Pads Gone in 20K

[Bob_La_Londe]

2002 S-10 Extended Cab 2wd WT. 4.3L V-6

Original front brakes were down to the scrapers in 35K miles. I replaced with lifetime pads from one of the parts houses.

Now, I know they really won't last a lifetime, but these went in 20K, and I never heard the scrapers. One pad is into the disc, and it will have to be turned or replaced for sure. The front that is into the disc probably came apart suddenly yesterday in a panic stop/swerve situation, as immediately afterwards there was metal on metal grinding and there was not before.

Why did they go so fast? Proportioning valve problem?

The truck does have a serious load on it all the time, but its had it since about 5K miles from new. GemTop steel work cap. 3-4 fiberglass ladders on top. Tools and parts in the side boxes of the cap, and several boxes of communications wire in the bed at all time. I had a couple real leaf springs added to the spring stack at about 10K miles from new so it would ride right with its everyday load.

When I replaced the fronts the first time the backs were about half worn. I checked the backs a while back and they were down to about a third. I had planned to replace the backs this month anyway on my maintenance schedule so now I get to do both, and a disc.

[old_master]

A "pad slap" is a cheap short cut and will end up costing you more in the long run. The original brakes last longer because everything in the system is new and working properly, front and rear. That's why it's always recommended to replace calipers, hardware, pads, and resurface or replace the rotors with every front brake job. Rear brakes need to be serviced at the same interval as the fronts. Clean & adjust the shoes and lubricate the backing plates for drum brakes, or lubricate the slides if it has rear disc brakes. Front brakes do about 70% of the work, if the rears are not serviced properly, the fronts end up doing more work and wear quicker. Bottom line: Doing half the job will get you half the miles.

[j cAT]

I agree that on these rear drum brake vehicles the rear shoes last 100,000mi and the front brake pads are gone in 20,000mi....

the rears shoes/brakes do nothing,,, the front is working overtime to stop the vehicle....rear shoes need frequent adjusting,, this will keep this from occuring...

since this is a work/loaded vehicle this is even more important ..

after you adjust the rear shoes you will find the vehicle will brake much better...also OEM brake material is better quality then some of the aftermarket brands...I use the overpriced OEM brake pads...and this has caused me to see fewer issues with this type of rapid wear of pads/rotors..

the other issue is drum wear,,drums must be close to the same radius size as the shoes if the shoes are worn only at the edge,not completely on the face ,,,the drum is most likely to worn...

If you replace the drums/shoes use caution when first braking as you will see this is gonna stop the vehicle much faster...