Making Your Brakes Last

Brakes are kinda important right. - Well Duh - Even if the rest of your ride is in top shape, bad brakes are an enormous safety concern. They’re what make us stop when we push that little peddle on the left.

So how do we go about getting the most life out of them?

It's no secret that brakes wear out over time. However, you can do several things to slow down that wear and tear, making them last quite a bit longer. Here, you'll find a handy guide to making those brakes last, and saving you more than a little bit of cold, hard cash.

Braking Bad Braking Habits

Brake pads and rotors wear out – it's the nature of the beast. When your brake pads press on your rotors, it creates friction, which slows down your vehicle. This also wears on the pads and rotors, in the same way the contact between road and tire wears out your tire tread.
However, bad braking habits can seriously cut down on the life of your brakes. In short, your bad habits may be responsible for the problems with your brakes! How do you kick the habit?

What should you avoid?

Sounds like twelve steps… my name is Mike and I’m a bad braker….

Sudden Stops – Avoid sudden stops like Hare Krishna’s in the airport. It puts tremendous pressure on your brake pads and can warp your rotors – that’s bad - Hard, sudden stops are one of the leading causes of early brake pad failure. For those of you who jam on the brakes at the stop sign, rather than slowing down before you get there – cut it out!

Riding Your Brakes – We’ve all seen them, the drivers moving forward with the brake lights lit, even though you know they're not slowing down. The brake lights remain on as the vehicle continues down the road, leaving you shaking your head, wondering what they're doing. You might even notice a foul burning smell – you did shower, right?

They're riding their brakes. In essence, they're driving with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. That's bad. Even the slightest amount of pressure on the brake pedal will cause the calipers to clamp down, forcing the pads into contact with the rotors.

If you maintain this contact for a long period, your brake pads will be eaten away faster than your kid can gulp down an Oreo cookie. You will also find your rotors are a horrible blue-black in color – you've scorched them and that can be seriously expensive to fix. In short, don't ride your brakes either!

Braking Rather than Downshifting – Have you ever looked at your gearshift indicator? Did you notice those extra gears? Yes, there are more gears than just park, reverse and drive. These gears are designed for use when you are pulling a heavy load and/or going down some seriously steep hills. – So that what that other numbers mean - Quite a few drivers ignore these gears, using their brakes instead. This has the same effect as riding your brakes – it's the same thing – with the extra effect of having to hold the vehicle to a slow pace on a grade. The next time you're going down the side of a mountain or a steep hill and are uncomfortable with your speed, downshift. Stay off your bakes. Your braking system will thank you.No matter how careful you are – how much you drive like Grandma – your brakes are going to wear out eventually and need to be replaced. – More on that in my next article - That said, you can get more out of your brakes – if you use them right! Driver fault is the #1 reason brake pads fail early. So, if you stomp the brake pedal hard and fast, expect some problems from your bad habits! Be easy with your brakes and they'll reward you with extra life.

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