uneven brake pad wear...

[transVXmen]

I have about 75000 miles ..but still have 80% left on my original front brake pads....and 30 % left on my original rear ones.........How can this be?????......Could it be my ABS brake system is mainly using my rear brakes....???..I noticed the brake is becoming a little weak....that is why I thought I needed new brake pads...but ....I saw with my own eyes!!! still 80% left on original pads......??? Does anyone else have this problem....If you did .....any suggestions????

[Tone]

Sounds like brake bias is off somehow or someone has changed the front brakes maybe on a service visit. 40-60K is average for front brake pads - 80-100 for rears. Check your service tickets from any dealer visit.

[Heraclid]

Hey transVXmen,

I developed slow leaks in the front tires after a rallycross so I just had my tires remounted, balanced and rotated. I was told that the front brakes were only 50% worn and the rears were better than that. I'm at a hair over 67,000 miles. Do you do mostly highway driving?

[transVXmen]

Yea ..I do most Highway Driving....and I did not change my pads all since I bought this car......I know it sounds like the "Brake fairy"came and did a number on me....not complaining!!!...but reading some threads related to this issue ....sounds like it can be true that the rear pads wear out faster than fronts due to excessive highway driving....cus of our TOD the rear is always active and the front is 30% active .....do the calculations and it does make sense...........I also tend to use my brakes very little and am very gentle when it comes to applying pressure.......also I do very very little 4 wheel drive.......My dad owns a mechanic shop and all the mechanics said everything was like new on my VX...they could not find anything wrong...brakes work great now that I replaced just the rear ones!!!....My dad said it was the first time he has seen such a issue with brake pads!!!.......I must say the VX brake system , not so great in performace, is AWSOME in its durability!!!!...also with 75000 miles ...the mechanics thought my VX was brand new ( it's a '99)....they even drove it and can't believe it is over 4 years old!

[rocket man]

Hi Transvxman

Hey were neighbors...

I have 81K on my Proton with original pads and there still goin??????.....I know I'll get replacement pads from St. Charles when the time comes...might be something to the "genuine" parts theory here...anyway

I can't complain about there braking system either. I read somewhere here in the archives that it hauls this nearly 4000 lb. "tennis shoe" down from 60 mph in 124'.....which if its true?? It out brakes 95% of the cars on the highway. inculding most Ferrari's...

[Heraclid]

The braking numbers are a very interesting thing with the VX because they vary a lot.

On the high end, Car & Driver said it took the VX 182 ft. to stop. Although it is important to note that for some reason the article I have tests 70-0 mph braking, not the usual 60-0 mph most folks use.

Now contrast this with the lowest figure I've seen - Petersen's 4 Wheel & Off-Road 2000 4x4 of the Year issue states that the VX went from 60-0 mph in 108.48 ft.!

I believe it was Joe_Black that told me that the VX brakes are lifted right off the Trooper, which is appreciably heavier than the VX. So the VX sort of has oversized brakes.

I'm pretty sure that my Dodge Avenger was rated at 124 or 126 ft, but it felt a like it stopped a bit better than the VX, or at least it felt smoother. It was certainly a good bit lighter, and if the VX is in that neighborhood that's great. The trouble with the Avenger was that Dodge never gave it the oomph it deserved. It was nicer than a lot of other 2-door sport coupes and handled better, had a nice and roomy back seat, and looked way better (my opinion). But you could go out and get a faster car for less money, if that's all you cared about. Despite the numbers, it had brisk acceleration, but to sell more of them they needed to drop in the Intrepid's 215 hp engine into it or something along those lines. The ES that I had was powered by a Mitsubishi V6 mated to an automatic tranny and was basically almost all Mitsubishi under the sheetmetal. The base version was all Chrysler, mated to a 5-speed. The auto was faster. The Sebring coupe was the same car, but the Sebring convertible was built off the Chrysler Cirrus platform.

[PeteVX]

Another brake question my pads are still good at 48,000 miles but the rotors are warped, i can feel the slight pulse when i apply the brakes, any advice on having the skimmed or should i just replace them, if so with what?

Thanks

[transVXmen]

depends how warped they are....but it seems like you need to either turn the rotors to make the surface even or replace them...

[ojmagg]

Yeah, I've about 36,000 on my vx and I have about 2x as much pad on the front as on the back...I do more city than highway driving...someone told me to use my parking break as this will help adjust the rear pads...? This sounds wrong...they're not mushy, but mabey they need a good bleeding?

[V-Twin hiCROSS]

Weird thing. My '00 VX has 55K miles and I have started using my parking brake regularly to keep the back brakes adjusted. I just learned that you need to apply the parking brake with your foot off of the brake pedal in order for them to fully adjust. And it makes a big difference.
So now to the weird part. The rear rotors had rust on the outer ring due to the fact that the pads never touched them. So now that they have adjusted in, I am getting some awful noise from the rear where the pads have reached the rusted portion of the rotor. SHould I just have the rear rotors turned? Could this cause any problems, other than the terrible noises?

Thanks,
Neal

[t2p]

.
???
I'm not getting this ..........

It was/is common for parking brake application to adjust drum brakes .....
.
but the VX has discs in the rear - and there should be no need for 'adjustment' .........
.
Could this noise actually be due to the parking brake dragging ...... ??? ...... someone help me - does the VX have the tiny brake shoes inside a drum on the rear rotors for a parking brake ? ........ if so, the parking brake shoes could be dragging ..... ????
.
If there is a significant 'ring' around the edge of the rear rotors, there is a good chance they will tell you they are out of service and/or can not be turned .......

[Hotsauce]

Parking brake is drum shoes inside rear totor hat.

I go through front pads every 15k or so, buy I drive fairly agressivly.

John C.

[t2p]

........ and that's why they call you Hotsauce ..........

[V-Twin hiCROSS]

Hmmmm... So you're saying that the parking brake does not adjust the rear pads at all? Can anyone clarify this?
It just seems very odd that about a week after I started using the parking brake (engaging with foot off of the pedal) that I started getting this situation. It is definitely the pads making the noise on the rusty part of the rotor. I know this because the noise comes as I slow down while moving and I am getting all kinds of rusty powder on my wheels as it wears off.

[V-Twin hiCROSS]

Tone,
Do you have any insight on the rear pads adjusting from the parking brake?

P.S. - The seat extender has been a great modification for my VX.

Thanks,
Neal