What I want to know from the truly aggressive drivers out there, how long are your brake pads lasting you?

I babied it for the first 1000 miles (break in period) and since then she has been driven very very sportingly everyday (also I live in North Jersey which means tons of stop and go traffic). And well Im about to hit 4000 miles and I notice a slight change in the way that the brakes feel. Is it possible that I have to change my brakes yet?

My last car (02 mercury cougar) I went through pads in less than 8000 miles and destoryed all four rotors in the process. Yes call me stupid, I know big mistake.

So yeah I guess Im little nervous because I dont want to make an expensive mistake again.

Also If someone knows the recommended brake pad depth for this practicular car (07 coupe with sport package) it would be very helpful, that way I could take a look by eye. Edmunds says 1/4 of an inch depth, but thats for an average cas so???

Thank you very much In advance and Im sorry I wrote so much.
PS: Yes, I searched but did not find the exact help I needed.

 

w/brembo's?

 

he stated it was an 07. Brembo's stopped at the 04's.

To the OP, i have a sedan, but our brakes are identical. I push my car quite hard and am very aggressive. I got 30k miles out of my brake pads. The front still had 7/32nd's when i changed them and the rears were toast. I replaced the fronts and turned the rotors because they were warped.
-GP-

 

If you are hard on your brake system keep an eye on the brake fluid level. Also, You may want to bleed the brakes. if you have any water in the fluid or have boiled the fluid that will make them feel different.

 

Ugh, I have so many questions.

How does water get in the brake fluid? She has been in the rain about 6 times since May and she has been kept in a garage every night but my garage is slightly underground so I guess it does hold some moisture in there.

Is it really possible to boil the fluid with hard street use (have not put her on a track)?

Also is it possible that the recent colder temperatures can effect the feel of the brakes?

Its the first time driving this car into fall/winter, and yes I know the temperature effects the tire pressure and its compounds which causes the tires to not preform the same. It has been a very noticeable difference lately with the tires thats what made me ask the above question about the colder weather possibly effecting the brake fluid.

Thank you guys for your help and putting up with my odd questions, this is a great community to be a part of.

 

Brake fluid can absorb water from the air, glycol-based brake fluid is hygroscopic. If you have water in the fluid it lowers the boiling temp of the fluid and could boil more easily. You most likey are not boiling it on the streets but it could still feel mushy if its contaminated/old fluid.

If you live in a humid place it will absorb faster.

If you drive aggressively I would suggest bleeding the brake system once a year to be safe, otherwise once every two years or so. I just checked the maintenance part of the service manual, didnt see changing brake fluid at quick glance, but ya. The procedure is not very difficult to do yourself. I wonder if there is a DIY on the forums, i havent looked yet.

The tire pressure is a good point. Often forgotten about.

Make sure the brake fluid reservoir is sealed well too if you bleed, if its not it will absorb water faster.

 

fyi, my service manual has the following for pad thicknesses, but its an 06 sedan (has the larger brakes, two piston per caliper up front, etc)

standard thickness: front: 11mm rear: 8.5mm
repair limit thickness: front: 2mm rear: 2mm

 

I think sport coupes have larger brakes? iono 05-07

anyways if you're driving like a nut with some minor tracking you'll get 9-10k out of the front pads before the brake light tuns on..

my 06 tho without track and alot less agressive driving has gotten me 13k and still going

- Eric

 

Do you still consider yourself an aggressive driver or have you grown up? I
haven't and consider myself a "Recycled Teenager!" But I have
learned how to use a ton of common sense. Don't worry about your pads
and discs, have them checked every 3K miles when you get your oil changed.
Any good mechanic will check your tire pressure, fluid levels and brakes when
they do a oil change......I do!

 

I've grown up and my job depends on my driving record now lol so =PPP tighten up.. also the fact that my car is pretty much one of a kind lambo blue widebody G now -__- if I cut off a cop and make an impression the next time he sees me on duty im fcked haha Another thing that cured it was waking up at 4am and driving 25miles for a year.. after a year speed kinda gets old..

but no seriously tho I think I owned most of my brake pads at auto-x aside from that I think I would've gotten alot more out of them.. Auto-X also caused a bunch of hot spots on the rotors as well.. so daily driving you're probably fine..

 

I have an 03 with Brembo's so my input is a little different. I would consider myself to be aggressive on the track and the car has been autocrossed many times in both schools and events. That is tough on the brakes. So far I have 30,000 miles and the rotors are fine and the front pads are about 50% gone and the rears about 30% left.

 

I have an 05 coupe. My rears were gone by 34k miles and my fronts just recently changed at 40k. The rear rotors were fine and I have to turn the fronts because they became warped. All in all cost me less $150 for 4 OEM pads and the cost of turning the rotors. Not bad.

David

 

'04 w/Brembos here. I'm at ~17.5k miles and my front pads are 75% worn and front rotors are probably 65% worn. Rears pads are ~50% worn. I have autocrossed the car once, and occasionally drive the car hard, but most of the time I'm fairly moderate/easy on the brakes.