Brakes squeaking, grinding or just not stopping the way they’re supposed to?
Brakes perform a critical function for the driver and need to be well maintained to work at their best. The brake calliper, brake rotor and brake pads are the most important components of car disc brake systems. The brake pads and rotors on all vehicles wear out eventually, but brake wear varies based on a number of factors, including:
- Driving habits: How hard a driver uses their brakes greatly affects how long the brake pads last. Usually, drivers ride the brakes and stop abruptly, while others use gently coast to a stop. Smooth, gradual braking increases pad lifetime, it’s important to break all of a sudden when safety calls for it.
- Environment: Due to stop-and-go traffic and traffic lights, driving in the city is harder on brakes than driving out in the country or on long straight roads because braking is required less frequently. Using your car in mountainous areas with steep elevation changes can wear brakes out quickly as well because it’s often crucial to riding the brakes to control downhill speed.
- Brake pad hardness: Brake pads are coming in different compounds to suit different driving needs. Hard compound brake pads have a longer lifespan, but commonly need to be warm before they perform well, and are more usually in performance cars. Using soft compound brake pads perform better at low speeds, like in urban areas. Overheat can melt the pad compound onto the brake rotor and curtail brake performance if the driving gets too extreme.
- Materials: The materials that made the brake rotor and brake pad also factor into the brakes’ permanence. Ceramic brake pad lasts longer than standard Semi- metal brakes, for example, but they need to be warmer than the alternative to be effective. However, Ceramic brake pads are extremely expensive and found almost exclusively on high-performance sports cars. Metal or steel brakes are much more common and still more than adequate to suit a variety of driving conditions.
