Best way to brake for least amount of brake pad/rotor wear?

[civicdriver_]

Is it better to brake soft and gradual over a long distance or more firm and sudden over a short distance (in a normal way, not hard/slamming on brakes). I wonder which one generates more heat and wear on the brake pads/rotors. Thanks for any information you can provide!

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[latole]

Google ;

Here’s why you might want to avoid slamming on the brakes unless it’s absolutely necessary, and shoot for smooth braking instead.


Overheat the Brake Pads
Brake pads come into contact with your rotors and create friction to slow and stop your car. Going from 60 to 0 in a couple of seconds places extra stress on your car’s suspension while also exposing your braking system to excess heat.

When your brakes overheat, the brake pads can wear down quicker and the rotors may warp—two things that could compromise your car’s stopping power and safety. Worn brake pads can cause problems in other parts of the system, too.

How do you know whether your brake pads are worn after a pedal stomping? Signs can include squeaks when braking, a shaky steering wheel, or an illuminated brake light on the dash.

Damage Brake Hoses
When you push on the brake pedal, brake fluid travels through the brake hoses and converts your “push” into energy that brings the car to a stop.

The heat and pressure generated when slamming on the brakes can cause tears and cracks in the hoses. Such damage can result in fluid leaks that eat away at your brake pads. Left unchecked, brake fluid levels can become low and render your brakes completely unresponsive—severely compromising your safety on the road.

More here :

https://blog.firestonecompleteautocare.com/brakes/what-happens-when-you-slam-on-the-brakes/

 

[Mcclaughry95]

Biggest cause of wear is those people that hit their brakes every 2 seconds for no reason or flying up on people and slamming them every 5 minutes. Coast and drive like an intelligent human being and they will last forever. How you apply them doesn't really matter just don't ride them all day and don't lock your tires up.

 

[Civics4Ever]

If I'm coming up to a light and it turns yellow, I let off the gas and coast. When I apply the brakes, I apply light pressure then let off the brakes and then apply them lightly, gradually increasing pressure to stop where I need to. Pads have 114,000 miles but 90% of my commute is highway.

 

[latole]

90 % highway, I brake softly and my rear pads last 50K miles.
My original disc brake rust very fast, so pad won't last

 

[Gruber]

It's definitely better to brake slowly from the point of view of saving your brakes. It's not even close. You will get lower rotor/pad surface max temperatures and also lower brake fluid/lines max temperatures.

Physics says you can't make energy disappear. So if a car and driver weighing 3200 lb at 60 mph has to stop, all the kinetic energy of the car has to be ultimately dissipated as heat, whether you are doing it quickly or slowly. But if you are doing it slowly, you are taking advantage of more cooling time when you are still moving, and the temperature spikes on all the parts will be much lower.

So that car's moving energy is enough to heat 3.4 lb of water from 68 F to boiling. Since brake fluid can hold over 4 times less heat than water, braking that car to a stop could heat about 14 lb of brake fluid to 212 F. Of course, this is never going to happen, because most of the heat will get dissipated to the wheel, tire, and the air before it reaches the brake fluid. But the faster you brake, the higher the temperature spike on the surfaces of the rotor/pad will be.

This paper (and references therein) could be a good introduction to understanding heat dissipation during braking:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj11J-Rka3uAhWXG80KHb0DD78QFjAAegQIARAC&url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.476.3925&rep=rep1&type=pdf&usg=AOvVaw0QrxFMvxtc4GKahdbkHMvd

 

[pinhead]

My father taught me "never use the brakes". In practical terms, he meant drive in such a way, looking ahead all the time, not speeding up too much in traffic and keeping good follow distance, most of the time just taking your foot off the gas will let you slow down enough you won't need to use your brakes most of the time. Apparently this was the common method taught decades ago (my Dad died in 2017 at age 101) and has been lost. I see people race ahead, going too fast, too close to other cars, and hard braking all the time. My brakes last forever.

 

[Aegis7]

I saw the episode of donut media on their 350z doing brake changes, the z with normal brake pads started to fail and caught on fire after like 6 heavy pulls. So don’t WOT and break every 5 seconds should be fine. I believe driving as a normal person the pad should last long enough for it’s value.

 

[hondabandit]

engine braking

 

[haltamer]

Planning and acceleration sense - By avoiding the use of the brakes altogether where it is possible, you save both the brakes and fuel (All energy goes to motion vs heating the brakes)

With a manual, the careful employment of properly rev-matched downshifts can help, however, you shouldn't be block changing in lieu of braking.

Have a watch of this:

 

[rwsmith123]

I had a ‘96 Saturn and had the rotors replaced under warranty twice within the first 6k miles and I was pretty easy on the brakes to start with, but I became an expert at not using the brakes, using timing and downshifting a lot of the time at redlights I’m still moving at slow speed without even touching the brake and then the light changes and traffic starts moving and then can start accelerating again. Or coast to a dead stop or pretty close to it before having to use the brake.

With the Civic and CVT I like to time it so I’m still rolling a bit when I get the green light.

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