4mm rear brake pad left

xsmatt81 · 10-12-2008, 04:30 AM

Had the 15k/6month service done on thursday.

dropped in motorcraft 5w30, seeing as mobil 1 has shot way up in price, and now is just a GFIII grade like most mainstream syns.

ok enough talking. I had them check the breaks which was free with a coupon. Front is 10mm left, Plenty. Rear is 4mm!

4mm is in the yellow zone..is this normal? how much material does the rear brake on a prius have anyway? They said it was all good, but the rear may need new pads in a year...

yet I hear of people driving pri for several years without any brake issues, and rotors looking almost brand new after 70k+ miles.

tread on stock tires was 8/32 which is fine a tad low though for the amount of miles, but is expected on these cheap rubbers.

btw I really don't use my brakes often, I guess you could me a tailgater and a coast to stop kinda of guy, they get used but not hard.

I realize the engine braking is used more, and the actual rotors should only kick in under 8mph, or on HARD stops, not using soft touch and letting the HSD do the braking...very strange that pad would be worn this much.

rigormortis · 10-12-2008, 05:47 AM

i think this is a non issue, because the prius ships brand new from the factory with only 4-5 mm of rear brake material

xsmatt81 · 10-12-2008, 06:21 AM

ok good to know, wasnt sure on the amount of material on the rear.

the prius barely uses the rotor brake, unless you drive like speed racer.

hmm dealer is usually pretty honest, but no dealer is perfect.

ken1784 · 10-12-2008, 11:13 AM

FYI,
Japanese Prius Technical manual says the initial and worn-out thickness as follows;
Front brake pad: 11.0 mm, 1.0 mm
Rear brake shoe: 4.0 mm, 1.0 mm

Ken@Japan

rigormortis · 10-12-2008, 11:31 AM

fyi, automotive types say that the rear brake only does 30 % of the braking, so the rears should last 3.33 x longer then the fronts, heh

i have all my sevice records over 40,000 miles, each service record has a completely different front brake measurement
its like the brake material is shrinking and growing and shrinking again!

tochatihu · 10-12-2008, 09:59 PM

The only reasonable cause for rapid rear brake wear in Prius is poor retraction of the pads. Anyone who suspects this can do the easy test. Drive from cold for a few miles, them stop and put a wet finger on the drums. They should not be hot.

If hot, something's sticking in there or the parking brake cable is adjusted wrong.

RigorM provides an example showing it is not always easy to collect accurate data

10-12-2008, 04:30 AM	#1
xsmatt81 non-AARP Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Vegas Posts: 511 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 1 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 0	4mm rear brake pad left Had the 15k/6month service done on thursday. dropped in motorcraft 5w30, seeing as mobil 1 has shot way up in price, and now is just a GFIII grade like most mainstream syns. ok enough talking. I had them check the breaks which was free with a coupon. Front is 10mm left, Plenty. Rear is 4mm! 4mm is in the yellow zone..is this normal? how much material does the rear brake on a prius have anyway? They said it was all good, but the rear may need new pads in a year... yet I hear of people driving pri for several years without any brake issues, and rotors looking almost brand new after 70k+ miles. tread on stock tires was 8/32 which is fine a tad low though for the amount of miles, but is expected on these cheap rubbers. btw I really don't use my brakes often, I guess you could me a tailgater and a coast to stop kinda of guy, they get used but not hard. I realize the engine braking is used more, and the actual rotors should only kick in under 8mph, or on HARD stops, not using soft touch and letting the HSD do the braking...very strange that pad would be worn this much. __________________ 2007 Prius Black BT Tech Stiffing Plate Weather Tech Mats/Cargo Area Mat DM Bug Guard(rock guard) Full Tint Splash Guards Coastal Tech EV mode(new)& Coastal Auto Door Lock Whistler XTR695 Radar/Laser & Garmin Nuvi 1350 Last edited by xsmatt81; 10-12-2008 at 04:33 AM.

10-12-2008, 05:47 AM	#2
rigormortis Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: san jose, ca Posts: 1,313 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #5 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 1	Re: 4mm rear brake pad left i think this is a non issue, because the prius ships brand new from the factory with only 4-5 mm of rear brake material

10-12-2008, 06:21 AM	#3
xsmatt81 non-AARP Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Vegas Posts: 511 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 1 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 0	Re: 4mm rear brake pad left ok good to know, wasnt sure on the amount of material on the rear. the prius barely uses the rotor brake, unless you drive like speed racer. hmm dealer is usually pretty honest, but no dealer is perfect.

10-12-2008, 11:13 AM	#4
ken1784 SuperMID designer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Yokohama, JAPAN Posts: 1,971 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: N/A Package: G Thanks: 10 Thanked 257 Times in 118 Posts Friends: 8	Re: 4mm rear brake pad left FYI, Japanese Prius Technical manual says the initial and worn-out thickness as follows; Front brake pad: 11.0 mm, 1.0 mm Rear brake shoe: 4.0 mm, 1.0 mm Ken@Japan

10-12-2008, 11:31 AM	#5
rigormortis Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: san jose, ca Posts: 1,313 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #5 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 1	Re: 4mm rear brake pad left fyi, automotive types say that the rear brake only does 30 % of the braking, so the rears should last 3.33 x longer then the fronts, heh i have all my sevice records over 40,000 miles, each service record has a completely different front brake measurement its like the brake material is shrinking and growing and shrinking again! Last edited by rigormortis; 10-12-2008 at 11:33 AM.

10-12-2008, 09:59 PM	#6
tochatihu Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kunming Yunnan China Posts: 2,395 My Car: 2001 Prius Model: Package: Pioneer #1 Thanks: 1 Thanked 37 Times in 37 Posts Friends: 14	Re: 4mm rear brake pad left The only reasonable cause for rapid rear brake wear in Prius is poor retraction of the pads. Anyone who suspects this can do the easy test. Drive from cold for a few miles, them stop and put a wet finger on the drums. They should not be hot. If hot, something's sticking in there or the parking brake cable is adjusted wrong. RigorM provides an example showing it is not always easy to collect accurate data Last edited by tochatihu; 10-12-2008 at 10:00 PM. Reason: my keyboard keeps making mistkeas

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