My feeling is that each of us should be able to make a good approximation of what our break wear should be, once we get a feel for our vehicle and driving patterns. I haven't checked my break pads recently (mostly due to wet weather around here), but when I closely consider my driving style and patterns I feel I can expect quite even wear and very long life. I've always gotten long brake life on my vehicles, so that testifies to my general driving style, even before intentionally maximizing my use of "engine braking", coasting into stoplights, using upgrades and turns to slow down etc. since I got my FEH. I rarely use what I was raised to call "emergency brakes" for obvious reasons. My parking place at home allows me to go directly "into gear" and up the street when leaving, and I back up an upgrade in my driveway to park. I rarely need to come to an actual complete stop in normal driving near my home, and the pattern of stop signs and signals would have me stop on, or at the end of upgrades anyhow.

Carefully consider your actual, most frequent drives and patterns, then check your brakes. If your OEM or Motorcraft brakes are worn down substantially before 60,000 miles (100,000km), and you are not in a frequent full-stop braking required area or application (mail delivery, taxi service, etc), you should concentrate on attempting to establish more vehicle interval and use gentler braking, or figure out what about your normal driving causes you to brake hard, or firmly and frequently below 5mph. Regenerative braking is something relatively new to us all, and unless a person has much experience driving large trucks, they rarely if ever use engine braking intentionally either. I certainly never expected to get 110,000 miles+ on my brake pads (or rotors), and haven't been attempting to, so it seems that we've all got a clue now as to their capability. I do drive barefoot, or at least stocking feet nearly all the time, specifically to have a better feel of the accelerator and brake pedals, and drive gently, so I'd guess that's a factor as well.

 

I've often wondered if it's the regenerative braking that's responsible for our long brake life, or is it our conservative driving habits? If I took a similar (non-hybrid) vehicle like a Subaru Forester with 4sp automatic, could I get similar brake life by driving it in the same manner but using the transmission as a substitute for regen braking. Any ideas on that?

 

In my opinion, most of the people having premature brake problems with their FEH, is due to cold climates. Most of their regen is lost due to cold weather. You live in So. CA and I live in So. FL and my brakes still looked new on my '05 FEH at 80,000 when I sold it. Conservative driving and DWB (driving without brakes) also play a big part for me. Rust on the rotors is what I monitor living near the ocean like you.

My new Explorer, '12 Focus and my '09 FEH have aggressive DFSO which acts as regen in "D", so I don't plan any brake jobs in my future anymore. My Son is now an official hypermiler in the Focus with a 34.8Lmpg, so he knows how to drive using DFSO and traffic light timing.

The bottom line, you and I understand why people's brakes wear out faster!

GaryG

 

You bring up a good point about rusty rotors, Gary. I am wondering if the fronts on my cars are wearing faster due to the way the rear brakes "perform". Myself and others have noticed that the rear rotors are wearing but the pads aren't. This could mean that the rear brakes aren't carrying their weight in braking, putting more load on the front. According to Ford, the rear brakes on these cars are supposed to wear out first. I have two cars that prove that isn't necessarily the case.

Both of my cars have been driven extremely gently for their entire lives, both by me and my wife. I have probably driven 80% of the miles on both cars. Lifetime average on both cars is between 33 and 34 mpg - brought down only by my wife doing most of her trips between 1-3 miles. Driving style isn't causing these brakes to wear prematurely - I am quite certain of that.

I plan on doing the fronts on the '06 this week. Instead of OEM parts I am going to try NAPA parts and see if there is any difference in the braking performance. I've never had any problem with the way the OEM brakes work.

 

My fronts are wearing faster than the rears too. I have 7mm/9mm F/R at 40,000 miles, '07 AWD, with what I would call very gentle driving and trying to avoid braking when possible.

Are the pads 10mm when new, and replaced at 2mm?

 

Of course ! (I've got ideas on that!)

Probably. (You could get "similar" life) But not with an automatic trans, and it'd be a lot of work with a manual trans and clutch, and you'd go through your clutches too quickly.

At least that's my "ideas", and I'm using 120,000 miles as my brake life standard on my Hybrid. I checked my current - original - brakes today with the tech at the local Les Schwab shop, and at 113k I've got about 40% left (according to the tech), or at least a pretty good pad thickness.

 

Price a transmission overhaul and you'll quickly realize brakes are cheap (relatively).

 

But is slowing the vehicle by downshifting an automatic really that bad for the transmission? I'm thinking of a transmission like a Subaru Sport Shift or Tiptronic where there is actually a manual mode that could simulate our regen braking.

 

Yes, it would be putting significant additional stress on the transmission components.

 

Sounds like you guys (and gals) aren't double clutching (standard tranny). Good double clutching will create zero wear on the clutch plates. In fact, if you get really good at it you needn't use the clutch pedal at all upshifting and downshifting. It will slide from one gear to another like greased lightening (excepting reverse and first from a start!) Of course, during the practice to get it right it you may grind a few mm off the gears!