Urbannexuscommerce - Brake Pads: When Yours Actually Need

Brake pads don't usually fail dramatically, they just get thin and noisy and you notice the pedal has started to feel a bit softer than it used to. The squeal people panic about is often a wear indicator tab touching the rotor, which is the pad telling you to book something in the next few weeks rather than today. The honest check is to look at the pad thickness through the wheel spokes. New pads are usually around ten to twelve millimetres of friction material. Under three millimetres and you're on borrowed time. Run your fingernail across the rotor surface too. If there's a lip on the outer edge you can feel, the rotor has worn as well, which means a pad-only job will feel wrong until the rotor is machined or replaced. Grinding is the sound you never want to hear, because by then the backing plate is chewing the rotor and a cheap pad job has become an expensive one. Pedal vibration under braking is a different problem, usually a warped rotor or uneven deposits, and it's worth getting checked even if the pads have plenty of life left. Cheap pads are cheap for a reason. They tend to be noisier, dust more and wear faster than the branded sets, and the saving up front disappears the second time you replace them. For a daily driver in Brisbane traffic, a mid-range pad from a brand with a proper warranty is usually the sensible middle ground. If you're towing or carrying a load, go up a grade, because the standard pad that's fine unladen will cook on the Gateway Bridge with a trailer behind.

Brake Pads: When Yours Actually Need Replacing

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