Eco driving is good for brakes

[JRMichler]

Just measured the brake linings on my truck at 91,000 miles.

Front: Currently 6 mm remaining, 12 mm when new, wear limit is 1 mm.
Rear: Currently 3 mm remaining, 4.5 mm when new, wear limit is 1 mm.

Since I have three downhill full stops on my commute to work, and a few more downhill stops on weekends, I'd say that's not too bad.

[Frank Lee]

That is pretty good. My '94 still sports all the original brake pads and shoes. And BTW, the battery too! I've owned it since new and it would be an easy thing to compile the short list of every single component that's EVER been replaced or serviced.

[NeilBlanchard]

In general, yes it is good for brakes. But, too much of a good thing can lead to rusty brakes - so using them just enough to keep them healthy, but not so much as to wear them out too quickly.

[Frank Lee]

I hear that can be a hybrid problem.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I hear that can be a hybrid problem.

Yep, I hardly ever use my brakes, even with the steepest hill out here (6% grade) I can maintain speed with regen only. In the city, brake usage is extremely moderate, most time slowing down is coasting or regen braking.

[serialk11r]

Probably depends on your car too, the PO of my car only used half the original brake pads up in 12 years and 138k miles of driving, but having a <1 ton car helps a lot. Almost all my braking is engine braking so I have basically not used any of the pads up.

[cowmeat]

Since I installed the brake regen button in Turtle, I can literally go my entire commute without using the brakes! My front pads are at about half, and I may never need to change them no matter how long I own it. I never even plan on checking the shoes in the back since they outlast two or three sets of pads anyway.

When I press the regen button, not only does it slow the car by using the electric assist motor in regenerative mode, but the button also causes the brake lights to turn on, so my slowing doesn't surprise anybody behind me.

[atomicradish]

I agree, it helps with brake wear simply by conservation of momentum. I think it also is helping to extend the life of the transmission in my Honda Accord. I haven't done any sort of empirical study, but I'd estimate my driving habits eliminate greater than 50% of the 1-2-3 shifts. Car has 260k on it, but I unfortunately don't know if it is on the original transmission or not. Would be cool if it was though.

[slowmover]

Truck in sig

1 brake re line still at 50%+
Original clutch
Second set replacement tires recent
New ujoints and HVAC fan only repairs
Stays at 1k over factory weight

Tire wear is pretty much the overall easy marker for vehicle component life and mpg, IMO.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Problem with never using your brakes is they may not work when you really need them.

In my old MB100 I was slightly surprised by an ambulance at a cross road (you can't hear the sirens in modern cars anymore), I went for the brakes and wasn't too impressed with the lack of braking power. The brakes were in good condiition having recently (but not too recently) had new pads/ discs/ sliders lubed/ fluid.

Since then I've tried to give the brakes an occasional heavy workout when a stop is unavoidable anyway. Even so my new Renault still squeals a lot suggesting glazed pads and discs.