How Long Do Brake Pads Last?

There is a thin line between getting involved in a collision or simply evading it and it will be regarded to as a “close call.”

The difference here is the state of the brake pads in your car, as they dictate the car’s response when you step on the brake pedal.

Your brake pads might rescue you when you were just about to hit a wall or another car coming round the corner.

Do you know how long do brake pads last? A quality brand of brake pads from a reputable manufacturer should last for 30,000 to 70,000 miles when in use.

However, there is a set of factors that will affect the longevity of your car brake pads.

For some brands the brake pads longevity will vary, while some will even last for longer miles than the 70,000 miles’ mark.

You can never be too paranoid when it comes to your brake pads.

This is because a superior quality of brake pads that are in good condition will save your life when you need to stop the car immediately.

You should always check the condition of your brake pads and have them replaced if they are in poor condition.

Here’s how you can change your brake pads.

What Type Of Brake Pads Lasts The Longest?

If you want a quality and highly effective brand of brake pads, then you should go for the ceramic types of brake pads.

These type of brake pads are made from highly durable material which enables them to have a long-lasting feature.

One such brake set of brake pads that will guarantee a long-lasting usage is the Akebono ProAct Ultra-Premium ceramic brake pad set.

Not only are the ceramic type of brakes long-lasting, they also have a one-of-a-kind stopping power and are not that easily worn out when used in cars.

They also do not experience high dust build-up as in the case of some types of brake pads.

Which Brake Pads Last Longer: Ceramic Or Semi-Metallic?

The ceramic brake pads have been seen to the one type that lasts longer. The ceramic brake pads are manufactured from equipment that ensures they do not wear out at a fast rate.

This would be good for you if you do not want to spend a lot of money on buying new brake pads almost every month.

The ceramic brake pads have been in used in the braking system of cars for many years before and they are still popular.

This is because of their pros such as efficiency and the fact that they are cleaner than the metallic brake pads.

Semi-metallic brakes do not last as long as the ceramic types of brake pads, and they also have the habit of building up too much dust.

You will also realize that they are much louder than the ceramic brake pads.

How Much Longer Do Ceramic Brake Pads Last?

Ceramic brake pads will last for as long as 70,000 miles. As indicated above, ceramic brake pads are designed with cutting edge technology, and that is why they have a superior longevity.

Other benefits of working with a ceramic type of brake pads in your car are that it is much cleaner than others and does not make a lot of unnecessary noise.

The components used in the manufacture of the ceramic brake pads make it to be highly durable.

Similarly, it is far much cleaner that alternative brake pads because it does not experience as much dust build-up as the others do.

Cheap Vs. Expensive Brake Pads: How Does Each Affect The Brake Pads Longevity?

Price is a factor that describes the quality of brake pads that you are looking at. The best quality, as you will realize, will be priced on the higher side.

Cheap brake pads are just that; cheap.

You will also realize that the cheap brake pads are not long-lasting and soon enough you will have to get a set of new ones, and this turns out to be costly for you eventually.

When shopping for the best brake pads, it is recommended that you go for the mid-tier brake pads.

This is because the low, mid and high-tier brake pads have been tested and the mid-tier brake pads were singled out as being of the best quality.

They were found to have an excellent stopping power, not that much dirty due to dust build-up and do not make that much noise when they are used to bring a car to a halt.

A series of tests were conducted on three differently priced bar brake pads; the low-tier, mid-tier and the high-tier priced car brake pads.

The tests were conducted to test the brake fade quality, a corrosion test, a shear and a noise test. It was discovered that the mid-tier brake pads are the best among the three.

While highly-priced brake pads might have the best stopping power, they might not be that durable, and they might make too much noise when in use.

Some of them may also not work well for some types of cars such as those carrying heavy loads or those used in towing.

You will therefore only be able to enjoy its performance when it comes to slowing down the car but will regret the flaws it comes along with.

On the other hand, cheap brands of brake pads may not be ideal when you need to stop your car almost immediately.

This might cause you to get involved in a series of collisions because of the poor performing brake pads that you had installed your car.

As seen in the above discussion, ceramic brake pads are amongst the best options of brake pads that you can get for your car. They are not cheaply priced and for some, they are quite expensive.

However, they have a significant number of benefits that will ensure you enjoy working with a set of them in your car.

What Happens If Your Brake Pads Wear Out?

1. Damage To Other Car Parts

When you are not keen on your brake pads and they get worn out you might damage other parts of the car.

Not only will you be putting your life and those of other passengers at risk, you will be slowly damaging other components of the brake system too.

This will in the end turn out to be rather expensive when you have to perform repairs, which would not be the case had you not ignored replacing your car brake pads.

2. Damage To The Rotors

The first thing that gets affected adversely if your brake pads are in poor condition are the rotors.

This is because the brake pads prevent the friction applied by the metal clamps from acting on the rotors.

Every time you step on the brake pedal, the friction is applied through the system up to the metal clamps, the brake pads help distribute this friction.

3. Overheating Of The Breaking System

The system might also overheat and eventually fail because of too much friction between the metallic parts.

This is because there will be no brake pads that are meant to reduce the level of friction between the metallic parts.

4. Damage To The Callipers

In a severe situation, the brake callipers will be adversely affected when the brake pads are worn out and are less than a quarter inch.

The callipers hold the brake pads and are separated from the rotor by the brake pads.

In the event that the brake pads are too much deteriorated, then the callipers will grind against the rotor and this will cause severe damage to them.

As seen above, working with a setoff brake pads that is in poor condition might turn out to cause an ugly seen.

This is the case with many car owners who are unaware of the way the components of the car parts work, such as the braking system.

As such they might be forced to spend a lot to savour their current situation which would not be the case had they just replaced their brake pads when it was still early.

Why Do Brake Pads Wear Out Quickly?

As seen in the above series of discussion, the brake pads are bound to wear out due to the friction caused between the metallic parts.

Brake pads will wear out quickly when they used more often, take the example between a car used in a city while that one used mainly on the highway.

The one used in the city will have its brake pads wear out quickly because there will be more instances when the driver will have to hit.

Secondly, the speed that you mostly drive your car will affect the lifespan of the brake pads.

This is because cars that are normally driven at very fast speeds will need more force to be applied on the brakes for them to come to a stop effectively.

Hence more friction will be applied to the brake pads than in the case of a much slower driven car.

Another factor that causes brake pads to wear out quickly is if it is placed on the front axle.

This because cars mainly brake with the front wheels and hence the front brake pads will wear out more quickly than the rear ones.

Being exposed to too much heat will also cause the brake pads to wear out more quickly than in another scenario.

If you also see these reasons in this article, you will probably need to replace your brake pads.

Which Brake Pads Wear Out First?

The front brake pads are bound to wear out first before the rear brake pads.

This is because most cars apply their braking to the front axle which is the front brake pads and hence more friction being applied to them than in the rear axles.

Do Brake Pads Deteriorate With Age?

Since rubber tends to degrade with time, so will the brake pads.

This is because with time, they will dry and will be less flexible and will start experiencing some cracks.

This will cause their deterioration and hence their inability to perform as they could before.

What Can Help Your Brake Pads Last Longer?

One way you can improve the lifespan of your brake pads is to develop a habit of driving with the flow of traffic.

This will help avoid the need to apply too much braking and hence less friction applied on the brake pads.

You can also learn to drive distance from the drive that is ahead of you. This will cancel the need of applying too much force on your brake pads for the car to finally come to a stop.

A nice and easy stop will not contribute significantly to the brake pads wearing out as in the case with sudden braking.

You can also go for engine braking to reduce the wearing out of your brake pads. This is achieved through taking your foot off the accelerator and disengaging the engine.

Do not carry too much weight on your vehicle as the weight might be exerted on the brake pads and therefore cause them to wear out.

You should also drive at a low speed so that your braking does not have to be too sudden.

Conclusion

All in all, you should be keen when it comes to your brake pads condition, and have them replaced when they are in poor condition.

You should not take them for granted as when they are worn out and still in use in a car, and you might easily get involved in an accident that would have been otherwise prevented if you had a quality set of brake pads installed.

When you are shopping for a newest of brake pads for your car, you should examine what either brand has to offer.

The factors that you should consider include the durability, the stopping power, the level of noise made when in use and the degree of dust build-up.

If you can get one with the best combination of the above features, then you will be able to enjoy using it in your vehicle.

Sources:

1. Christian Brothers Automotive – https://www.cbac.com/media-center/blog/2016/august/tips-to-help-your-brake-pads-last-longer/
2. Buy Auto Parts – https://www.buyautoparts.com/blog/how-long-should-brake-pads-last/