Factory Brake Pads

[decru]

Just curious how others have faired with there original brake pads? I have a 2001 Corolla S, 5 speed. About 111,000 miles and I still have not replcaed the front pads. They have about a 5mm wear left so I will probably have to take care of it this spring, but wondering if this is unusual? Anyone else seen this longetivity with their brakes?

[fishexpo101]

Depends on the driving conditions and how you drive. Not unusual to have brakes last a long time if you do a lot of highway cruises and if traffic isn't too bad. Some have hit well over 100K miles on the original front brakes, same with the rear drum brake shoes - some are running into 200K miles range on original shoes.

On my 2002 - I burned though the first set of pads in about 24K-25K miles (DC Metro traffic). Switched to a performance pad - little more noise and dust, but increased stopping power and reduced brake fade worked perfectly with me.

In your case, you'd probably benefit in sticking with the OEM pad - seeing how they help up for you. Only thing I would be concerned there is with the rotor thickness, double check to make sure the rotor is not too thin. Not only do they have to contend with the friction material of the brake pads, but corrosion from the elements.