One the key issues on the general thread surely has to be how long do we accept
pads
should last in the first place. Obviously, it all depends on how the brakes are
used.
I think I've never been a 'hard' user of brakes - much preferring a more
relaxed driving
style in which the car's general progress is largely controlled by the volume of
surrounding traffic and use of the gearbox.
I've met many people who feel that 12000 miles for a set of pads or front tyres
is
entirely reasonable. For the majority, I suspect it is not they who are paying
for the
replacements but their employers.
I have every expectation for pads to last me at least 40-50000 miles and I get
angry with
myself if I can't get more than 35000 out of a set of tyres before they show
signs of
aquaplaning. In the past, I've expected a set of discs to go for at least
100,000 miles -
barring scoring from unwanted stones in the calipers The roads I use regularly
are not
smooth asphalt, are rarely straight for long periods and are mainly rural. Deep
in the
heart of Gloucestershire, they are usually fairly rough tarmac and this has a
wear effect
on tyres akin to 80 grit sandpaper. I have my tracking checked at least twice a
year. In
years past when I made extensive use of motorways, 60,000 from a set of tyres
was by no
means unusual but this was when cars had power steering as an option and such
an accessory
was mostly fitted to 'barges.' It's nice to have it on my LFC but I'm of the
opinion that
if a small Eurobox really needs power steering, the guy who designed it in the
first place
still needs to learn a thing or two about front suspension design and some of
the more
basic principles of steering geometry.
Cheers
Jonmac
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