How to Make Your Brakes Last Longer

6 tips

• Brake early and gently. Hard stops from speed wear pads fast; lifting off the gas early and braking smoothly spreads the work over more time and less heat.
• Avoid riding the brake pedal on long downhills. Shift to a lower gear and let the engine slow the car instead. This is called engine braking, and it keeps your brakes cool.
• Keep your speed down in stop-and-go traffic. Every hard stop from 40 mph wears the pads more than a gentle stop from 20 mph.
• Get the brakes inspected at every tire rotation, about every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Catching a worn pad early costs a pad set; waiting until it grinds costs rotors too.
• Do not overload the car. Extra weight means the brakes work harder on every stop, so clear out heavy gear you do not need.
• Fix a sticking caliper right away. If one wheel is much hotter than the others after a drive, or the car pulls to one side when braking, a caliper may be dragging. Have a qualified technician check it.

Related tool

Repair Cost Estimator →