[nike]

So I have had my car for only seven months, and I do love speed and "testing" out my brakes all the time. But should my brakes already be [glow=red,2,300]warping. [/glow]

I explained to the dealers that my steering wheel shoke when braking hard, and that the brake fluid was low. He said that the only reason your brake fluid would be low is because your brakes are almost done. But seven months is not normal to be having that yet.

So, what do you think?
Also, I will need to change them out, but should I look at getting some cross drilled rotors that will stay cooler and are much better for my [glow=green,2,300]racing habits.[/glow] :klavergreg:

 

[Young Scrappa]

The rear brakes will wear out a lot faster than the front ones. I had them changed a little over a year after I got my car, but I got MT and use the downshift to slow down instead of just slamming the brakes. Had my car since april 2004 and the fronts still got more than half of the pad left. I would say as long as you don't get the same pads on the rear that came with the car you should be straight.

 

[nike]

well, my car is only at 11,000 miles. so it is premature wearing. not the pads, the rotors!

 

[Finfin]

Look for Mazda bulletin

 

[mica3speedy]

it all depends on driving conditions and how you drive the car as well. If your rotors are already warped, you may be able to have them resurfaced

 

[nike]

Yeah I was told about that but that cost about 230 dollars. I can get new ones for way cheaper!

Am I right?

 

[mad dog]

it's hard to say what's normal when it comes to wear items like brakes, tires, rotors & clutches cuz driving conditions are different & everyone has different driving habits. if you're really hard on your brakes as you say you are, it's plausible that you need new rotors & pads at 11,000 miles. i'm at 31,000 miles and i'm still on the original set of front brake pads. doesn't even look like they're half worn. i'll probably get 60K from the fronts. the rears were a little over 50% worn at 27K but since they were squealing loudly, i had the dealer replace the rear pads per the TSB to eliminate the squealing. however, my driving habits are quite different from yours. other than the occasional romp, i generally try not to accelerate & brake hard. it saves gas, keeps maintenance down and is easier on the car...it's tough to do w/ a car that's as much fun to rail on as the 3, but long-term it all makes it easier on the pocketbook.

 

[mad dog]

[quote author=Young Scrappa link=topic=68995.msg1196367#msg1196367 date=1170994383]
...but I got MT and use the downshift to slow down instead of just slamming the brakes...
[/quote]
:shock:...using the transmission to slow down is not the best...the brakes were designed to slow down your car, not the transmission & clutch...the transmission & clutch were designed to transfer power from the engine to the wheels...replacing your clutch costs approx $600-800 if you have a shop do it and maybe much more if you have to replace your tranny. replacing your brake pads costs approx $100-125 if you have a shop do it. this means for the price of a new clutch, you have 5 to 7 sets of brake pads or approx 3 complete sets of front & rear pads replaced. and if you're a DIY'r, it's alot cheaper & alot easier to do brake pads on your own than it is to do a clutch. just my 2 cents.

 

[Young Scrappa]

No problems yet, been doing it for 2 years.

 

[j-so]

I have close to 29K miles on my 3 including one (2 day) high speed driving school at the local track, I have a lot of pad left.

 

[mshu7]

[quote author=Mad Dog link=topic=68995.msg1201958#msg1201958 date=1171265306]
[quote author=Young Scrappa link=topic=68995.msg1196367#msg1196367 date=1170994383]
...but I got MT and use the downshift to slow down instead of just slamming the brakes...
[/quote]
:shock:...using the transmission to slow down is not the best...the brakes were designed to slow down your car, not the transmission & clutch...the transmission & clutch were designed to transfer power from the engine to the wheels...replacing your clutch costs approx $600-800 if you have a shop do it and maybe much more if you have to replace your tranny. replacing your brake pads costs approx $100-125 if you have a shop do it. this means for the price of a new clutch, you have 5 to 7 sets of brake pads or approx 3 complete sets of front & rear pads replaced. and if you're a DIY'r, it's alot cheaper & alot easier to do brake pads on your own than it is to do a clutch. just my 2 cents.
[/quote]

That's no joke. I'd much rather replace some brake pads over replacing anything in the tranny.

 

[Chibana]

The idea of engine braking comes from the recommendation of using the engine to keep a car's speed under control on hilly or mountainous roads, so that you don't overwork your breaks and lose them (especially on older cars which had terrible brakes). Other than possibly that, brakes should be used.

Also, as has been discussed (and there are some really good technical discussion on the Internet), brake rotors almost never actually warp. What usually causes the pulsation is the uneven deposition of brake pad material on the disk from a panic stop, etc.

However, my experience with my Mazda3 (2.3L) is that it has far and away the best brakes of any of the cars I've owned. My car has 82,000 miles, and I drive fairly aggressively, and I've yet to have to replace any brake components or have any rotors turned. Like someone else mentioned, it has a lot to do with your braking technique. There are also web sites that discuss proper braking. I've found with this car that if I start to detect the hint of brake pulsation, I have always been able to fix it myself with some good, firm braking from highway speeds with proper technique. A few of those have always cleared up the mild pulsations that I've had in 2.5 years. I've never owned a car prior to this one that has gone this long without having to at least replace some pads.

 

[architekt]

I replaced rear ones @42,000 miles and I'm not even half way on the front ones.....! paid $178 for new OEM pads and new OEM rotors. (rotor were very rusted and I didn't like the way it looks, that's why i decided to replace it)

 

[BoostThat3]

So the brake pads are done? I have this problem to, but I'm at 35k miles.

 

[MUSpud2]

[quote author=Chibana link=topic=68995.msg1202657#msg1202657 date=1171307351]
The idea of engine braking comes from the recommendation of using the engine to keep a car's speed under control on hilly or mountainous roads, so that you don't overwork your breaks and lose them (especially on older cars which had terrible brakes). Other than possibly that, brakes should be used.

Also, as has been discussed (and there are some really good technical discussion on the Internet), brake rotors almost never actually warp. What usually causes the pulsation is the uneven deposition of brake pad material on the disk from a panic stop, etc.

However, my experience with my Mazda3 (2.3L) is that it has far and away the best brakes of any of the cars I've owned. My car has 82,000 miles, and I drive fairly aggressively, and I've yet to have to replace any brake components or have any rotors turned. Like someone else mentioned, it has a lot to do with your braking technique. There are also web sites that discuss proper braking. I've found with this car that if I start to detect the hint of brake pulsation, I have always been able to fix it myself with some good, firm braking from highway speeds with proper technique. A few of those have always cleared up the mild pulsations that I've had in 2.5 years. I've never owned a car prior to this one that has gone this long without having to at least replace some pads.
[/quote]
+1
Well said, sir.


Regarding the brake rotor warping... my wife's 98 Olds Cutlass (~= Malibu) DID have warped rotors. These cars are notorious for having warped rotors. From what did this warping come? Not from braking hard or any sort of driving technique, but when a shop is too lazy to properly reinstall your wheels and they use their air ratchets/impact guns to put your lugnuts on, they overtorque them and ever so slightly misalign the rotor. Then the wheel shimmy starts...

And yeah, these days it's cheaper to get new rotors than to have yours turned. Plus I couldn't find anyone who did it (I guess you could always just get a machine shop to put it in a lathe or a mill, but...).