The brake pads of ordinary private cars, the front brake pads are generally replaced once for 30,000 to 50,000 kilometers, and the rear brake pads are replaced once for 60,000 to 80,000 kilometers. Brake pads and brake disc replacement cycle is not a fixed value, you need to look at the wear of the brake pads. The road conditions are often different, each owner's driving habits are different, the intensity of the brake is different, and the wear and tear of the brake pads are not the same. Therefore, there is no clear time limit on the service life of the specific brake pads. It is necessary to determine whether the brake pads need to be replaced according to the regular inspection.
If you are an old driver or more understanding of the car, you can also determine whether the brake pads should be replaced. On the one hand, driving feeling, if the brake is soft, and obviously feel the length of the brake distance, to replace the brake pads in time. On the other hand, if you hear the obvious metal friction sound when you step on the brake (steel back and brake disc contact), it means that the friction material of the brake pads has been exhausted, the steel back has friction with the brake disc, which requires immediate replacement of the brake pads, otherwise it will wear the brake disc, and even need to replace the brake disc. If the repair shop is close, slowly open to the repair shop, if the repair shop is far away, it is recommended to find a trailer to avoid causing greater damage to the brake disc.
- Signs that brake pads need to be replaced
Although the service life advertised by the brake pad manufacturer is usually 30000-50000 kilometers, this is not the only criterion for us to decide whether the brake pad is replaced, which is affected by many factors. Like often brake, for the brake pad wear will be serious, may need to replace the brake pad early, it is recommended to check every 10,000 kilometers; Some people have good driving habits, the brakes are very gentle, and the brake pads can even be used for 150,000 kilometers and above. So how to determine whether the brake pads need to be replaced? We can start with the following points:
1) Look through your eyes
Observe the remaining thickness of the brake pads
Brake pads are generally composed of friction blocks, steel plates, adhesive insulation layers, etc., of which the friction block is a consumable material, and the friction block will be lost when braking. Therefore, observing the thickness of the brake pads is an important method to decide whether to replace the brake pads.
The thickness of the new brake pads is generally about 1.5cm. With use, the brake pads will gradually thin. When the naked eye observes that the thickness of the brake pads is only 1/3 of the original thickness (about 0.5cm), it is necessary to check the brake pads frequently. For the sake of insurance, it needs to be replaced in time.
The wear limit of brake pads is 1mm. When the thickness of the brake pads is lower than this limit, the braking effect of the brake pads will be greatly reduced, which can easily lead to brake failure. The first time, the owner should replace the brake pad as soon as possible.
Watch the dashboard for prompts
Modern cars are usually equipped with brake pad wear alarm system, when the brake pad wear to a certain extent, the brake warning light on the dashboard will light up to prompt the driver to check and replace the brake pad as soon as possible.
2) Listen through your ears
Listen for any noise on the brakes
Although it is common for the car to make noise when braking, if the noise occurs when starting or stopping, the brake disc may be dirty or the brake pad is not worn evenly enough; If there is only noise, the brake performance is not affected, and it can be restored after a simple cleaning and then use for a period of time. However, when you step on the brakes, if you hear the noise caused by harsh or sharp metal friction, it may be a sign of brake pad wear. This noise is often referred to as "screaming", indicating that the brake pads have been worn to a very thin degree, and the limit mark on both sides of the brake pads has touched the brake disc and worn the brake disc, so the brake pads should be replaced immediately.
3) Feel through the driving experience
Feel for "offset" and jitter when braking
If everything is normal when the car is driving, but there is a deviation phenomenon when the heavy brake is pressed, it is often a one-sided wheel brake, which may be that the brake pads are close to the wear limit and need to be replaced as soon as possible.
Feel the braking response and distance
When the brake pads are thinner, the car's brake response will also become slow, and the brake pedal is softer than usual when braking, and it is necessary to step deeper and heavier on the brake to achieve the previous braking effect, which may be caused by insufficient brake pressure. This situation is very dangerous, it requires a harder step to stop the movement of the vehicle, which will take a longer time and distance to stop. When it is necessary to brake in an emergency, the extended braking time and distance can cause serious consequences.
4) Judge by professionals
Vehicles usually need regular maintenance, after a period of time or a certain mileage, you can let the car maintenance personnel check the use of brake pads. One is that maintenance personnel have more professional equipment that can detect and measure whether the state of the brake pads can continue to be used, which is more accurate than what we can observe with the naked eye. Second, professional maintenance personnel have richer professional knowledge and experience, can better judge the use of brake pads, give professional replacement recommendations.
In addition, it should be noted that the front and rear brake pads replacement cycle is different, so the brake pads of the front and rear tires do not need to be replaced all, but the four brake pads of the front wheel need to be replaced together, not only a single one. Whether the brake pads need to be replaced mainly depends on the wear situation, if the wear is below 0.5cm, the brake pads must be replaced in time to avoid safety accidents.
- How to extend the service life of car brake pads?
Brake pads as an easy to wear car parts, often replace is also a small expense, we can reduce the wear of brake pads through scientific methods, so that the brake pads can be extended.
1) Improve driving habits
Use the engine to brake downhill, reduce the pressure of the brake system. The easiest way to maintain brake pads is to pay attention to driving habits. Daily driving takes a stable speed, reduces sudden braking and long-term braking, and avoids driving in the case of rapid changes in speed. Observe road conditions in advance and plan routes to reduce the need for frequent braking. In addition, minimize overloading, speeding and other bad driving behaviors, which can reduce the frequency and degree of brake pad wear
2) Wash regularly
The owner can also regularly clean the brake pads to keep their surface clean. In daily use, brake pads will be affected by road dust, sand, moisture, etc., and these dirt will affect the frictional performance of brake pads. Therefore, regular cleaning of the brake pads can maintain the good state of its friction performance, and can also extend the service life of the brake pads.
3) Pay attention to vehicle maintenance
Maintaining the health of other aspects of the vehicle is also the maintenance of the automobile brake system. Maintain accurate wheel positioning and reduce the uneven wear of brake pads caused by inaccurate positioning. It is also necessary to replace the brake fluid regularly to avoid water absorption deterioration of the brake fluid affecting the brake performance.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the components of the brake system work normally, such as brake calipers, brake tubing, etc., to avoid the increase of brake pressure on the brake pads due to the error of other parts, thus aggravating wear.
4) Choose the right brake pads
Finally, the owner also needs a reasonable choice of brake pads. In the market, there are many different materials of brake pads to choose from, such as metal ceramic brake pads, organic carbon brake pads and so on. Owners should choose the brake pads suitable for their own models according to their driving habits and the use of the environment to ensure the good working condition of the brake system. When the economy allows, consider high-performance brake pads, such as ceramic brake pads, which are usually more wear-resistant, and although the cost is relatively high, they are more durable and have less damage to the brake disc. This not only extends the use time of the brake pads but also reduces the wear of the brake discs, which also need to be replaced after wear.
