Had my front brakes done by the dealer in my area last Feb. He told me I would need new back brakes sometime in the fall.

Had my 99 in at a local mechanic new my shop to do the back.
Had to replace cylinders because he found them sticking.
Did not replace shoes, because they still are ok at 70%.
He told me the front pads are worn on the inside with only about 20 to 30% and the outside pads are good at 70%.

Went back to the dealer this AM and they are telling me they have both worn even and do need to be replaced. I am going to ask to see the pads to see who is right.
(I went back to the dealer for the front because they warrenty the pads &/or shoes for the life of the truck) - Mopar V

My questions are:

1) What gives? I know diesels go through more brakes than gassers, but, with only 7 months service and only about 15000 miles, this seems a little strange. I only pull a newer 28' trailer twice a year about 250 miles a trip! My normal driving is about 20% highway and 80% city.
Could the rear sticking cylinders have caused the premature wear on the front? -


2) What would cause the inner pads to wear faster than the outside pads?

 

you should look into the GM wheel cylinder upgrade before replacing them with the same, smaller cylinders...i am unsure of what the part number is but if you do a search or wait for someone else to chime in, you will be able to get that info.

good luck, Pat

 

The inside pads do more breaking than the outside just by design. The problem you are more than likely running into is the inside portion of the rotor is to thin and unable to get rid of the heat which in turn burns the pads up at a much faster rate. I have been down this road already so I would seriously suggest you put a set of rotors on it with some fresh pads, you will find you are able to get the same miles out of them as the first set you had on the truck.

P.S by all means put the 1 ton chev wheel cylinders on and you will most certainly not regret it..

Good Luck

Jason

 

I switched to Ceramic (forgive spelling?) pads and currently have approximately 26K and they're only about half worn. Previously I had been running the stock ones from Dodge and the Midus equiv pads. My son had recommended the change as the Ceramic take the heat better and last longer - even longer than metal pads and I'll be damned if he's not right! Before I was going anywhere from 8k to 22k before I had to change the pads.....

 

If your front calipers are sticking it will cause your front pads to wear uneven. Does the truck pull a little when braking?

 

Thanks everyone.

Here is the response from my Dealer service manager:

Its normal to only get about this mileage out of this truck for brakes and it is normal for the inside pad to wear faster than the outside, because the piston pushes on the inside pad first, therfore it gets more pressure and wears faster.

Am I wrong or is the cylinders not suppose to make the pads grip both at the same time and wear evenly against the rotor?

For the record,,,,
My rotors are fine and the front cylinders are also fine.

I think someone did not lubricate the slides or assemble properly

Me thinks this was the last dealer brake job.....

 

the wheel cylinder upgrade I mentioned is for the rear drum brakes, NOT the front discs. i have discs at all four corners so i have not done the conversion.

i believe the only control the front disc cylinders have are to push and squeeze both brakes pads together. i do not believe they have control over making them squeeze at the exact same moment. on the other hand, you would think the inner pad would not feel much pressure until the outside pad came into contact with the rotor. then squeeze together at an even rate. but heat dissipation makes sense as well.

 

Generally if the caliper sticks on the slides the outer pad will wear. This is IF the piston isn't sticking in the bore of the caliper. If the piston is sticking there will be accelerated wear of both pads from one side to another. By design the "inside" pad is pushed against the rotor to basically pull the outer pad towards the rotor, so yes, the inside will wear a little faster than the outer.