Thanks all to those that replied to my request. Looks like I have a mixed bag with no clear consensus. Does look like most wear our at the upper limits if you are a quiet driver and aren't hard on the brakes. More spirited driving would of course cause more wear.

Thanks again all,

 

It is best to have dedicated pads for daily/auto/track.

The best "combo" pad seems to be the Ferodo DS2500. A lot of MINI guys have jumped into purchasing Ferodo's and say nothing but great things about them!

-Martin

 

Hi all - first time posting here. I have a problem with the high wear rate of my pads & rotors

I have a 2006 MCS (R53) that I bought as a CPO in 2008 with 20k miles on it. It is my daily driver, and I drive it in an "aggressively spirited" manner - meaning, "like an animal". I don't DE - most of my daily driving is to/from work, which is about 15 miles each way on secondary roads (no highway, no city).

At the 30k service in 2009, I needed brake pads & rotors all around (to the tune of ~$1000!!). I wondered if maybe the car didn't get new brakes when it was CPO'd, but I sucked it up and spent the money.

I just went in for my 45k service, and it needed front brakes again after only 16k miles! Pads were down to 1 mm and the rotors were at the edge of spec. Just the fronts ran about $500 this time. That means that this car is going to need, on average, around $750 in brake service a year!?! I am most certain that the car was not designed for that. The service manager would not admit that there was something wrong with that - of course - but he did offer to do a thorough examination of the system next time I bring it in (which is a royal PITA for me since the dealer is about 45 miles from home!)

Now, I am fully aware that I drive like a madman and that I should expect an advanced wear rate on brakes, tires, etc, but this is ridiculous! I drove my old Honda Prelude SH for years like I stole it and the cops were still right behind me, and I didn't have to replace brakes until 75k miles. If I can't do anything about the wear rate, I can at least buy the caliper tool and do the job myself when needed.

So my questions are:

• Has anyone else also experienced brake wear at this rate, considering the driving style?
• Has anyone had high brake wear that was caused by something else (please share!)
• Any easy recommendations for slower-wearing pads & rotors?

Thanks!!!

 

A lot of high mileage brakes in this thread, I don't have that knack. With my driving style and a few track days thrown in, I managed to wear out the pads on the Cooper-S in 8500 miles, after a particularly enthusiastic track day. The rears are almost due now after 16500.

On the Cooper the front pads lasted 16000, and then another 12000 before the pads and rotors were done. I've been thinking the pads are wearing faster than I expected recently, but MINI are paying for the brakes.