Brakes how long

[deadlyman]

Just wondering how long has everybody's brakes lasting

[Kennedy]

I have alnmost 65k on mine and looking at the front pads, they appear to be about 3/8-7/16" thick yet.

Looks like they'll last a LONG time.

I'll be swapping to my 285's for a couple of truck pulls soon, and I'll look at the rear pads then...

[Murray the Cop]

I did mine at 30,000. Rotors started to look pretty bad but the pads were fine.

[rickdlance]

I honestly have a truck with 165,000 miles and the original everything except injectors. Not even a frnt end alignment.

[MikesToy]

My 2001 has 82,000 miles on it and the dealer (last month) says I still have 20% on the pads. My injectors blew and were replaced 2 days after the letter from GM was received.

I still love my truck!

[Kennedy]

Originally posted by rickdlance:
I honestly have a truck with 165,000 miles and the original everything except injectors. Not even a frnt end alignment. I bet if you grab your drag link, and lift/twist it will move a lot due to shot pitman/idler arms.

My front pads FYI were 3/8" thick or better...

[crafty]

I still have lots of pad left but due to the winter salt the rotors are crumbling and will have to be replaced before the truck will pass the MTO inspection this fall.
It will cost over $1000 for a complete set of pads and rotors. I only have 50,000 miles on the truck. They sure don't make them like they used to. :D :D :D

[deadlyman]

I had a 102,000 miles on my pads thought they would need replacement but still had 1/2 of pad left replaced them anyway rotors still looked good a little glazed on the front but had already bought new rotors put them on also haven't done the back yet but bought the pads already no rotors they whant 280 each for the rears

[cowboywildbill]

I have 46,000 miles on our GMC C/C dually 4x4 and the pads still have a lot left. The rear have actually worn a little faster than the front. I tow about 3/4 of the time. This is sure a big change from our Dodge Cummins 4x4, I had to replace the front pads at every oil change (5,000 miles) or else, and the one time I didn't I had to replace the front rotors. And the brakes on the Dodge wouldn't hold a candle to the stopping power of the GMC. But the Dodge dealer worked on the brakes 11 times under warranty until Chrysler said no more. I am really pleased with the GM.

[mdadgar]

I replaced my stock pads with something a bit more aggressive (Hawk HP SuperDuty - big improvement) at 22K miles.

The stock pads literally looked new when I took them off. I do not consider this to be a positive thing.

- Mark

[DmaxMaverick]

I do not consider this to be a positive thing. Why is that?
I have over 75K on my '01 and the pads still have half or more left. The performance of the brakes, however good or bad you may think they are, is hands down the best on any pickup. Any brand. Ever.

Long wear and excellent performance. How can that be bad?

[Kennedy]

Using a somewhat softer pad would improve stopping capability, and get us changing pads at under 100k which would be bettr IMHO. The OE pads are VERY hard, which is likely deliberate so as not to get warranty complaints in the 36k period.

[mdadgar]

Who cares how good/bad the brakes on the 2500HD compared with other pickups in history? I only care about how good they are vs. the traffic in front of me.

Justifying their mediocre performance by saying "well, it's better than it used to be" is kind of a cop-out, I think. It SHOULD be better than an older truck, yes?

So yeah, I put softer pads on to improve the braking performance and the pedal feel, which was awful with the stock pads. Very non-linear.

Now if we could just get GM to recognize that a brake pedal that goes straight to the floor on a panic stop is NOT a good thing ...

- Mark

[xwing]

I have about 60,000 and the INSIDE face of the front rotors looks like HECK...very rough/uneven wear on the rotor; outside looks ok. It seems to brake OK, no squealing, and looks like alot of pad left yet; but if that was my street/roadrace car those rotors would be OFF and GONE long ago.
I hope Hawk, Performance Friction etc make some high performance-towing pads of some sort...

Does anybody make any better quality rotors than GM stock replacements?

I forgot if there is a steel brake dustshield on the inner aspect of the rotor that could be removed for better cooling...

I sure won't use the stock pads next time if that is how bad the rotor can get with them. Would be nice to get some airflow ducted to the inside of the rotor with a scoop/hose or airflow directors of some sort...

[KenZ]

I find it interesting how many say they have rotor problems. I have 77,000 miles and pads and rotors look great. Makes me wonder if it is a quality control problem with the suppliers to GM, or if there is dirt or something getting in there and causing problems. Maybe there is also a qc problem with the pads, or maybe they have multiple sources on the OEM pads and rotors.

On the pads themselves, I think they are great. I don't have any stopping problems, and in comparison with my other vehicles they are much better. As to the wear, I would think it is not only the hardness, but he size of the pads. More surface area should mean less wear. These pads seem to be much larger--as they should be--than on other vehicles. So if they allowed some overdesign, they should last longer.

You should see my GM express van. Sometimes I wonder if it will stop! I like to pull my travel trailer just so the trailer brakes will help stop the van.

As to the pedal feel, I don't mind that either. Although I do think the antilock design gives them a "different" feel. If the antilocks are going to limit the pressure on the rotors to prevent lockup, it would be interesting to see some testing on how different pads could really make a big difference on stopping.

Napa has some high performance rotors with holes and grooves for cooling. Don'tknow if they have them for our trucks, but they did make a big difference on my van. They are pricey.

[quadrunner500]

Agree with KenZ. The other thing I like about the stock brakes is that the ceramic pads don't muck-up the front wheels with black, sooty brake dust.

[Dr_Crane]

Rear pads at 65,000. Rotors seemed OK, didn't bother to measure them. Truck is at max weight all the time though. Decided to go with NAPA pads seeing as how they were $77.00 as opposed to $175 for OEM. Yes they are ceramic, and so far no problems, no noise at 70.000 miles.