Rear brake lining worn out faster that front!

[BEN66]

I just took my Rogue 08 to dealership for OIL change and received a call that Rear brake pads needs to be replaced.
I kind of surprised how rear pads worn out faster than front but when I checked previous inspection reports realized: it has been like this for a while.
35000 miles:
Front Brake Lining 50%
Front Brake Lining 40%

46500 miles:
Front Brake Lining 40%
Front Brake Lining 10%

can someone help me understand why my rear brake linings are wearing out faster that Front? is this normal for Rogue? I have extended warranty on this car. Could I claim and get dealership to fix the problem if it is not normal.

[BEN66]

Not even one reply in 7 days??

[kerrton]

Hi Ben,

I apologize for the lack of responses, normally we are very quick to respond with numerous opinions and options for help, and we take great pride in this on NICO forums. Unfortunately sometimes we let one slip through the cracks.....

Normally I would expect the front to wear out a little quicker than the rear, but the front pads are thicker when new so often they are due to be replaced at almost the same time. My recommendation would be to get the exact measurements on the pads and compare to these specs so you can judge exactly the difference in wear.

New pads: 11mm front and 8.5mm rear.
The minimum wear thickness: 2mm front and 1.5mm rear.

It may be that your front pads are close to the wear limit too and your service guys are trying to help you get a few more thousand miles out of them but in reality they may be very close to needing replacement too. Often it's more convenient and economical to replace pads on all 4 wheels at once even if they aren't all completely worn out. I'm just guessing here, I could be wrong, that's why I'd suggest getting the measurements on all your pads to know for sure what's happening.

Also there are 3 existing threads discussing brake replacement and maintenance with really good info, you can access all three threads from here: post6077149.html?hilit=brakes#p6077149

I'm sure we'll get some more discussion on your specific question as well.

[philipa_240sx]

Premature rear disc brake wear can be caused by lack of lubrication. I found this out the hard way with my '03 Altima.

Rear disc brakes see a lot of debris kicked up by the front wheels. This tends to get trapped in between the sliding parts of the caliper. Eventually the outboard pad becomes seized to the caliper and the inboard pad is forced to do twice as much work. Left unchecked, the inboard pad will wear right down the metal backing plate and cause considerable damage to the rotor. Meanwhile the outboard pad will be almost new.

Solution?

The rear brakes must be completely disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled at least once per year. Preferably in the spring.

I have written a great little Tech Article outlining the process:

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/nissan ... rvice.html

By servicing the rear brakes regularly, you should get many trouble free miles. And typically they should last up to 2x longer than the fronts. Your mileage may vary of course!

[Rob's Rogue]

Just my two cents but I think it is a common misconception that the front brakes do most of the work when, in effect, it is the rear brakes that really stop the car without incurring excessive nose dive or loss of control. In fact most cars today that are equipped with 4-wheel disk brakes have a brake force distribution valve that biases more of the braking force to the rears than to the fronts. This helps the driver keep the car better under control especially when applying full braking force in normal as well as emergency situations. Although this is my first rice-burner, all of the German cars that I have owned needed rear brakes way before the fronts. In fact, one VW Passat that I drove to 70K needed two sets of rears while the fronts were still original! So, nothing new here, just get the rears replaced and be glad that your mechanic caught this before the calipers started digging into the rotors.

One comment to philipa's response on needing to clean the rear brakes on a yearly basis. I've never heard of this before. Perhaps this might be necessary up in the great North, but stateside, I've never known this to be true. No manufacturer that I know of recommends this. Let's face it, brake components are engineered to work even when they do get dirty unless we're talking major abuse from ice, snow and road salt buildup. But hey, whatever floats your boat! Peace out!

[philipa_240sx]

Rob's Rogue,

I have to strongly disagree with your statements.

The only car that comes close to 50:50 F/R braking 'capacity' is the Porsche 911... and perhaps the old VW Beetle. With the engine mounted behind the rear axle, they have enough rear weight bias to allow significantly more rear braking than a front or mid-engined vehicle. Porsche drivers know this very well as they can usually brake later and harder into corners... a definite advantage on the race track!

During braking, the majority of the vehicle's weight is transferred to the front wheels. The rears at best provide ~30% total braking capacity. We can't change the laws of physics... we've only got so much grip from the lightly loaded rear tires. Any more and we would just lock up the rear brakes due to lack of grip. This can become very dangerous as locked rear wheels can cause an oversteer condition and loss of control. To prevent this, most cars use brake biasing that is either electronically controlled or utilizes a mechanical pressure control valve on the rear brakes.

So how does this all relate to rear brake wear?

There are so many other factors involved that we cannot attribute brake wear to simple braking bias. Vehicle design, brake pad surface area and composition, driving habits/patterns, whether you tow or carry alot of cargo, and proper brake maintenance all play a factor.

What about maintenance?

Although Nissan does not specifically recommend it, it has been my experience that proper brake maintenace is key for the performance and longevity of the braking system. At least annually, the brakes should be inspected, cleaned, and lubricated. This is especially important in snow belt areas where I live, but the same advice applies to vehicles in any climate. IMHO, any mechanic worth his salt would recommend at least yearly servicing of all 4 brakes. It's good preventative maintenance.

In the past many have gotten away with practically no maintenance of the brakes on thier vehicles. But honestly, this is not the brightest idea. A panic stop is not the time to find out that your brakes don't work! Rear drum brakes are partly to credit for this as they require little maintenance. You could 'get away with it'. But modern 4 wheel disc brake systems have made proper maintenance more important than ever.

I learned the hard way what happens when you don't properly maintain brakes...

One of my first rear disc brake vehicles ('03 Altima) suffered early rear brake pad wear and near failure of the braking system. The pads and caliper had so badly siezed due to lack of lubrication that I ended up completely replacing most of the rear brake components at considerable expense to repair it. Ever since then, I have been servicing the brakes annually on all my vehicles and the problem has never re-occured.

On another occasion, the front brakes of my '87 Pathfinder had worn right down to the metal backing plates of the brake pad. Once again, I failed to inspect and clean the brakes.

Finally...

My goal here is to offer sound advice for fellow Nissan owners. Drive safe out there!

[psfod3]

I have a 08 Rogue with 77500 miles on it. I just replaced my back brakes. There were about 3mm left on the pads, so I most likley could of put another 5 to 10 thousand miles on them but I decides to play it safe. I still have not done the front pads I believe I was told there was around 5mm left on them.

[robmil72]

i have a different situation. last summer my left rear pads wore down to the metal at about 50k. the front and right rear pads had normal wear. i i replaced the rotors and installed ceramic pads. after 5 months i found the left rear pads were wearing faster than the right. i lubricated the sliders and the back sides of the pads with the recommended product during installation. when the wheels (left and right) are off the ground and i free spin them i can hear and feel the pads make intermittant contact with the rotors. some times i have brake "judder". should i replace the caliper? i live in an area with lots of road salt. 08 rogue owner.

[ImStricken06]

last summer my left rear pads wore down to the metal at about 50k.

did you ever bleed the brakes? could be trapped air in a line that grows and causes a caliper to activate

when the wheels (left and right) are off the ground and i free spin them i can hear and feel the pads make intermittent contact with the rotors.

pretty normal honestly

some times i have brake "judder".

aside from worn rotors, overheated brakes will cause this as well.

your car ever pull to the left?

[robmil72]

last summer my left rear pads wore down to the metal at about 50k.

did you ever bleed the brakes? could be trapped air in a line that grows and causes a caliper to activate

when the wheels (left and right) are off the ground and i free spin them i can hear and feel the pads make intermittent contact with the rotors.

pretty normal honestly

some times i have brake "judder".

aside from worn rotors, overheated brakes will cause this as well.

your car ever pull to the left?

my car doesn't pull to the left that i can tell. i read my 08 rogue has brake assist, anti-lock, traction control and electronic brake force distribution. all of these i conclude can effect the brake force applied each of the calipers. can my left rear caliper be incorrectly called upon to provide a greater share of the braking? the tire wear seems normal. i usually drive my car modestly.