brake pad life (1 Viewer)

[lebesset]

I have a hymer 548 on the 230 chassis , 30k Km ; I tend to amble along at 50/60 mph

I suppose I really should take the wheels off to have a look at the front brake pads , but.......

was curious to know what sort of pad life people get on their 3.5 tonne motorhomes
I suppose I could look to see if the 230 chassis has pad wear warning light as well !
would have to find my reading glasses for that though

 

[gazz]

Depends on how you drive it,

if you slow down using the gears, and using the brakes to come to the final standstill, they'll last yonks,

brake gently from a distance, and they'll last ages,

stomp on them at the very last moment and they'll not last too long.

it aslo depends on how you bed the new pads in too, stomp on the pedal and you'll make them go hard and glaze, they'll last for ever but braking will be a bit naff.

also depends on the pad composition, heat ratings and all that.

But on my iveco daily 4.5 tonner, i last about 50k miles on a set of pads all round, obviousely the rear pads wear less than the front, but i change the lot at the same time.

never replaced the handbrake shoes in my van, but that's cos i use the handbrake properly, as a parking brake and not to slow down... no handbrake turns in my van
but that's a good job as the handbrake shoes area bugger to get at, needing the main hub nut removing... a 65mm nut torqued to over 650Nm.

 

[frogijock]

My Laika has completed 58,000 km and is 5 years old and brake pads still as good as ever, but then I tend to change down a gear when coming to traffic lights roundabouts etc; well in advance so using the engine as a brake

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[haganap]

I replaced mine a few weeks ago (see thread). I initially just took the wheels off to check them after Hildwellers findings. When I done so, although there was plenty of meat on the pads they were in fact crumbling, the same findings as Hilldweller.
My van has 27k on it, is a 2.8 weighs 4.2t and I have owned it since it had 7k on the clock. My driving style in a motorhome is gentle and I DO NOT excessively use the brakes. However, many of the miles I have travelled are on alpine passes and or in very extreme tempretures. When coming down from the mountains this winter it was obvious the brakes were hot (lovely smell).
I also found my discs were warped when changing the pads.
So in essence there is no excuse not to take off the wheels and inspect them properly.

 

[747]

With a low mileage vehicle, which sits about for long periods, the brake discs get rusty. The biggest worry is that they become pitted and have to be changed. As there are 6 discs on my van, I ensure that I use my brakes enough to keep the discs nice and shiny.

My wife`s car does around 4,000 miles per year and the front discs need replacing due to pitting, even though there is plenty of meat left on them. As it was just an advisory on the MOT, I will wait until the next test is due.

The MOT tester suggested (with a smile) that she drive like a boy racer to get a polish back on them.

 

[vwalan]

if you have an exhaust brake fitted the pads and shoes seem to almost last for life. unless you are hard on the brakes.
always make sure your brakes are pushing their pistons out and retracting properly ,specialy on low milage vans .thats what causes most probs.

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[evans88]

On my Transit my brake pads looked to have plenty of life in them at 38000 miles. However, when removed I found the brake material separating from the metal so a visual inspection without stripping down is not the solution.

 

[gazz]

hmmm, i assumed wrongly in my post i rekon, see i thought part of one of the big services wat to physicaly remove the pads and inspect htem and the calipers, assuming most people let a garage service their vans for them,

i do my own servicing, and every couple of years a take the calipers off to clean up and re-grease the sliders, as i have twin pot sliding calipers all round, the sliding bars can get mucky, leading to sticking brakes... which can lead to overheating brakes, then boiling the fluid, then brake faliure.

i used to do a fair bit of alpine driving, really wish i had an exhauster brake for that, i had looked into getting one, but the only small vehicls i know of with them as standard was the old merc 814's, thjey used a vacuum servo to operate it so that would be ideal, no need for me to fit a source of compressed air (tho that would be handy too)

but i've not found an old merc with the exhauster brake still present in the scrappers, and to get an aftermarket one is silly money.

 

[welsh winger]

I have not heard of exhaust brakes, can anyone give me the low down on how they work.

Nick

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[Wintonian]

I have not heard of exhaust brakes, can anyone give me the low down on how they work.

Nick

Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_brake There are other sites available if you Google "Exhaust brakes".