Brake Life???

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 23 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]324055[/snapback]</div>

I expected the same thing until the ABS system failed at 46,000 miles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 23 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]324055[/snapback]</div>

That's some great stuff Doc

 

Remember that brakes rust away even when not being used. This varies by location and materials, but I live in the middle of a lot of water, so humidity is always an issue, plus all of the salt on the roads in the winter. My Honda brakes used to rust so much over a weekend of no use that they would grind and growl for the first few stops every Monday morning. I suspect that will be the biggest factor controlling the life of my Prius brakes, not the number of miles. Still, it's going to be much, much longer than an ordinary car.

Tom

 

102,000 miles on my 2004 and no brake work so far. I asked how they looked when I had it in for the 90k service...they chuckled :lol:

 

DH has seen a classic with 140k that had about half the pads left.

not many second gen's around here that are much over 100k, they look practically new.

 

holy smoke 120k?!

my 15 year old chuki is only 105k

 

I only have 35K + and my mechanic asked if I ever use the breaks. This may be the first car where the breaks last the life of the car.

 

2001 Classic, original brake pads and rotors, 215000km on the clock, about 65% pad thickness, and the original Prius braking system uses much more friction braking than the HSD, which tries to do most of the braking completely using regeneration until a minimum speed is reached.. I fully expect that I'll retire the car still with original brakes on it... On the other hand, I did replace one front wheel bearing, which was somewhat costly...

 

That is such an incredible savings!! I had just 26k on my Sport Trac when I sold it and it was sold needing the brakes done already. That is a ton of extra money in my pocket!

 

Most of the Prius friction brake work done so far seems to be linked to winter road salt. The Vancouver Prius taxi guys have had some brake replacements.

I suppose that we should still be thinking about changing the fluid from time to time because it eventually absorbs water and can corrode internal brake lines.

Jamarimut - any hint that such corrosion might have been related to your ABS problem?

 

I have a 2008 Prius with 46K miles and still have 70% of the brake pads left. And this estimate is done by the Auto Mechanic so it can't be too optimistic.

 

Ema justed rolled over 150,000 over the weekend and still has the original brake pads and rotors. <knocking on wood>

I do A LOT of highway miles as you can see since she is just barely 3 years old. Winter in North Carolina helps since we don't see to much road salt buildup which would cause extra wear and tear on everything not just brakes.

I'm hoping to make 200K with the original brakes next Spring or early Summer.

Happy Driving,
Chris

 

If the Prius had been designed by an American auto manufacturer they would have reduced the thickness of the brake pads to make them wear out sooner. Then they would have come up with a marketing slogan to tout the superior braking system they had created.

 

This is quite true, it will keep the service department happy otherwise they will look like the Maytag service guys.
This is the way American companies to make more money, similar to reduce the content of coffee from 15oz to 13oz and kept the same can size and price.

 

Thought I'd bump this old thread. As I replace the brakes on my other cars I often will touch rotors after driving with fresh pads/rotors to make sure the heat is as expected, not disproportionate, not binding, etc.

I can say that in any normal car at all even on just a short trip you'll start getting some heat and it's not more than a few stops before the rotors are too hot to touch for more than a second. I did this yesterday after some stops in my 2010 Prius and the rotors were cold. Not warm, but cold. It's like they had not even engaged. It doesn't really surprise me they would last well over 100k.

 

I have had my 2005 toyota serviced at toyota. The last time in with my 2005 at 113k miles, they said it needed breaks. I was didnt think it needed it ( no noise, or fade) so took car to my corner mechanic I use for my other cars. With parts in hand, he checked the breaks and were only down 1 mm from original specs. So I expect to get over 150k before I may need them.