,000 miles on my brakes and upon inspection of the pads I discovered there was still about 1/4" left on all the pads. I'm guessing I could have squeezed another 10 or 15,000 miles out of them based on my driving style. Thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Just want to get some idea of when to expect to renew my brake pads on my 08 LGT. I have about 38,000 miles on mine now. So when have you guys changed your pads for the first time? Give me some feedback please . Thanks. Having been doing brakes on subies for 10+ years in the ny/Nj area, on average front pads last 30-40k miles, rotors last 50-60k, rears last about double. -Mike Paisan http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/145749898/original.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg http://www.whiteline.com.au/images/logos/perf1.jpg 11+ Years Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Subaru Enthusiasts. Call directly as We carry almost every manufacturer now, so before you buy parts call us. Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Jobber |AIM: AZP Installs "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Just pulled my pads off and the fronts have ~4.5 mm left. Since everything is off, I'm going to replace them regardless, but at what point do you guys replace them? 1.5 mm is the wear limit according to the service manual. I'm just over 73K, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unobtainium Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Just did mine at 116k. 3mm left on both front and rear. I don't do all that much stop and go, more like cruising on secondary roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdG35killer Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 How many mm do stock pads start with? How many miles is 1mm equivalent to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 11 mm front / 9 mm rear How many miles 1 mm will last depends on your driving style. If I had known that there was 4.5 mm left on mine, I would've waited to replace them. The dealer reported I had 3 mm left about 8 months ago so I thought they were due. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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