Rear Brakes Wear Faster Than Front?

Discussion forum for the Infiniti JX35 / Infiniti QX60 - This 7-seat premium crossover dominates the class.
GSPKurt
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:02 pm
Car: 2013 Infiniti JX35

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Just bought a '13 JX35, only 30k miles. The rear pads are worn noticeably more that the front. Have any of you had this happen? Is it common with this vehicle?


AlabamaDan
Posts: 1748
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2002 12:37 pm
Car: 2015 Infiniti Q70
1998 Infiniti QX4

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I would've thought it was the other was around.

GSPKurt
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:02 pm
Car: 2013 Infiniti JX35

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AlabamaDan wrote:
Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:53 am
I would've thought it was the other was around.
I agree!

mnummy
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:37 am
Car: JX35

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Just FYI here. I bought a 2011 Cadillac Escalade in 2015 that had 29k on it. 2 months in I took it to a shop to have the tires rotated and balanced. The guy tells me that it needs rear brakes. I had owned 2 other Yukon XLs (same drive train) that I put over 200k miles on. I knew there was no way this car needed brakes at 29k. So he takes me and shows me and sure enough the brakes were almost completely worn out. This made me suspicious of the mileage so I checked with my local dealer to find the latest service records on it. Turns out the last time the car was serviced at a GM dealer was in 2014 and it had over 107k miles on it. I say this to say, I would not expect the rear brakes on your vehicle to be worn out at 30k. I replaced mine on my JX35; front at 50k and rear at 90k. So you might want to verify that that is the actual miles. FYI carfax is not the way to do that ;-)

GSPKurt
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:02 pm
Car: 2013 Infiniti JX35

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mnummy wrote:
Mon Sep 17, 2018 8:19 am
Just FYI here. I bought a 2011 Cadillac Escalade in 2015 that had 29k on it. 2 months in I took it to a shop to have the tires rotated and balanced. The guy tells me that it needs rear brakes. I had owned 2 other Yukon XLs (same drive train) that I put over 200k miles on. I knew there was no way this car needed brakes at 29k. So he takes me and shows me and sure enough the brakes were almost completely worn out. This made me suspicious of the mileage so I checked with my local dealer to find the latest service records on it. Turns out the last time the car was serviced at a GM dealer was in 2014 and it had over 107k miles on it. I say this to say, I would not expect the rear brakes on your vehicle to be worn out at 30k. I replaced mine on my JX35; front at 50k and rear at 90k. So you might want to verify that that is the actual miles. FYI carfax is not the way to do that ;-)
That is a valid concern, however, the seller is a friend of the family who's husband passed. We are familiar with the vehicle.

Luckynjun
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 5:52 pm
Car: 2014 Q50 AWD Touring, technology, driver assist packages
2015 QX60 AWD Touring, technology, driver assist packages
Location: Central coast, California

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I was just at my Infiniti dealer to have my service guy inspect my 2015 QX60 AWD I just bought. The subject came up about why the rear rotors appeared to only be worn on about 2/3 of the width. Service guy said the rear pads are smaller than the front, do not use the full width of the rotor, and wear out more quickly. WTF? I replied. No reason, just how it is. He showed me a QX80 in the service bay that looked the same. I saw on the service record for my car that the rotors had already been turned by the original owner. So, known issue with no answer.

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AZhitman
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Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
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Hold up - Why are we assuming that just because the rears are worn more than the fronts, that they've been on the car the same mileage?

My guess, and I'm sure others will back me up, is front pads get replaced about 2x as often as rears.

So, it's likely the car had the fronts replaced a while back, and the rears still had quite a bit of life left.

GSPKurt
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 2:02 pm
Car: 2013 Infiniti JX35

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There's only 30k miles on it, we know the original owner (friends for 20+ years), and know the fronts have never been replaced.

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AZhitman
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Posts: 71061
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
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Are you certain the rear pads are the same thickness as the fronts when new?

Also, if it's not acting up, and if there's no discoloration on the rotors (purple / brown) that would indicate overheating from drag, then I'd say don't sweat it. Drive it and enjoy it - The JX is a great car!

With that few miles, and a car that's almost 7 years old, my concern would be that the calipers STILL require servicing - lubrication of the shims, sliders, etc. Pad wear is certainly an indicator of remaining brake life, but it's not the determining factor.

Mtech2
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 5:33 pm
Car: 2019 Infiniti QX60 AWD Pure with Essential Pack
2017 Rogue SV FWD
2009 Ford Flex SEL FWD
Location: SW Ontario

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I also experienced the same situation with my old VW Passat, the rears would last 1/2 the life of the front brakes. It was because the car was designed to have a rear brake bias to reduce front end dip on normal braking. I expect the QX60 is set up the same, keeps the car more level, stops the Big Gulp from spilling from the cup holders

jkm3093
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:23 am
Car: 2018 Infiniti Qx60
2014 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum
2004 Pathfinder LE

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We have both a 2018 QX60 and 2014 Pathfinder since new (76k miles). Brakes are the same on both & on the Pathfinder I just finished changing all pads but rotors were in perfect shape so I skipped turning or replacing them. Front pads were replaced once before but 1st time for the rear.
front pad thickness: 10 mm new; 2 mm wear limit, 6 mm when changed.
rear pad thickness: 8.5 mm new; 2 mm wear limit, 4 mm when changed.


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