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Average Life Span of Brakes?

42K views 93 replies 59 participants last post by  Murphy Slaw  
#1 ·
I only have 22K on my Pat so far, but just curious what the average has been for pads.
 
#2 ·
That's a great question, I have 36,000 on mine and am curious too. Usually 4 wheel discs will mean front brakes wear faster. I also wonder if the brakes are beefed up on the trail rated version? They don;t appear any different than the others I've seen.

I usually get longer brake life than others with the same vehicles. I like to look ahead and use gears or just slow sooner. I don;t like to use brakes too much. In fact, I get unhappy when behind folks on 2 lane highways that go 60-65 up hill (where the passing lanes are) and then are on their brakes the whole time on the downhill stretch and only going 45-50. I always assume they are in the brake business, lol. Sort of a pet peeve of mine. The Patriot will just drift in gear at around 55 or so, no need for gas or brake IMHO.
 
#3 ·
It depends on the driver, and driving conditions.

If you drive all highway, you might make it to 80-100k miles before you need brakes.

If you drive all city, like I do, I'd imagine 30-50K and you'll need brakes.

I think the patriot will be harder on brakes than most vehicles because of the ESP. Since it is constantly using the brakes to prevent wheel spin, and body roll, they will probably wear a little faster than the average car without ESP.
 
#6 ·
41,500ish miles right now, most of it city/suburban driving, and I'm not to replacement time yet. I'm not too hard on my brakes, but I don't often see front brakes going 50K miles, which these seem like they will do.

Front brake pads ALWAYS wear faster than rear, whether disc or drum brakes. That's just the way things are.
 
#15 ·
52,000 miles at my last inspection, and they must have been pretty good as they didn't mention it, and they always do if they think I'll need them replaced in the next 6 months or so.

I try to drive smooth, no real sudden stops or starts, I try to look way ahead to see what going to happen.
 
#17 ·
I'm right at 50,000 miles and still on the original brakes. I'm probably 60% highways or interstates so not a lot of city driving, and I use the tranny to control my speed on hills. Due for inspection in November and I'm expecting brakes to come up in our conversation--they're starting to squeak when braking at low speeds.
 
#19 ·
I am in sales, lots of stop and go driving, and my 2007 Caliber made it 92,000 miles and still did not need brakes. The transmission was shot, but no brakes.
 
#20 ·
a guy in my neighborhood runs the service dept at our local Chrysler/Jeep dealer - he said the brakes on the Patriots seem to last quite a long time - they've don very few brake jobs on Pats. I think the brakes are generously sized given the light weight of the vehicle.
He commented on the low cost of ownership in general.
 
#22 ·
I have just replaced the front pads on my 2007 CRD because I assumed i'd need 'em at 40K miles.

(A colleague wore his down to the metal at 30K)

On inspection, they weren't even half worn, which is why the brakes felt so 'wooden'

With new 'Blueprint' branded pads (ÂŁ50 for a front set) it was not a cheap change but the brakes feel great, so I'll do the back end too.

I can keep the originals in case I need 'em for if I ever I sell the car, although I intend keeping it forever !
 
#24 ·
My 08 had front disc/rear drum and at 42,000 miles I was starti.g to get a faint squel occasionally. Usually while backing up. I was thinking it was time to replace them, but then other circumstances changed that of course. Remember though, I ran a set of very heavy 20" chrome wheels for over a year which I'm sure added to the wear of the pads significantly.
 
#28 ·
My Patriot had between 32K miles when the front pads and brake rotors failed. All conservative country miles. No stop and go city streets, or hard stops. No warning squeals from pad wear indicators. The rotors could not be turned. The ouboard pads had 1/4" of material left, but the inboard pads were down to the metal. Strange considering the caliper supposedly floats on the rotors.

Tonight, at 33K miles, I got a squeal from a rear pad wear indicator. Same scenario. Plenty of outboard pad, no inboard pad. I suspect the rotors are scored on the inside. Haven't had a chance to get the wheel off to check. Too cold, and too much snow.

I believe the Patriot traction control has a problem with cold temperatures, and or salt, and causes the rapid deterioration of the bakes. I just got two new control arms, tie rod ends brake pads and rotors on the front, and anticipate buying new rear pads and rotors this week. On a car that only has 33K miles on it, and has never gone offroad. This is not what I expected from Jeep!
 
#30 ·
I used to down shift a lot to slow down. But I have tried to 'break' myself of that habit. Braking instead of downshifting wears the brakes faster, but downshifting increases wear on your clutch, transmission and engine.
I say use your brakes more, replace them more often and have less wear on your drivetrain (the expensive stuff!).
 
#32 ·
had both front and rear changed out to ceramic pads on Monday. My front was at less than 10% left and I kept feeling rubbing/ grabbing on the passenger side. I was told this could have been my warning indicator. Since having them changed out, that "symptom" is gone.
I only made it to 44,5XX miles. This car is ridic.
I feel stupid for buying a Jeep at this point. :(