How many miles did you get out of the first set of pads? Any suggestions for aftermarket pads, or does it really matter? I haven't even had my first oil change yet, but i seem to go through breaks like their goin out of style so i'm just preparing myself to do them often.

Not to plug GM, but their replacement pads are usually pretty darn good. Last brake job I did was on my Vette, but that was to add ceramic pads, something I would not recommend for this vehicle.

Any feedback on brake pad life on the H3's (at what mileage do they need replacement)? Or are they too new to have much history.

Seems like the H3 was fitted with substantial brakes.

S.

Why not ceramic, and what is recommended aside from the OEM ones? What are the OEM ones anyway?

From my experience with ceramics, they do not grip as well as standard or Kevlar. I did the switch to ceramic due to the brake dust. It is light gray, and dust less than standard pads. Can't have dirty rims on a Vette, it is unpatriotic.

dont ceramics have to be warmed up to actually work good? as in on race cars?

thanks for the info Fstop. I'll call the dealer/parts dept. today and see what the price is for OEM and let ya'll know. But, i've never been too keen on paying dealer prices as they are typically jacked to rediculous numbers. Is there an aftermarket brand i could get from a local auto store(autozone?) that would be comparable? I'd like to do the breaks myself as that is one of the last maint. jobs you can tackle yourself without having to take it in. I think it is anyway. Is there anything "super secret special" about Hummer breaks?

Just A little hint when buying from the dealer, walk in and ask for the parts you need and use the name of A local repair shop and tell them you want to just pay for them not on account, now they just gave you them for cost plus 10% and not full retail. Makes A big difference on some parts.

One of the best ways to purchaase GM parts is go to GM Parts Direct, and purchase online.

Typical disc brakes; two piston slider front, one piston slider rear; two pads each corner. Nothing new or exciting; like on the new ZO6 (which has six pads per corner front, four pads per corner rear , and when slammed, feels like hitting a brick wall).

I believe the original question was how many miles until the brake pads need changed.

Can't use mileage as a guage. Highway driving = no stopping. City = lots of stopping. Someone who only drives highway will have more miles than city driver.

Mileage can be used as a gauge on pad life. Of course when a person mentions the mileage they should indicate the type of driving (heavy city, highway, suburban, offroad, etc.). Original question still stands, but maybe the H3 is too new to have had many brake pad replacements.

S.

i do both. i drive 50miles each way to work right now. 25miles is back roads and highway, the other 25 is stop and go city(heavy). so, mileage will work if an average is taken.(dead center of the distribution). i deal with stats all day so that's were that distribution word comes from. What i'm really trying to avoid is replacing roters at every brake change. The last 2 trucks i owned(chevy 1500ext cab and chevy avalanche) went through brakes very frequently. And every time i had it in for pad changes, i'd have to get the roters replaced because they were a C-hair under tolerance. always the fronts. they(the know-all mechanics)said it was a very common problem with the chevy brand. i understand it has a lot to do with the way a person drives. i'm not nice to vehicles. how do i prevent rotor replacement? change pads at oil change intervals? different pads? drive in the slow lane?

You also have to take into consideration breaking style. Early or late breaker. It does make a diff. To answer the initial ques every 20,000 is a good time to check.

Thread title - at first I thought something about "taking a break at work" (Brake).

Actually, it was two questions. The second question on the pads has been answered. The first question is being debated, but I will go with the statement about not using mileage due to variations in driving conditions and style.

I just checked the prices for the pads...OMG!!

Front Pads MSRP: $165.65
Rear Pads MSRP: $152.54

Front Pads MSRP: $165.65
Rear Pads MSRP: $152.54


Bam! Why so much

I hope aftermarket prices are better.

I must say they work very well for a heavy truck

just checked autozone dot com $24.99 for the front pads and no prices yet for the rear brake pads.

that's much better.

That's more like it. The prices I posted were MSRP on AllDiscountParts.com and their price was lower but still over $100 front or rear.