Typical Brake Life

[dgoodhue]

What is the typical brake life for the 98-02 Corrolla/Prizm's? My car just turn 55K miles. One of my passenger mention my rear brakes sound like they need replacement>

[89molavi]

The mileage sounds right. Usually the front goes first. It is VERY dependable on how you drive and what you do with your car. If you use it for a 150 mile/day commute with no traffic it is going to be much less wear on the brake than using it for in town stop and go.

[stubborn1]

If you drive like my wife = every 25k miles
me = 60k miles

55k miles sounds like you did pretty well with the brakes. Jack up one side, pull the wheels and look at the thickness of the pad/shoe.

[freakinbox]

it really depends on couple things

-quality of brake parts
-how you use them, hard, soft, ride them

best thing you can do is check them....

[diver9000]

No doubt.. If it sounds like they need to be changed, and they stop like they need to be changed .... then they probably need to be changed. Like what has already been said... there is no set mileage for replacement. Generally back brakes (drum brakes) last about 3 times as long as front brakes but not always. Are your back brakes discs or drums?

[dgoodhue]

Originally Posted by freakinbox

it really depends on couple things

-quality of brake parts
-how you use them, hard, soft, ride them

best thing you can do is check them....

My best guess is the brakes are original.

I have a long highway commute, but I am not sure how the 2 previous drove. The more recent owner was a woman.

I will check them this weekend, my work is 75 miles from my house (mostly highway), so I don't have the time to pull everything apart.

Originally Posted by diver9000

Generally back brakes (drum brakes) last about 3 times as long as front brakes but not always. Are your back brakes discs or drums?

The backs are drums.

[Sienna_Driver]

On my wife's 95 corolla dx, they lasted 90k miles and still going strong, but I replaced them anyway.

[freakinbox]

well I say when you check them, pull the pads off, inspect them. They might still be thick... but age can also crack them

[punter]

Three track days.

Oh wait, that probably doesn't help.

[touringcamry]

This may or may not help you since I have a 00 Camry but...

The original front brake pads on my car lasted about 32000 mi with a mix of city (lots of stop and go for traffic lights) and a good amount of highway driving. My mom had a 23 mi commute, but 4 miles was on city streets with stop lights every 1/4 mi or so.

At 32000 mi, I replaced the pads with Hawk HPS without resurfacing the rotors. My mom drove the car for another 9000mi or so with her commute. At this point, I bought the car and put another 40000 mi on the car, but the brake pads are only 60% worn out. My driving is mostly rural highways so there are traffic lights but they are maybe 7-10 miles apart in desolate areas and maybe 2 miles apart in more populated areas.

So it really depnds on how you drive.

If brakes are squealing, it could be a result of dirt or other materials getting between the the friction material and the rotor or drum. Spraying the surface down with brake cleaner can help some. This is a very common problem out here because the sand gets kicked by wind and goes everywhere.

[diver9000]

[quote=touringcamry]This may or may not help you since I have a 00 Camry but...

You were right: It didnt make any difference.

You shouldnt have to take much more than the tires off to check the front brakes pads. There is a view hole in the calipers and you can see how much pad is left without removing the calipers. On the other hand freak is right too, they could be cracked and you wont know unless you physically pull them and inspect them.
The back brakes are easy to inspect. Pull the tires and pull the drum. If the drums are tight, give them a couple good whacks with a hammer or rubber mallet and they should come loose. When you check the back brakes DONT use the e-brake. If you do you wont ever get your drums off or back on for that matter. Dump out the brake dust and check out how much of the brake shoes are left.
Good Luck.

[dgoodhue]

I pulled them apart, it appears as though the dealer I bought my car from replace the front and rear pads. I think they used really cheap pads/shoes. I light sanded the pad surfaces. They sound better now. I will probably replace them with oem parts in the near future, when I have time.