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Brake Pad FAQ

What Are Brake Pads And How Do They Work?

Have you ever thought about how your vehicle stops when you’re driving down the road and slam on your brakes? The braking system on your vehicle is made up of a few different core components that ultimately translates into your vehicle stopping when your press down on the pedal.

There’s two different types of brake pads that your vehicle could have: disc brakes or drum brakes. In both cases, your braking system works by using friction and resistance to convert the kinetic energy created by your rotating tires into heat energy and in turn, slowing the rotation of your tires.

Brake pads are a key component in the braking system because they’re the piece that contacts your vehicle’s disc rotors to create the friction needed to stop your vehicle. Brake pads will typically wear down once your vehicle has traveled 25,000-60,000 miles on the road.

When your brake pads wear down, you’ll typically notice one or multiple of the following brake repair symptoms:

Brake wear indicator on vehicle dashboard

Your brake pads are naturally designed to squeak whenever they reach a certain thickness (around 2mm). Whenever you begin to hear brake squeaking, you should get your brakes repair as soon as possible to ensure no further damage to your rotors or braking system. Many newer cars have electronic pad wear sensors built into the brake pads on these vehicles, a check brake light will illuminate on the dashboard when the brake pad has reached a certain thickness. We suggest checking your vehicle owner’s manual to confirm what the brake repair light symbol looks like.

Grinding, squeaking or squealing brakes

Your brake pads are naturally designed to squeak whenever they reach a certain thickness (around 2mm). Whenever you begin to hear brake squeaking, you should get your brakes repair as soon as possible to ensure no further damage to your rotors or braking system. Many newer cars have electronic pad wear sensors built into the brake pads on these vehicles, a check brake light will illuminate on the dashboard when the brake pad has reached a certain thickness. We suggest checking your vehicle owner’s manual to confirm what the brake repair light symbol looks like.

Brake pedal feels spongy

Are you experiencing a soft or spongy brake pad whenever you press down on the brake pedal? Spongy brakes can be indicative of a couple different issues. Typically, a spongy brake suggest that your brake lines have air in them and is causing your braking system to lose pressure. In this case, your brake lines need to be bled and have all of the air removed. Once you have bled the brakes, a fresh fluid exchange will be required to get your brakes back in working order.

Shaking steering wheel

A shaking steering wheel is a strong indicator that your brake rotors have been significantly worn down and/or warped. Often times, your brake rotors will wear down or warp due to a high exposure to heat. Sometimes, your rotors can warp if they’re particularly hot and then you drive through a puddle of water. If you’re experiencing shaking in your steering wheel, we suggest calling a NuBrakes brake repair specialist to help assess your situation and provide you with a free brake repair estimate.

Car wobbling or pulsating when you drive at highway speeds

Over time your disc brake rotors will start to wear down unevenly, meaning the metal rotors do not have an even level of thickness all the way around the rotor. When your brake rotors become uneven, this can cause your vehicle to wobble at higher speeds. If you’re experiencing this feeling, you’ll likely need to replace the brake pads and rotors on your vehicle. Your NuBrakes technician will be able to provide a free on-site brake diagnosis prior to completing the service to ensure you’re receiving the appropriate and necessary services.

How often should you replace your brakes?

Over time, you brake pads and rotors will naturally wear out from the constant friction created by stopping your vehicle. New brake pads will have an average of 8 to 12mm of thickness. Once your brake pads wear down to 3-4 mm of thickness, you’ll begin to hear squeaking. At that point, you should call NuBrakes Mobile Brake Repair to provide a free and instant consultation and brake repair quote for your vehicle. It’s advantageous to get your brake pads replaced as quickly as possible to avoid and potential damage to your rotors — you’ll wind up saving money on your brake repair.

Your brake rotors will also naturally wear down over time, however, not as frequently as your brake pads so long as you replace your brake pads before they starting grinding on the rotors. A NuBrakes brake repair specialist can tell you how thick your brake rotors need to be. In addition, you consider a brake bleed and brake fluid change as part of your routine maintenance service for brakes.