Brake Pad Thickness – What Is The Minimum And Recommended Brake Pad Thickness?
“Brake discs are the modern-day equivalent of the brake shoes that were used in the older drum braking system. Nowadays, most vehicles use a disc braking system to allow the driver to slow down and stop their vehicle. This system is comprised of a brake calliper which contains pistons and brake pads. There is also a spinning disc that rotates along with the wheel when the vehicle is moving. The calliper applies pressure to the brake pad, causing the pad to push against the brake disc. The friction created between the brake pad and brake disc causes the wheel to slow down its rotation. This happens whenever the driver steps on the brake pedal.
The materials used to construct brake pads include steel backing plates, shims, friction materials, rubberized coatings, and thermal insulation coatings. These are strong materials, but they are not strong enough to last forever. There will come a time when your brake pads will need to be replaced. Since the brake pads get used whenever you step on the brake pedal, they tend to wear out after about 80,000 kilometres. However, you can get a longer life out of your brake pads if you use ones which have the right thickness. We will go over thickness levels below.
The Minimum Thickness
When your brake pads rub up against the discs, it wears down their friction material. When we measure the thickness of a brake pad, we are measuring the thickness of this material. If your friction material were to get too thin, then it would not be able to slow down your vehicle quickly after you step on the brake pedal. If the material dissipated completely, then your brakes would ultimately fail. Therefore, your brake pads need a minimum thickness of 6.4 millimetres or more. You may be able to get away with less thickness, but certainly nothing less than 3.2 millimetres. Between 3.2 and 6.4 millimetres is when you should replace your brake pads. And brake pads replacement cost is varying depend on the type and material of brake pads.
The Recommended Thickness
If you are purchasing new brake pads, then you will want their friction material to be around 12 millimetres. This is the standard thickness size that you will see for most new brake pads. It should take about 80,000 (more or less) for the thickness to decrease to 6.4 millimetres. It all depends on how aggressively and frequently you use your brakes. The best way to get the right brake pads is to get them replaced at the dealership which sold you the vehicle.”
Source Credits
https://oards.com/minimum-and-recommended-brake-pad-thickness/
All opinions expressed in this article are not the onus of the publisher nor supplier.