5k on rear pads WTF

[q45j30guy]

I repalced my rear pads 5k miles ago and they already need replaced. Okay, sure they they came from advance auto but still I would expect at least 15-20k before replacement. Not to mention I am easy on the car. I also check and make sure the calipers are able to float and that the pistons are working smoothly ie, not hanging up. Rotors are fine.

any ideas to a possible problem, or are the pads just that cheap?

[maxnix]

OEM pads. Who knows in a crapshoot?

[Q45tech]

Important that front and rear friction coefficient vs temp are exactly matched.....................also make sure the mastercylinder is as new as the rear portion could be sticking..............probably just the pads [incompatability].

[Rex]

Did you lube the caliper pins/slides? My guess is they're sticking and thus wearing very fast.Did all 4 pads wear the same amount in 5k?

[q45j30guy]

yes i did lube the pins. like you I would suspect that first thing. what is interesting is the last set of rear pads lasted about 20k and it was the right rear that wore out first. this go round it is the left rear. I started thinking proportioning valve or something like that, However the front brakes are working just fine and are wearing fine as well.

from all the posts here it sounds like I need to just call Joe and get OEM parts for both the front and rear.

Thanks to all this is a great resource of knowledge.

[Rex]

Did you notice excessive brake dust on the rear wheels?

[q45j30guy]

yes, much more then the fromt which i find odd. Is there a clue there?

[Rex]

Well if it's a hard hceap pad (which should last longer, not shorter) you should see less dust, but may have noticed the "hot brakes smell".

My guess is your front pads are hard and when applying enough pedal you were seeing greater rear (soft pad) wear than front (possibly hard pad). I know it's stretch, but we're just trying to piece the puzzle together.

[maxnix]

My guess is your front pads are hard and when applying enough pedal you were seeing greater rear (soft pad) wear than front (possibly hard pad). I know it's stretch, but we're just trying to piece the puzzle together.

I think this and Q45tech admonition may be a good clue. Must have same friction characteristics front and rear.

[mryzza]

Sounds like the same exact problem that I had. I got all OEM pads now and will see how they hold up. I will check them in around 6 months to see if some of them (the left rear ones) are wearing down faster than the others. If that happens then I will follow Q45tech's advice: Clean the pistons, replace the piston seals, etc.

Ugh, my rotor was completely grinded to ****. I'll post some pics later. I bet there were sparks flying from my rotor too when I pressed on the brakes.

[Q45tech]

Over the past 16 years [13 sets] I have ranged 19-27k in the life of the U85 rear pads.

The early wearouts occured when I tried a few sets of Axxis Metal Masters on the front. Except for 2 sets of front pads I've always used OEM.......U90, U91, U93...............which average around 22k.

One I started trueing my own rotors I increased there average life to 40-44K so they were changed with every 2nd pad set.

Obviously driving style matters applications per mile so different people can get 15k> 40k from pads.

[q45j30guy]

yup, I agree. time to suck it up and buy new rotors and pads for all 4 wheels. It is unfortunate for me that I did all my brake work prior to finding this site as everyone here says OEM only. I had decent success in the past with aftermarket pads and rotors on my Legend so I took a chance on the Q. . Oh well working on the Q keeps me out of trouble.

[q45j30guy]

oh yea...I see Brembo rotors mentioned in several threads so Brembo rotors or OEM? Or does Brembo make OEM rotors so they are one the same.

[maxnix]

Brembo doesn't make the OEM rotors. Check TR for plain or our excellent sponsor http://www.infinitipartsusa.com for the drilled and plated Stillen Brembo combination posted in a thread by Joe here.

[qship96]

over the 182,000 miles i have driven the q--front pads last 70,000 miles,rear pads 50,000 miles--almost exactly according to my receipts that I reviewed today.

[Q45tech]

The 90-93 and 94-96 use entirely different compounds even though the mechanical systems [rotors calipers are identical].

The later years were significantly less agressive and took longer to stop. Combination of tires and pads.

You must not do much panic stopping from 85 mph on interstates when no signal people change lanes every 30 seconds...............Atlanta averages 80 mph in 55 mph zones on our expressways.

[qship96]

all my highway driving is done at max. safe speeds for conditions,usually 80-90mph,with v1 on,just dont do panic stops- try to plan around them! brake compounds are same according to I.O.S. for f/r pad replacements 90-96q

[Q45tech]

There have been at least 4 different COMMON pad compounds for just the 90-93 Q alone U90, U91, U92, and U93 and various special subsets [women realestate pads] along the way. The U85 rear pads have stayed close to same except the dropping of copper content as the year progressed.

Smart people over the years saved multiple copies of the best pads for themselves based on testing.............I still have 2 sets of the U90 and U93 wheras dealers try to push the U91 series what they can get from regional warehouses.

Just like the oil and air filters whose imports were discontinued from Japan and heco en Mexico substituted.

I save my old pads for measurement and logging/graphing to study the differential wear...........why one wheel set wear more than another inside and out it warns me of changes in individual calipers/piston bore seals, etc. and bearing suspension problems.

When pads wear differently investigate and repair the problem.

[q45j30guy]

Thanks for everyones input. Spoke with Joe today and I will be the proud owner of Stillen rotors and matching pads for all 4 wheels in about 3 weeks.

My rear rotors are currently ground hamburger and the pads so far past the rivots and thin they are about to slip out between the rotor and caliper. I just love getting every ounce of use out of something.

so in the morning I will throw on a cheapy set of rear pads from Advance Auto to tide me over till the REAL DEAL arrives from Joe.