# 2014 2LT Brakes



## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

How's your brake fluid look, both in color and in how full it is.

How many miles are on your brake pads?


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

Brake pads have never been replaced, car is at 105k

Will update on color and fullness tomorrow


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I'd have a peek at your brake pads - you might be getting down towards the end on one of them, which would cause the pedal feel issue.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

MP81 said:


> I'd have a peek at your brake pads - you might be getting down towards the end on one of them, which would cause the pedal feel issue.


What's the best way to take a look? Unfortunately Im not very car savvy and I live in apartments that have 0 tolerance in parking lot mechanics


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## jimmyc (Jun 27, 2020)

105,000 on original brake pads? Methinks you are surely pushing it. I was so surprsied when my 2014 lasted 65,000. That was the front discs. (new pads and rotors faced) The rear brakes were OK. They get checked everytime I get an oil change. (4-5000 miles)


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## thebac (Jul 29, 2017)

Rear drum brakes? If so, the rear shoes arent adjusting properly. They are too far from the drums and need to be adjusted out. 
You (or a shop) should probably do an actual visual check on all four corners anyway at that mileage.


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

txcruze26 said:


> What's the best way to take a look? Unfortunately Im not very car savvy and I live in apartments that have 0 tolerance in parking lot mechanics


thats why you pull into the street right in front of the entrance.


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## Noiitekk (Feb 28, 2017)

That's some high miles on one set of pads lol. A brake job including flush and fill of the brake fluid would do wonders.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

So I checked the fluid, and it's VERY dark and dirty looking

For this kind of job, is the dealership the best bet? Midas? Local shop?

When yall say Brake Job, that's new pads, rotors etc??


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Noiitekk said:


> That's some high miles on one set of pads lol. A brake job including flush and fill of the brake fluid would do wonders.


I did the front pads and rotors on the diesel at 100k - granted, the FR inner pad was metal, but the other side still had some life left. I just did the rear pads and rotors at 112k miles, RR outer pad was metal and again, the other side had more life. So if everything was perfectly even, they'd have gone a bit longer. The stock (OE) pads are _thick_, which is what I put back on (AC Delco GM OE, *not* "Advantage" or "Professional").

My buddy was equally surprised when I told him how long the brakes lasted on this thing (especially when you consider the majority of its life it's done about 90% city driving). Granted, we got _all_ of the life out of the pads, but still - 100k is **** solid.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

txcruze26 said:


> So I checked the fluid, and it's VERY dark and dirty looking
> 
> For this kind of job, is the dealership the best bet? Midas? Local shop?
> 
> When yall say Brake Job, that's new pads, rotors etc??


Definitely sounds like it may be time for new fluid. I checked ours, and thankfully it still looks pretty good. My Cobalt's...not so much (it's original...numbers matching...from 2007).

Yeah, we're saying pads and rotors. Depending on the thickness of the rotors, you can turn them and use them again (and it may be very possible if you're not at metal to metal on any pads - you'd certainly hear it if you were), but definitely pads will be replaced.

I guess I'm not sure who I'd recommend, since I do my own brakes. I really am a fan of using the AC Delco GM OE pads/rotors, but I'm not sure if that's something even the dealer will use.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

Thank you for y'alls help, will do my research and update soon


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## Noiitekk (Feb 28, 2017)

How do you guys get so much mileage out of brakes?! I went through a set of EBC pads/rotors in 20k  I must be really hard on them


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## Cruton (Sep 19, 2017)

I did not like the feel or performance of the factory brakes and replaced the front pads with Power Stop Z23 Evolution Sport Performance Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads. A significant improvement.


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## jimmyc (Jun 27, 2020)

Noiitekk said:


> How do you guys get so much mileage out of brakes?! I went through a set of EBC pads/rotors in 20k  I must be really hard on them


Some folks "ride" their brakes...meaning with an automatic tranny, one foot is on the gas...the other lightly resting on the brake pedal. That means however lightly....you are engaging the brakes.

Possible......


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

Noiitekk said:


> How do you guys get so much mileage out of brakes?! I went through a set of EBC pads/rotors in 20k  I must be really hard on them


2 things to consider: 1. Inspect the rears and make sure they are functioning properly. Without good rears, the fronts will wear much more quickly than normal.

2. Watch out for late braking. Some folks carry lots of speed up to intersections, then brake hard to stop in a short distance. Let off the gas early and coast, hitting the brakes softly as needed.
...
On my 74 F100 with rear drums, when we did the front pads, we "inspected" the rears, and they looked good - the shoes had lots of material still on them - so we put the drums back on and left them alone.

10,000 miles later, when we were putting new fronts on AGAIN, we checked the rears more closely whereupon we saw the pistons were frozen. New rear cylinders were needed.

Between the lack of rears, and my teenaged tendency for driving too fast and braking late, combined with the already uneven weight distribution of a pickup, I was wearing thru the fronts quite rapidly.

Doug

.


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

Cruton said:


> I did not like the feel or performance of the factory brakes and replaced the front pads with Power Stop Z23 Evolution Sport Performance Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads. A significant improvement.


Thanks ill take a look at those. Im looking for better pads and I know powerstop makes great stuff. I have the tow brakes on my trailblazer and they are unreal !


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## Noiitekk (Feb 28, 2017)

jimmyc said:


> Some folks "ride" their brakes...meaning with an automatic tranny, one foot is on the gas...the other lightly resting on the brake pedal. That means however lightly....you are engaging the brakes.
> 
> Possible......


I drive 99% of the time in triptronic mode because I'm forever salty that I don't drive a standard anymore. Lol. But I know what you are talking about. I think for me it's just lots of heavy braking because of a combination of terrible drivers, bad roads and excessive speed. 



plano-doug said:


> 2 things to consider: 1. Inspect the rears and make sure they are functioning properly. Without good rears, the fronts will wear much more quickly than normal.
> 
> 2. Watch out for late braking. Some folks carry lots of speed up to intersections, then brake hard to stop in a short distance. Let off the gas early and coast, hitting the brakes softly as needed.
> ...
> ...


I'll have to pop open my drums next time I have the chance and check them out. I didn't change the drums/shoes last time because they were still good, but it wouldn't hurt to clean the drums out of brake dust and check the adjustment. Might need to tighten it a little as my parking brake is a few clicks more than it used to take to get it tight.


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

What brand or model do y'all recommend? Rotors, Brake pad etc... For a nice b.j


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

I got ac Delco ceramic pads and brembo rotors. Smooth as butter.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

txcruze26 said:


> What brand or model do y'all recommend? Rotors, Brake pad etc... For a nice b.j


I'm a fan of the ACDelco GM OE pads and rotors, specifically for how long they lasted being driven almost entirely in city.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MP81 said:


> I did the front pads and rotors on the diesel at 100k - granted, the FR inner pad was metal, but the other side still had some life left. I just did the rear pads and rotors at 112k miles, RR outer pad was metal and again, the other side had more life. So if everything was perfectly even, they'd have gone a bit longer. The stock (OE) pads are _thick_, which is what I put back on (AC Delco GM OE, *not* "Advantage" or "Professional").
> 
> My buddy was equally surprised when I told him how long the brakes lasted on this thing (especially when you consider the majority of its life it's done about 90% city driving). Granted, we got _all_ of the life out of the pads, but still - 100k is **** solid.


I’m shocked to hear 100k city.y 15 since new is 40k now and I can feel a slight rotor warp. From looking at the outside pad through the caliper I think it has maybe 20-30k left but the rotors will only get worse.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

txcruze26 said:


> What brand or model do y'all recommend? Rotors, Brake pad etc... For a nice b.j


If you have to ask you can’t afford the B.J.. on a serious note what do you want out of the brakes? Long life and quiet use with low dust, a cheap set to slap on and call it a day, do you want more bite and effective brakes to match the performance rubber you run?

either way do a brake flush, I use ate type 200. It’s high performance fluid with a higher boiling point but it’s not hyper sensitive to absorbing moisture like brembo fluid. Plus the cost is small enough and you get lots of fluid.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

pandrad61 said:


> I’m shocked to hear 100k city.y 15 since new is 40k now and I can feel a slight rotor warp. From looking at the outside pad through the caliper I think it has maybe 20-30k left but the rotors will only get worse.


Now, granted, we used _all_ of the brakes (down to metal to metal on the FR inner pad), but even with my wife driving (who does not use the manumatic feature), it still was 100k without any kind of hotspotting on the rotors. If it hadn't biased itself towards the right hand side, it'd have lasted even longer.

Right side (compared to the new GM OE pads):

















Left side (compared to the new pads):











pandrad61 said:


> If you have to ask you can’t afford the B.J.. on a serious note what do you want out of the brakes? Long life and quiet use with low dust, a cheap set to slap on and call it a day, do you want more bite and effective brakes to match the performance rubber you run?
> 
> either way do a brake flush, I use ate type 200. It’s high performance fluid with a higher boiling point but it’s not hyper sensitive to absorbing moisture like brembo fluid. Plus the cost is small enough and you get lots of fluid.


ATE Typ 200 is really good stuff. I still have an unopened can of that sitting on my shelf from years back. It was supposed to replace the nasty, brown, stock fluid in my Cobalt back then, but I still never have gotten around to it, because bleeding brakes is something I don't find enjoyable. I run Hawk HPS pads on that car - I think I have easily 60 or 75k miles on those pads, and they still have a lot of life left, last time I checked. But that's probably because the fluid doesn't allow the brakes to do much of anything. That said, I've autocrossed (and high speed courses, at that) numerous times on these same pads. They make basically no dust (my rear wheels are just as dirty as my fronts...and those are drums).


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

pandrad61 said:


> If you have to ask you can’t afford the B.J.. on a serious note what do you want out of the brakes? Long life and quiet use with low dust, a cheap set to slap on and call it a day, do you want more bite and effective brakes to match the performance rubber you run?
> 
> either way do a brake flush, I use ate type 200. It’s high performance fluid with a higher boiling point but it’s not hyper sensitive to absorbing moisture like brembo fluid. Plus the cost is small enough and you get lots of fluid.


I'm looking for virtually dust free pads


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

Diamond193 said:


> I'm looking for virtually dust free pads


The OEM pads are relatively dust free when bedded in properly. A little pricey however


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

pandrad61 said:


> If you have to ask you can’t afford the B.J.. on a serious note what do you want out of the brakes? Long life and quiet use with low dust, a cheap set to slap on and call it a day, do you want more bite and effective brakes to match the performance rubber you run?
> 
> either way do a brake flush, I use ate type 200. It’s high performance fluid with a higher boiling point but it’s not hyper sensitive to absorbing moisture like brembo fluid. Plus the cost is small enough and you get lots of fluid.


Lol haven't had a good b.j in a while guess you're right

But yea, I wouldn't mind spending some pretty pennies on a nice setup, I plan on keeping the Cruze so might as well get something good

I would like quiet, dust free and great performance breaks, I like the feeling of knowing I have good equipment in case of emergencies

Running Pirelli tires now, those will be 2 years old next month


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

pandrad61 said:


> The OEM pads are relatively dust free when bedded in properly. A little pricey however


Price I dont care about just tired of cleanining these wheels


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Hawk HPS pads tend not to dust much at all.


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

MP81 said:


> Hawk HPS pads tend not to dust much at all.


Thanks ill take a look


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