Brake life & replacement

gilly · 10-02-2021, 05:12 PM

We have a 2000 PleasureWay Lexor TS with 122k, she has a GVW of 9200 pounds. We travel a fiat amount mostly in the mountains of the west and it seems we need to replace our brakes every 15k to 20k miles. Is that normal? Any way to extend the life?
We do use the transmission & low gears on mountain roads to reduce brake usage.

mikeehlert · 10-02-2021, 06:01 PM

While you can possibly extend that change interval with premium pads the real issue is the 9200 pounds vs the pad area. Unless you get someone to fit a larger brake system (larger discs, pads, wheel cylinders, and master cylinder) your probably not going to make much improvement. The base vehicle is more typically under loaded and breaks system selected for that. Class B van are usually in the 80% to 120% weight range and that just results in high pads wear because of the higher energy dissipation.

mkguitar · 10-02-2021, 06:13 PM

Brake pads come in materials ranging from "soft" to "hard"

very generally a soft pad- organic- will wear quicker but is less prone to squeak or squeal. These generate more brake dust, dirtier.

the squeal complaints often result in a return visit and the shop hates that

a semimetallic pad is harder and will last much longer, but is more likely to squeal or squeal ( caused by the pads vibrating), and takes longer to wear in to a used rotor

These are cleaner, less "dust". cost more.

a "discount brake shop" will use the cheaper
same as the oil change store uses cheaper conventional oil when vehicles are designed for synthetic

a ceramic pad will last longest on rotor designed for them- the brakes on my 2001 Sierra are original at 178,000 miles.
Oka Ceramics were OEM on some GM's 2001~3

a 'quality" independent brake shop will give you better service.
go in and explain your issues and that you want and will pay for a premium product which will give a longer service life.

the squeak and squeal mitigation requires a bit more care by the tech and probably turning your rotors- but it's worth it

when you can, applying brakes before a curve, brake on the straight

when you stop at a light, if you brakes are hot, give yourself a little room and apply brake, release and creep forward, apply again and etc. so that your hot pads are moved around the rotor

this keeps from holding hot pads to just one part of the rotor expanding it and possibly causing warping.
the 90's ford taurus was horrible for this

Mike

booster · 10-02-2021, 07:36 PM

Is very likely your Dodge 3500 came with semi-metallic pads, and IMO that is what you would want to use on a heavy vehicle like this, but only in the highers quality level heavy duty light truck pads you can find. Cheap semi metallic pads wear very quickly and dirty the wheels horribly with dust.

Personally, I would not use ceramic which is commonly assumed to be better in high heat, high load, applications, but that is not the case. Essentially all of the very heavy duty truck pads are semi metallic because it works better in those situations.

Can't say for the Dodges, but the OEM ceramic pads in the Chevy vans caused lots of juddering on downhills that is cured by going to semi metallic, for instance.

Others who have Dodges will know more about life, but in general I would expect in the 40-50K mile range from top of the line semi metallic pads.

Be very sure the calipers aren't sticking and dragging and that the flexible hoses are good and allowing full release. On a 2000 is the hoses are original, they should be changed to prevent failures. Two hoses in front an one in the rear.

michaelingp · 10-03-2021, 08:47 PM

I would say it is not normal. We had a 2000 Roadtrek on a Dodge chassis. The first set of pads lasted 40,000 miles, but at that point the hoses had to be replaced. No idea how long they would have lasted had the hoses not gone bad. Until then, I never realized that brake hoses could cause excessive wear. Apparently when they fail they prevent the brakes from releasing all the way. I don't know that there is a test for this that mechanics can use, so I agree with booster. Just change them. Our Dodge had the worst brakes on the planet causing us no end of trouble and expense. For reference, our 2016 Promaster has 44,000 miles on it, and the pads aren't even 1/2 used. (That's the benefit of highway driving, I think -- and 16 years of improved technology)

Rlum · 10-03-2021, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelingp

I would say it is not normal. We had a 2000 Roadtrek on a Dodge chassis. The first set of pads lasted 40,000 miles, but at that point the hoses had to be replaced. No idea how long they would have lasted had the hoses not gone bad. Until then, I never realized that brake hoses could cause excessive wear. Apparently when they fail they prevent the brakes from releasing all the way. I don't know that there is a test for this that mechanics can use, so I agree with booster. Just change them. Our Dodge had the worst brakes on the planet causing us no end of trouble and expense. For reference, our 2016 Promaster has 44,000 miles on it, and the pads aren't even 1/2 used. (That's the benefit of highway driving, I think -- and 16 years of improved technology)

I have a 2016 Pleasure Way TS on Ram Promaster 3500. I believe the chassis is the same. Good to know you still have 50% at 44K miles. Do you have the brake fluid flushed and changed every 2 yrs? I have heard because of the weight of these vans, one cannot expect long life from brakes?

Thanks!

michaelingp · 10-03-2021, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rlum

I have a 2016 Pleasure Way TS on Ram Promaster 3500. I believe the chassis is the same. Good to know you still have 50% at 44K miles. Do you have the brake fluid flushed and changed every 2 yrs? I have heard because of the weight of these vans, one cannot expect long life from brakes?

Thanks!

We do have the brake fluid flushed every two years (or so) as specified in the maintenance schedule ($165 at the RAM dealer). However, ours is a 1500 and well within the GVWR (Safari Condo conversions use very light materials). Our brakes seem to last a long time, but then it's almost all highway driving.

Karl Jensen · 10-10-2021, 01:40 AM

CRC makes "Disc Brake Quiet". You apply it to the back of the pads. Never had brakes squeal since I started using it many, many years ago. I have no financial interest in CRC.

gilly · 10-11-2021, 03:14 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions. I use reputable mechanics, no chains. Have to warn the mechanic to double check they have a tendency to get stuck. Have upgraded to premium pads and rotors. Don’t know if they are metallic or ceramic will have to find out. Our brakes start to squeak almost immediately after installation. We pump our brakes and use the transmission. I’ll need to go over the record with my mechanics to see what we can do differently to get more life out of them.

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