Brake Pad wear

[russellmck]

I just had my '08 Prius 5000 miles service, and was a little surprised. They said that the front brakes had 90% wear remaining and the rear had 65%. Does this sound right? I thought the front brakes would wear down more quickly; based on this calculation, my rear brakes would have to be replaced at just over 15k miles. I drive mostly freeway with some stop and go traffic in So Cal. Does it sound like my brakes are wearing correctly or should I be concerned?

[Tideland Prius]

Make sure your parking brake isn't on.

Mine are 90% front, 95% rear after my 64,000km check (I'm at 72,500km now)

[russellmck]

Disregard this post. I called the dealer today to ask additional information, and was told by my service person (the one who provided me with the original information) admitted that the Prius was new to him. I spoke with another person familiar with the Prius and was told that my pad wear was within the proper limits.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by russellmck

Disregard this post. I called the dealer today to ask additional information, and was told by my service person (the one who provided me with the original information) admitted that the Prius was new to him. I spoke with another person familiar with the Prius and was told that my pad wear was within the proper limits.

how so? 35% wear over 5,000 miles is A LOT even for a normal car.

[cnschult]

Tideland is right, 35% wear on the rear shoes seems quite high for only 5K miles

that being said, there is no car on earth which has all 4 pads wearing evenly.
also, your front braking system is disc brake which has pads & calipers, your rear brakes are the older-style drum brakes with shoes, so since the front and rears have different braking systems it shouldn't surprise you that they would wear at slightly different rates.

also, prius is equipped with regenerative braking which is a little friction generator that recharges the batteries when you are coasting and braking very lightly. so you really only use the brake pads when you are braking hard or during an emergency stop.

many people have reported their pads to last over 100,000 miles due to this great feature of the prius, so you really need to learn how to coast more when approaching a red light or when you are coming upon a green light that you know you can't beat at normal speed. Doing this will save you gas and extend the life of your brake pads and shoes.

[John in LB]

Originally Posted by cnschult

...also, prius is equipped with regenerative braking which is a little friction generator that recharges the batteries when you are coasting and braking very lightly. so you really only use the brake pads when you are braking hard or during an emergency stop.

What the heck is a "little friction generator"?... Is that like a do hekii, thinga mejig... or is it more like a mouse in a squirrel cage?

[RonH]

Originally Posted by John in LB

What the heck is a "little friction generator"?... Is that like a do hekii, thinga mejig... or is it more like a mouse in a squirrel cage?

The squeaking you hear are the bearings of the squirrel cage as it is spun up like a flywheel to absorb the kinetic energy of the car. Occasionally it comes from the squirrel if it can't keep up. Refill the pellet reservoir.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by John in LB

What the heck is a "little friction generator"?... Is that like a do hekii, thinga mejig... or is it more like a mouse in a squirrel cage?

That's the technical name for a motor-generator, which cleverly disguises the fact that no friction is involved, other than that with the road and a little bit of parasitic friction in the drive train and bearings.

Tom

[Clubford00]

All cars brake pads wear differently depending on how you are on brakes, but one thing that will never change is the fact that front pads always wear faster than rears. i dont know the factory settings for brake bias , but i am lucky enough that in the car i race i can adjust it manually from the drivers seat. When you step on the brake weight transfers to the front and the front brakes do 70-80% of the stopping. The only time i adjust the bias is in the rain. Then i want a more balanced 50/50 bias because of steering. (racecar is rear wheel drive.) Right now my 05 prius has 85k miles on it and i have never adjusted nor changed any of the pads or rotors on it. still 100% stock. Although i am getting some noise telling me the time is getting pretty close for a change.

[seasalsa]

Originally Posted by Clubford00

Right now my 05 prius has 85k miles on it and i have never adjusted nor changed any of the pads or rotors on it. still 100% stock. Although i am getting some noise telling me the time is getting pretty close for a change.

Only if you make a lot of panic stops, you probably have another 85k left.