It’s natural to want to extend the life of your car parts. We all know replacing them can be tedious and pricey. The average life of brake discs is between 80,000 and 120,000 miles. With this in mind, we put together 5 ways to help you maximize the life of your brake discs.
1.) Weight Matters
Yes, you read that right. Weight matters when it comes to the life of your brakes because the heavier your car, the more force and pressure on your brakes. This wears them down faster.
The easiest way to protect against this is to remove as much excess weight from your car as possible. If you’re carrying a bunch of extra tools, bowling balls and other unnecessary weight during your daily commute, it would be best to remove it from your vehicle if you don’t really need it.
2.) Follow the ‘3-Second Rule’
What is the 3-Second Rule? This rule is often taught in driving school. Here’s how it works: you pick a stationary object between you and the car in front of you. If you pass that object before you finish counting to three, then you’re too close to the car in front of you and you should slow down.
Doing this helps keep a safe distance from the next car and ultimately prevents you from exerting sudden force on your brakes. Stop-and-go traffic is actually one of the most demanding jobs for your brakes. Read that part again.
3.) Use One Foot at a Time When Driving (an Automatic Transmission Vehicle)
If you’re driving a car with an Automatic Transmission, you only have two pedals facing you: the gas pedal and the brake pedal. You don’t have to put one foot on each pedal at the same time. In fact, it would be detrimental to your safety to do that.
If you want to move forward, then step on the gas lightly. Having your other foot on the brake pedal will only hinder your acceleration. What that does is burn your brake discs and pads out faster.
4.) Perform Brake Flushes Regularly
A brake flush is the process of flushing out the water that your brakes attract. Yes, brakes naturally attract water, effectively decreasing the boiling point of the liquids inside the brake system. This results in corrosion.
By regularly flushing your brakes every two years, you reduce the amount of corrosion that your brake systems experience. Of course, everything has to be done in moderation, so make sure you don’t “over-flush” your brakes. Every two years is good enough.
5.) Manage Your Speed (Depending on Where You’re Driving)
Speed is the enemy of your brakes. The faster you go, the more force has to be exerted on your brakes to slow down and stop. We recommend you manage your speed according to the driving situation you’re in.
Don’t worry about not reaching your destination fast enough. Your safety, and that of your passengers, is infinitely more important. If you think you’re going too fast in a suburban area, you probably are. Driving at high speeds should be reserved for the highways (where there aren’t any residential areas or cats) and where traffic is expected to move fast.
Conclusion
The average life of car brake pads is between 25,000 and 65,000 miles. In order to reach the higher end of that spectrum, we recommend you follow these tips to extend the life of your brakes.
By the time you need a replacement, we at Axiombrakes will be ready to help you with your brake needs. Whether you’re replacing one part, or the whole system, we got you covered.