# It's time for my first brake job on the '17 hatch



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

I'm only a couple hundred miles shy of 90,000 miles, and the rear rotors are bad enough that my car might not pass inspection. I'm doing the brakes and rotors all the way around since I'd rather do it now while it's still warm here in upstate NY.


----------



## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Wow...your rear rotors wore out before the fronts? That is quite odd!


----------



## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

I haven't even hit 20,000 miles yet on a 2014 CRUZE. Everything is like Factory Brand new aside from the dirt


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I just turned over 8 on my 17.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

MP81 said:


> Wow...your rear rotors wore out before the fronts? That is quite odd!


It's not that they are more worn than the fronts, they are not. However, NY can be subjectively picky on the condition of the surface of the rotor, specifically a smooth surface. These are not, with the outer edge of the rotor uneven, resulting in decreased surface area with the pad.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

Ohh, and the rear pistons can't be pushed in. They are the screw type. I didn't have the special tool to turn them back in, so I just used a pair of needle nose pliers.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

New rear rotors vs. the old ones.


----------



## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Wow, those things look like ****! 

Ours look plenty fine at ~85k miles and four and a half years (so four Michigan winters).


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Harborfreight sells that rear brake tool for $45. 

Most rear discs are screw ins. Because of the emergency brake system. Although, I've seen a few that will actually push in. 

Sometime, if they don't screw in. They look like a standard piston. And just push in. The E brake is a drum shoe type system.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

MP81 said:


> Wow, those things look like ****!
> 
> Ours look plenty fine at ~85k miles and four and a half years (so four Michigan winters).


Yeah, my driving is severe duty. Lots of hilly terrain and back roads, hundreds of pounds of work stuff in the car, and driving in all kinds of weather. It takes a beating. Just passed 90,000 miles, still no issues.


----------



## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

MP81 said:


> Wow...your rear rotors wore out before the fronts? That is quite odd!


I haven't researched, but I was told that the front and rear are not the same components due to the difference in usage between front/back. I guess that means they can make the rear brakes lighter duty (hence reducing weight). So the rear wearing evenly or faster doesn't seem so odd(IMHO).


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

sailurman said:


> MP81 said:
> 
> 
> > Wow...your rear rotors wore out before the fronts? That is quite odd!
> ...


The front supplies most of the braking power.

The front also supports most of the car weight.

It's very odd for the rears to wear faster then front.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> The front supplies most of the braking power.
> 
> The front also supports most of the car weight.
> 
> It's very odd for the rears to wear faster then front.


The rear brakes had a more pad remaining than the front. The rotors weren't worn thinner, they were just worn unevenly, probably from dust and dirt getting into them from what got kicked up by the front wheels.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

Passed inspection at Chevy with no problem, since I've got brand new brakes.

I wanted a new rear wiper blade because the original got damaged slightly last winter. I asked Chevy to replace it, since it looked like a pain to do.

Well I was more right than I knew. The tech broke my rear wiper arm trying to replace it! I got a free new wiper arm. They had the part in stock since this isn't the first time, apparently. Glad they broke it and not me. LOL!


----------



## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

Where those the new coated rotors? You don't clean the preservative off them before install? Just put the pads on and they cut the surface? The boxes looked like AcDelco. I guess with 90K miles why not go with them, I've just struggled finding the original brake parts for a competitive price, did you use a local dealer for parts and pads?


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Coating isn't new. That's been the thing for decades. Keeps drum and rotors from rusting while sitting on shelves waiting to be sold.

And if you don't clean off. Brakes and rotors and get gummed and you have a burning smell.


----------



## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

snowwy66 said:


> The front supplies most of the braking power.
> 
> The front also supports most of the car weight.
> 
> It's very odd for the rears to wear faster then front.


So he said it was uneven wear and not more wear. So that isn't applicable now. However, it did get me thinking yesterday about how the manufacturers will always be looking to reduce weight on the vehicle and the brakes would be a good place. Here's something I found from NAPA:

"Now, here’s where the major difference arrives: the amount of heat generated. Taking a look at the front brakes and rear brakes, especially the size and weight of the brake rotors, brake calipers and surface area of the brake pads, it’s obvious that the front brakes are a lot heavier than the rear brakes, enabling them to take the heat.
[h=3]*Front Brake Design — Hot Stuff*[/h]Back to physics for a moment, to further understand why the front brakes need to handle so much more heat. When you’re moving forward and you hit the brakes, the center of gravity of the vehicle effectively shifts forward, putting more weight and more momentum on the front tires. The front tires therefore gain more traction, and they can take more braking force to stop the car. Because the front brakes generate up to 75 percent of the vehicle’s stopping force, they generate much more heat, over 500°F in heavy braking.
This has necessitated the development of a few common design features:


High hydraulic pressure, split by the master cylinder, delivers more clamping force.
Larger and multi-piston brake calipers develop more clamping force.
Larger brake pad surface area increases friction.
More aggressive brake pad material also enhances friction.
Larger diameter brake rotors for more stopping torque.
Thicker brake rotors maintain their shape at high temperatures.
Ventilated brake rotors dissipate heat faster.
Aerodynamic features in the body and under the car drive air through the brakes, aiding in heat dissipation.
[h=3]*Rear Brake Design — Stability*[/h]Overall vehicle design determines front brakes vs rear brakes bias, but most rear brakes should never provide more than 40 percent of the stopping power at any given time. As such, they don’t develop nearly as much heat as the front brakes. If they weren’t designed for this lesser load, the rear brakes would lock up every time you stepped on the brake pedal, or at least the anti-lock braking system (ABS) would be activating all the time.
Providing just the right amount of braking power and vehicle stability requires the following:


Low hydraulic pressure, split by the master cylinder, has less clamping force.
Smaller brake calipers also give less clamping force.
Smaller brake pad surface and less aggressive brake pad material for decreased friction.
Smaller diameter brake rotors for less stopping torque.
Thinner brake rotors are lighter and don’t have to endure that much heat.
Solid brake rotors don’t have to dissipate that much heat.
Drum brakes, on many economy cars, with all the above benefits.
As you can see, there’s quite a difference in your braking system, from front to rear. Built to take the heat and stop your car safely, no matter where they are located your brakes are designed to get the job done."

So it would not at all surprise me if modern car brakes wear fairly evenly from to back.


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Even wear was possible. Back in the days of 4 wheel drum brakes.

Unheard of. Since the front disc came out.

Not sure on 4 wheel disc.

Also depends on the design.

Ford Taurus. The early years. Would be lucky to get 20k off the front brakes. While the back shoes. Would last the life of the car.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

carbon02 said:


> Where those the new coated rotors? You don't clean the preservative off them before install? Just put the pads on and they cut the surface? The boxes looked like AcDelco. I guess with 90K miles why not go with them, I've just struggled finding the original brake parts for a competitive price, did you use a local dealer for parts and pads?


I tried shopping around but NAPA, for instance, doesn't even have the rear pads in their system yet. The car is too new.

I checked gmpartsdirect and it would have been about $380, shipped ground. I wanted the parts quicker than that since my inspection was already expired (ooops), so I took my gmpartsdirect printout to the local Chevy dealer, and he got me the parts for approx. the employee price of $437, and I had them the next day.

The new pads cut the rotors just fine, and I didn't notice any adverse odor or negative effects.


----------



## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

snowwy66 said:


> Even wear was possible. Back in the days of 4 wheel drum brakes.
> 
> Unheard of. Since the front disc came out.
> 
> ...


Believe me, I know. I owned a 1996 V6 Grand Am that couldn't get past a brake shop without asking for an appointment!


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

A can of brake cleaner cleans that coating off really nicely. ?


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> A can of brake cleaner cleans that coating off really nicely. ?


I got some grease on the first rotor I took out of the box, which was the drivers front, so I cleaned it off with brake cleaner and a rag. It didn't touch the coating at all, just discolored it a bit.


----------



## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Very nice thread about brakes, thanks @UpstateNYBill Just a quick question, since you have a fair amount of miles on a gen 2 , is the autostop still working as it did when the car was newer? Thanks


----------



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Considering the amount of miles he has. You can pretty much bet he's been driving cross country and hasn't had to worry about auto stop.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

IndyDiesel said:


> Very nice thread about brakes, thanks @UpstateNYBill Just a quick question, since you have a fair amount of miles on a gen 2 , is the autostop still working as it did when the car was newer? Thanks


The auto stop/start works as seamlessly as it did on day 1. No issues, not even a hiccup.


----------



## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

snowwy66 said:


> Considering the amount of miles he has. You can pretty much bet he's been driving cross country and hasn't had to worry about auto stop.


LOL... I wish. Then I wouldn't have had to do a brake job. I've only done one road trip to Florida and back. 99.9% of my driving is local, typically 150 to 200 miles a day. I'm home for dinner every night.


----------

