brake pad life

[PtboSprintSt]

My 02' sprint has 12 000kms on it. I'm probably going to have to get my bridgestone 014's replaced sometime in July. They've got almost 6 000km on them already. I'll ask the dealer to look at the brakes while the wheels are off. Should I be expecting him to recommend new pads? I do mostly back road driving and not super aggressive around curves so I'm not going into corners full blast and having to jump on the brakes.

I'm curious to know what sort of mileage guys got on their sprints before their brakes needed work.

[Stlakid]

The fronts will most likely be fine, but the rear might be toast! The stock rear pads just don't live long at all. I put the EBC HH on the rear and they last almost twice as long and I still had to change them before I needed front pads!

[miker]

Don't know about Sprints, but the S3 would get at least 20,000 out of pads, perhaps more depending on your style.

It's easy to check, get a torch and shine it along the brake rotor into the caliper, you should see the backing plate of the pad, then the pad material. If it's less than about 2mm, change 'em out, they wear very quickly towards the end.

As a two wheelin' librarian, I'd have thought you woud have bought the manual by now :wink:

Mick

[stevecro]

My fronts are still not bad at 23,000 kms but my rears were graunching metal to metal by 15,000 (I found out by surprise, thought a pebble must be trapped in there somewhere)

[ruscook]

Hi guys,
I just got home from a meeting at Parramtta and found I'd got to metal on the rear brake pads. Luckily my mechanic is nearby, had the pads and fitted them immediately. In and out the door in 45mins and $55.

They checked the front pads while I was there and they've got about 30% left. So another 3500K should do the trick.

I've currently got 13300KM on the bike. So I guess, I must drag a bit of rear brake to wear them out this quick :-)

Russ

[SprintST]

I usually get in excess of 35,000 miles on fronts, whether they're OEM or EBC HHs. And I can't tell you on rears, because I haven't had to replace any yet. 45,000 miles on my last Sprint, a '99, and 68,000 currently on my '02. I don't know WHAT you guys are doing to your rear brakes to eat them so fast! I'm not a slow rider, and I habitually use both brakes to stop.

[Stlakid]

I don't know WHAT you guys are doing to your rear brakes to eat them so fast! I'm not a slow rider, and I habitually use both brakes to stop.

Well it's obvious to me that your a freak! :-D
Honestly you can't be 'using' your rear brakes as you say as they just don't get that kind of life with use. I only use my rears about 30-40% of the time and the stockers were 'DONE' by 6k and the HH were good for another 9-10. The stockers were down to metal at that mileage and that seems to be normal when I checked into it on other forums. The HH still had some pad left, but not much.

The thing that bothers me is the rear refuses to use the pad evenly! The movable pad (piston side) constantly wears at twice the rate of the stationary pad. I've done brakes all my life and yes the assembly is clean, re-lubed and free moving when I replace them. The set on there now is the same way the stationary pad looks dam near new, just the piston side shows any real wear!

[DFWBiker]

My rear pads were toast at 5k miles and I don't abuse the rear brake at all. Mainly just for low speed manuevering around parking lots. Mine showed the same uneven wear reported above.

My fronts are still in fine shape at 8k miles. They should be able to go 10k easily unless something odd happens.

[JR57]

Hit metal at 13.6K miles, on the front part of inside pad, piston side has about 2mm at the front, 1mm at the back. Front pads are like new. Hard use on fronts, lite on rear?? Was surprized . Mostly mountain roads.

[ruscook]

Hi JR57,
sounds like my usage pattern (although not lots of mountains), but I always use both brakes, but lightly on the rear and heavy on the front.. Oh well, 13,300 km sounds about average for the rears then.
Russ