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Only 14K Miles and Need Rear Brake Pads - Suggestions

4K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  mhatle 
#1 ·
I have just under 14K miles and I already need rear brake pads. Probably 75% of the miles are highway. I have 35s and do hit the trails fairly frequently but still kind surprised the pads didn't last very long at all. I've been longing for more braking power but can't do the whole BBK thing right now. I'm just going to upgrade the front and rear pads for now.

I like aggressive braking power and not too worried about dust. Would like to keep the noise down, though. I have come across Hawk and EBC but don't know the difference between the colors.

Which brand aftermarket pads seem to the best for strong braking??
 
#2 ·
Wow! my 2013 JKU 65,000 miles still rocking the original front and rear, pads and rotors.
 
#3 ·
65K miles, wow. Mostly highway? Do you hit the trails?
 
#4 ·
No mostly country roads. have taken a few dozen weekend 120mile trips to the cabin and few trips to Michigan from New York. No trails yet. I have a feeling once I start pulling the camper I will need to replace the brakes.
 
#6 ·
Doing brake stands can smoke the back pads...:whistling:
 
#8 ·
Oh yea I was surprised when my rear brakes started to squeal and when I went to check all of em out the fronts still looked brand new at 40k miles. I think driving a manual does a little more damage too as my wife has an automatic with 40k and all brake pads still look really good.
 
#9 ·
So which aftermarket pads provide better braking power? I've heard mixed things about Hawk. What about EBC or Power Stop?
 
#10 ·
To increase the braking performance on your JK, I would recommend going with the Hawk LTS brake pads or the EBC Greenstuff. Keep in mind that these pads will give off a little more brake. However since you stated you don't mind the extra brake dust, then that won't be a problem. Also you do have to heat these pads up at a higher temperature to perform at it's best. So these pads may make some noise when cold but you just have to drive around to warm them up. I don't recommend the EBC Yellowstuff pads since these will be too aggressive if this is just a daily driven vehicle.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for your reply. I contemplated the EBC Yellow Stuff pads but decided they were too aggressive so bought the Green Stuff. I only drove for a day and then the Jeep went to the dealer to repair a rear main seal leak.... for the 4th or 5th time. I hope to break them in when I get the Jeep back. The day that I had them they seemed good. Could just be that I was comparing them to brakes that were toast. Time will tell...
 
#17 ·
Just to clarify. Your 2015 jeep only has 14k miles on it? Wore through rear brake pads already. And the motor's rear main seal is leaking? I know in this thread you are looking for brake pad advice, but it seems like there is another issue that needs addressing or you will be changing pads again in the near future. Many wranglers have heavy bumpers, oversized tires, go wheeling all the time and don't go through pads that quickly.

36k miles on my 13 with 35s and just installed a big rotor kit. Factory rear pads still had 50% life.
 
#15 ·
Yea I know something wasn't right but the braking power was weak after I added 35s, bumpers and a winch. The pads weren't expensive and I was looking into upgrading them anyway. I've done a lot of wheeling in the last 18 months so that contributed as well.
 
#18 ·
perfectly normal for a JK to wear through a set of rear pads in 15k- 20k miles or to go to 45k+ miles. depending on driving conditions and style.

The BLD will activate your rear brakes to keep your JK in line and in control (will also slow your speed down when you let off the gas) it will try to act like a LSD differential under hard acceleration. If you drive aggressive you will probably wear sooner as the computer reacts to changes in tire speed. If you drive like Granny on Sunday morning then your pads will last a long time. Throw weather in, rain, sleet, snow anything that will cause you to break traction can activate your BLD. Heck driving in stop and start traffic will amplify the effect.

Put in a bypass switch and you will be surprised at just how much you notice with the BLD turned off

Brake pads - personal choice I run the EBC yellow stuff, they work a little better than the stock set up did- will be going to larger rotors up front soon.

Vehicle set up, tire size, weight of add-ons, gears can also all effect your pad wear.


I used to change a lot of brake pads (front and rear) on realtor agent cars in the 10k to 15k range due to all their stop and start driving, the exact same model car for another would get 60k+ out of the pads
 
#20 ·
Brake pads - personal choice I run the EBC yellow stuff, they work a little better than the stock set up did- will be going to larger rotors up front soon.

Vehicle set up, tire size, weight of add-ons, gears can also all effect your pad wear.

I used to change a lot of brake pads (front and rear) on realtor agent cars in the 10k to 15k range due to all their stop and start driving, the exact same model car for another would get 60k+ out of the pads
How do you like the Yellow Stuff? I considered getting them but after talking with EBC we agreed they might be a bit too aggressive. I thought the Green Stuff was a better fit.
 
#23 ·
My rotors seem to be in good shape so I just bought the pads for now. I do plan to upgrade the rotors when the time comes and will look at them. I heard good things.
 
#25 ·
Yes I did. I used a Flashcal after upgrading tires.
 
#29 ·
I just changed my rear pads and rotors (~40k miles). Went with Centric rotors (OEM-like), and Hawk LTS pads. Didn't really need the rotors but figured what the hell if I have it all apart. They have been great so far - much better stopping power than stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
#30 ·
I just did the exact same thing, except on all 4 corners. With the 35's and steel bumpers i was looking for more stopping power, and I got it. So far i'm loving this new setup! Rear pads were within a hair of grinding at 40k, front looked like new. It's my personal opinion that the rear caliper is under-sized for all the brake load that is being distributed to them.
 
#31 ·
The JK's traction control/ABS system applies more braking to the rear then any other vehicle I've owned. In addition, if it senses wheel slip it will break one or the other side individually to give you more traction on the other side.

Combine this with people who have a manual transmission and the hill start assist.. and you -will- go through the rear pads much quicker then other vehicles.

I'm still on the original pads at 105k miles on the front (about 1/3 left), and on the second set on my rears w/ about 1/2 left.. (my first set lasted to 65k)

I've got LSD rear which helps, as well as I turned off the Hill Start Assist. I think that contributed a lot. (Note, I don't have larger then factory wheels/tires.)

2011 - JKU Sahara.
 
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