Brake Pad

May 19th, 2010 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Brake Pad

Essential Car Safety - Brake Pad Inspection

There is probably no car safety component more important than your brakes. Regular brake inspections and pad replacement are very simple to do and will save you money in the long run if you do them yourself. In this article I will provide you with a basic overview of brake pad inspection and replacement.

If you are pressed for time, I recommend that you check the Front End for sure. Front brakes do most of the stopping and tend to wear out about twice as fast as the rear pads. This doesn't mean you can skip the rear inspection... you want to be sure you are looking at those brakes at least twice a year!

The first thing you need to do is inspect your rotors. The best way to accomplish this task is to remove the tire so that you can easily view all of the parts. I like to combine this with a regular tire rotation, but you can simply chock the wheels, jack up the tire and pull it off. With this done, take a look at the rotor. This is the round disk that the brakes squeeze to stop the car. It should be shiny from the inside to the outer edge. Don't worry if you can see slight lines in it, this is normal wear. However, if there are any rough spots or pronounced grooves in the disc, you should replace the rotors. This is generally a simple process and rotors are not terribly expensive. It is a better option than having the rotors "turned" (refinished by a machine shop) because turning the rotors removes metal, making the rotor slightly thinner. Brake discs should always be replaced in pairs to ensure even stopping, a huge safety factor.

Time to inspect the pads. With the tire still off, take a look at each pad. You should see a brake pad on each side of the rotor. If you follow the surface of the disc to the top, you'll see the outside pad touching the disc. If there is 1/8" or less remaining on the pad, you need new pads. There are different types of pads you can get, and your budget may determine your choice, but if you are looking for the best combination of braking properties, then you want to go with a ceramic brake pad. They are generally more expensive than a semi-metallic pad, but they perform better in many ways.

For the best deals on brake pads check My Website and keep watching for more car maintenance articles.

About the Author

Randy is an automotive expert who specializes in do-it-yourself car repairs.