How Often Should You Replace Brake Pads?

How Often Should I Have My Brake Pads Replaced and Should You Replace All 4 Brake Pads At Once?

Your car's brake pads are designed to help you stop when you need to, but that doesn't mean you should wait until they have completely worn down before replacing them. It's smart to change your brake pads at least once every 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.

But why does this matter? Does changing your brake pads on schedule improve the safety of your vehicle and your driving experience? Or could it even cause unnecessary damage to your wheels? Read on as we explore how often you should get your brake pads replaced and whether it's good to replace all four brake pads at once.

What Factors Influence When You Should Replace Your Brake Pads

A handful of factors determine how often you're to change your brake pads. Some of these include miles traveled, car conditions, and climate conditions. Each factor is different, so you should always check with a trusted mechanic when deciding how often to replace brake pads. Some other signs to watch for are:

Intermittent Screeching: Often, when your brake pads begin to wear down, they start to screech when coming to a stop or when slowing down.

Pulsing Vibration When Brakes are applied: If you feel like your car's brakes are pulsing, then it may be time for new brake pads! Some cars have sensors that detect when a pad is wearing down, so it will pulse or shake to notify you before they completely break down.

Grinding Noises: When you apply your brakes and hear grinding noises, it is time to replace your brake pads immediately! When your brakes are grinding, when approaching a stop sign or driving over a bump, they drag against an uneven surface which causes friction and heat that quickly wears down your brakes.

Read our article about the Top 5 Causes of Brake Pads Wearing Unevenly to learn more.

Brake Pads: When to Replace Them

Ideally, brake pads are to be replaced every 25,000 miles or two years. This recommendation is based on a four-hour drive per day and moderate driving conditions. You may need to have your brake pads replaced more often in bad weather or heavy traffic.

If you drive your car more than four hours a day, consider replacing your brake pads every 15,000 miles. It's also ideal to have them checked out if you notice signs of wear (i.e., squeaking, vibration).
You can't judge how long they'll last by how they look, so don't rely solely on visual cues; instead, see an expert for a professional inspection.

Want to know how to extend the life of your brake pads? Check out this article https://nrsbrakes.com/2021/12/22/6-best-practices-to-extend-the-life-of-your-brake-pads/ to know more.

Should You Replace All 4 Brake Pads At Once?

If you sense your brake pads are not working as effectively as they used to, it may be time to replace them. But when should you replace all four brake pads? Most cars require a full set of brake pads to be replaced at once.

However, if you notice that one of your four brake pads is wearing down more quickly than others, you will want to have all four replaced at once, as it could cause issues with your braking power and performance if one is not working correctly.
Allowing too much pad material to wear away can result in excessive heat build-up and eventual damage to other components like rotors, calipers, or even wiring.

Nevertheless, some vehicles out there allow their drivers to replace individual brake pads instead of entire sets. This is done not to pay for new brake pads if one wears down before another. These types of systems will require a special tool called a brake-pad spreader which unlocks your rotor from your caliper so you can swap out your worn-down brake pad with a new one.

Conclusion

It is recommended that brake pads be replaced every 25,000 to 30,000 miles (every two years) or at least every other oil change. If you drive in regions with inclines such as hills or mountainous regions, it will likely be more often.

A quick way to check if your brake pads need replacing is by grabbing a pair of pliers and pushing down on them—if they make an audible thunk sound, then they are still okay.

Also, remember that rotors will wear out, even with regular pad replacements. So it may also be beneficial to have these services performed together.

For a complete list of NRS galvanized brake pads and vehicle compatibility, go to https://nrsbrakes.com/shop.