I can prove how easy I am on brakes

wwillson

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Aug 20, 2003
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Colorado
I am accused of driving slow from time to time by random people signaling to me that I'm #1, it always makes me smile. I drive the speed limit in town, because I won't be that guy who couldn't stop and hit a kid. Being the guy who pays for gasoline, brakes, and tires also has trained me to look ahead and anticipate when I have to slow down or stop, instead of what I call "driving to the light", then slamming on my brakes. I admit fuel economy and brake and tire longevity has become a personal challenge. My mechanic buddy bet me I couldn't make it to 160,000 miles on the original rotors and pads on my Durango without needing to be replaced. I took the bet and only have 30,000 miles to go.

This picture was taken today and is of finger prints of Permatex left on the rotor at 99,000 miles when I had the front wheel bearings replaced. I've been watching the Permatex to see how long it would stay on the rotor before wearing off. You can't see the finger prints anymore, but the aluminum based Permatex is still there. The odometer is almost exactly 130,000 today. How's that for minimal wear? Think I'll make it to 160,000 miles? I'll bet I will.

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That is awesome.

How many times have the pads been removed, contact points cleaned/lubed, etc?
 
LoL ya that is wild.. when I bought my Jeep the OE rotors warped @5k. The dealer turned them and they warped again@11k. I bought AutoZone rotors and threw those on it. It went 90k on those rotors and pads.
 
I think you can make it to 160k. I have to look at my maintenance log but I put 150-170k on the original rotors and pads on a Pontiac G5, still has the original rear drum and shoes at 218k currently but admittedly they need to be changed now.

Also, some cars are easier on brakes than others. Some cars have undersized brakes from the factory and require brake changes sooner. My sonata is driven very conservatively and my guess is it will need brakes by 80k.
 
It looks as if you and I have the same driving habits. (y) I had my original factory rear pads replaced and rotors resurfaced last year at 212,000 miles. My front pads have been replaced once in 222,000 miles but I don’t remember the mileage.
 
Pickup trucks routinely go well over 60,000 miles on brakes and they weigh 2 1/2 tons. I think what we are seeing are outstanding brake pad material-and MULTI GEAR transmissions that are in the right gear when you need to slow down.
 
Dang, and the Durango is notorious for eating brakes and having them not last long. Here with all the hills, and stop and go traffic in Pittsburgh PA even using transmission braking often, and driving slow, you would never get that kind of millage out of brakes.

I drive super slow compared to most. And in particular there is a local main road with a 40 MPH speed that I drive 45 and many drive much faster, and then further ahead there is a big long turn to the right that blocks all view of the several traffic lights and they all come speeding around that turn and have to slam on the brakes. I get off the gas drift and let the vehicle naturally slow down way before I get there and arrive around the bend only doing 20 or less and they are all stopped there waiting on the red light to turn green. When they pass me while I am drifting to a slower speed for the light ahead, I just think, well I will ketch up to you at the lights. There are too many of them in a row to have much of a chance of having them all green.

And there is another couple of intersections where if you have to wait at the first one, the second one if you take the right turn and go 1/4 mile to get to it is always red. The lights are all controlled by the same city radio system and that is how they are timed. So many times I see people speed off of the first one only to have to slam on the brakes for the second one. And when I am first in line at the first and drive slow to the second because I will still have to stop, they speed around me and have to slam on the brakes at the second one. Some people enjoy acceleration and having to brake. To me it is a stupid abuse of the vehicle, tires, and gas.

It will be interesting to see how long my brakes last.
 
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I never get to the point my pads and rotors are evenly worn to the point they're thin and need replacement.

It's the dirt, grit and corrosion causing pads to hang and ruining the rotors that gets me every time.

For me, the only way around it is a disassembly, clean and re-lube every 12 months and that's not enough sometimes.
 
My wife's car is just under 130,000 miles and on the original pads and rotors. 90%+ driving on the interstate combined with knowing we're not setting the nose of a race car into every turn and every stop has made sure of that.
She, like myself, does not come to a screeching halt at every stop sign and traffic light, but there again we do not slow down to an annoying pace as mentioned by gathermewool. It's all about being smooth and steady. (y)
 
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