vette_guy_2020

Hello - What type of brake life do you typically get for your vette? 10k miles for front? 20k miles for rear? etc?

My driving mix is 50% city/50% hwy.

sevinn

When I bought my 2005 at 44k miles, I drove it until 77k when I traded it in and still had plenty of pad life left. My driving mix is just about the same as yours. It was a z51 car with brake pad chomping drilled rotors.

I think the pads were GM ceramics because they were definitely AC Delco parts but they didn't dust at all.

vette_guy_2020

thanks sevvin - I think z51 gets an upgraded package for brakes, sounds like they probably get a longer lifespan than the standard/base model.

Since I drive the standard/base model I'd like to get feedback on the brake life of the brakes on the standard/base model.

cclive

It just depends on how the car is driven...even if it is all city, different people will drive differently in the city. My car spends most of its' time on the highway at 80mph and at 60,000 miles I have about 75% of the pads remaining. My SUV has 145,000 miles and still has the original pads all the way around.

steveb601

vette_guy_2020

Thanks for your feedback everybody. Sounds like this thread is getting a lot of high estimates.

Can I get some low estimates too? This should not include vettes that were track driven because that's an extreme use of the car.

bugsas99

you got to be kidding me ??? there is no way that you can go 145,000 miles on any vehicle with the same brake pads.

truckplay

Chevy trucks DO GET @ 150k ++++++++
thin body cars get @ 40k
wide bodies get less @ 20k
at least the ones I see.

others like me GET LESS

SSTEVEGS

I've got 43,000 on my '08 and they still look good but I haven't "measured" them. Half of my driving has been highway but the other half has been fast driving of mountain back roads similar to and better than "The Dragon". It's also a Z51 optioned 'Vert.

Not to get off subject but geez, 145,000 miles on original brake pads for an SUV. I have a '98 Tahoe (Chevy Truck) with 140,000 miles that is on its 3rd set of front rotors and pads. I did have a 2500 HD pickup that got 375,000 miles on its original rotors... It's not always your driving habits (as this particular scenario demonstrates between the Tahoe and 2500HD) but rather the vehicle and brake design. The 98 Tahoes are notorious for crappy brakes.

I think the Corvette brakes are excellent in the "wear" department.

beaversstonehaven

When I sold my 2006 base coupe to a friend the car had 146,000 miles on it (mostly highway). The brake pads had 50% remaining. They were the original pads.

BettermostCorvette

My only experience is with a former C4 I had. My rears needed to be changed at 30,000 but the fronts I was told still had about 20,000 left on them at that point and didn't need to be replaced. The rear pads are smaller and usually fail first.

vette_guy_2020

that's strange - I thought front pads usually wear down more quickly than the rear pads?

florida john

Your SUV may have gone 145K miles, but many high performance brake materials that can take higher heat build-up without fade wear faster than other pad materials. Ever notice how much brake dust you see on those big Mercedes S-class and SL wheels? Our Corvettes generate a lot of brake dust on the wheels, right? Therefore our brakes are likely to wear down faster than an Implala, Malibu, or SUV.

HOXXOH

Only the diameter of the drilled rotors are different and the piston size of rear calipers. The pads are identical.

I got 51K from the originals. I've switched back and forth between the J55 (larger) and the base brakes so often in the last couple of years, that knowing lifespan of each is impossible. BTW, I don't find any difference in stopping distance either. I think the factory specs say the J55 is 3% shorter distance at 60 MPH. Pad type and tires can make far more difference.

vette_guy_2020

Bettermore is saying that his front brakes lasted much longer than his rear brakes. Has anyone else had this experience? Is this typical at all for Corvettes?

Rogers 07

My 07 Z51 brakes were done at 74,000 so were the rotors . They did wear down evenly at all four corners. The factory Z51 pads are very abrasive, this is why they stop really well, they are also extremely dusty. I replaced mine with new GM rotors and Ceramic pads. So far, At 115,000 miles, The ceramics produce very little dust and Zero rotor wear. They seem to stop as well as the originals for daily driving.

vette_guy_2020

I was definitely getting metal-on-metal brake noise which is why I took it to the dealer in the first place.

My vette has 34k miles on it. The service lady said front and rear brake pads needed to be replaced. How likely is this? Living in Seattle I said 50/50 city/hwy but since traffic gets backed up a lot here I'd say my driving mix is probably more like 80/20 city/hwy.

If you don't replace your brake pads when you need to then doesn't this essentially damage your rotors? Do you recommend that I take my car to a brake specialist instead of the dealer for brake work? Like brakes plus or just brakes? Do you generally consider them more honest?

RocketDawg

The big variable is your driving habits. If you slow down and coast instead of waiting til the last minute and then practically making an emergency stop, your brakes will last a lot longer, regardless of whether it's a Vette or some other car. My wife goes through brakes like they were free; mine last forever. I don't think there IS a typical lifetime.

Don-Vette

Same as any car. It depends how you drive.

vette_guy_2020

Ok - so for brake work do you take your car to the dealership or to a brake specialist like "just brakes"?