[tanked402]

Hello all,

Planning a 2k mile trip through some mountains along the way soon on the 2015 200c awd and wanted to make sure everything was good to roll. Car has just shy of 80k miles and I purchased as the second owner at 19k. I had just done the oil change at the dealer and the alignment and roadforce balance and rotate at firestone.

In the meantime I also ordered the Powerstop Z23 performance brake kit with the slotted and drilled rotors front and rear.

I never looked at the brakes and assumed the dealer was lazy and didn't bother to check them so I ordered the kit expecting the brakes to be pretty close to dead at 80k miles. Well I was pretty darn surprised when I pulled the rears off and then again when I pulled the fronts off. I would say over half pad life left easily. The brakes would have a slight shimmy when cold but once warm were fine again I expected the pads to be close to done with the miles and always wanted to upgrade to stronger brakes anyways.

I'm not very aggressive with the brakes personally but don't drive like a granny either, about 25/75 city hwy mainly.

Pics below don't mind the rash most of it was there when I bought the car. How many miles have you guys actually gotten out of the stock brakes before NEEDING to replace them?

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[fltru103]

Brake wear is so dependent on driving styles and geographic area that it's hard to judge what is normal.

My experience was front pads at 50K. The rear pads were finally replaced at 100K. A second set of front pads installed at 115K. Rotors were still smooth and vehicle exhibited no shake or did it pull.

 

[N8200C]

I did front brakes at 60k because when it was at the dealer being serviced they tried to tell me it needed them. I definitely could have gone much longer, but I already had the pads and the calipers off. The next time I went, they said I needed rear brakes. I ignored them and at the following visit somehow they were magically back up at like new. They also marked two of my tires as being worn down less than a week after I had all 4 of them installed brand new.

Aside from shady dealer service, I've always been really happy with the stopping power of the brakes on this car. I tend to paddleshift down instead of riding the brakes because once you get used to driving a manual transmission it feels stupid to use the brake pedal. I'm sure that tendency saves brakes but; the brakes are pretty good size for a relatively small car also.

 

[SteveInMA]

I purchased my car new in 2015. It has 114,000 miles on the original brakes.

 

[tanked402]

I realize wear is dependent on how one drives but was still pretty shocked to see that much life left.

Also 114k on the original brakes is also pretty impressive any idea how many more miles you'll be able to squeeze out of them pads?

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[SteveInMA]

I have no idea. Probably not too much longer though

 

[200_S_AWD]

I replaced pads & rotors after first purchasing my car at 18K miles. The car had sat outside a long time and the rotors were heavily rusted.
I found a RF caliper slider that had frozen and began to wear the pad linings at an angle.
I also noticed the Alfa-Romeo script on the rear brake calipers.

The car came off from a lease and had belonged to a company fleet. It took some long trips and was parked for long periods.
I went through the car after purchase for evaluation and created a wish list before the 3/36K basic warranty expired.
Nice big brakes on this car!

 

[fri200]

103k miles - about 50% pad life remaining. No shimmy when braking. I'd say I'm a 50/50 highway driver. I don't see a need to replace them any time soon either. Longest I've had brakes last on a car, by far.

 

[N8200C]

Before it's buried too deep in the history, did the slotted drilled make any noticeable benefit? I had considered trying those on my wife's T&C that ate brakes for breakfast. The principle of better cooling isn't lost on me, but in researching I found that drilled rotors risked a reduced structural integrity that could be counterproductive on a car that wasn't racing.

 

[200_S_AWD]

Drilling holes and adding slots in something may actually make it stronger and dissapate heat quicker (increased surface area). There is plenty to read (pro and con) about them:

Drilled vs Slotted Rotors, Which is Better for You? - PowerStop Brakes

This guide tackles drilled vs slotted rotors. PowerStop explains the science behind each type and what situations each are better suited for.

www.powerstop.com

Beware of 'marketing' talk and go with physics and real-world experience discussions.

I am a cynical old man (drives the good wife nuts) and don't see where drilled or slotted rotors would help me in day-to-day braking. I am a normal driver and avoid spirited driving when I have passengers aboard.
I buy the 'white box' rotors and premium store-brand ceramic pads that are gentle on rotors.
I tried more expensive 'American-steel' rotors only to have pulsation and pitting issues after 2-3 winters. They didn't last as long as I had hoped. As with everything else, YMMV.

T&C is among the heaviest of Chryslers, Some model years' brakes were criticized for being 'undersized'. Stopping was 'safe' enough, but yeah, the base brakes burned through front linings and rotors:

https://www.autosafety.org/wp-content/uploads/import/Grand%20Caravan%20Brake%20Service%20Bulletin.pdf

 

[tanked402]

Before it's buried too deep in the history, did the slotted drilled make any noticeable benefit? I had considered trying those on my wife's T&C that ate brakes for breakfast. The principle of better cooling isn't lost on me, but in researching I found that drilled rotors risked a reduced structural integrity that could be counterproductive on a car that wasn't racing.

Honestly it's hard to say, the brakes are definitely grippier but likely due to the pad material. As far as integrity of the rotor being drilled and slotted I would be worried about using the cheap china rotors from ebay. The Powerstop kit I installed had good reviews and zero mentions of rotor failure.

Plus I always liked the look and figured you can't have too good of brakes.

Brakes and tires are the most important things you can do to a vehicle imho

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[N8200C]

I believe the citation regarding integrity had to do with the shrinking and expansion rate of the steel being problematic because the more rapid heat dissipation in the drilled areas affects the steel due to slightly uneven contraction. In some cases that could cause stress fractures to start. The physics do make sense, but it would definitely be exacerbated by cheap china steel. Also, unless you play race car driver all the time it's not likely to be an issue.

Personally, I don't think I've ever had brakes get that hot in the first place unless a frozen caliper was involved. I don't tend to change rotors unless they are gouged or pulsating. When I change pads, I just smack the rotors with a hammer until rust stops falling off.

I probably wouldn't have even looked into drilled and slotted except that I was changing those pads and rotors on that t/c at least once a year because they were both worn down and pulsing. I just downsized to a Journey so hopefully I can do fewer brake jobs in the future.

 

[Toolm8ker]

w

I replaced pads & rotors after first purchasing my car at 18K miles. The car had sat outside a long time and the rotors were heavily rusted.
I found a RF caliper slider that had frozen and began to wear the pad linings at an angle.
I also noticed the Alfa-Romeo script on the rear brake calipers.

The car came off from a lease and had belonged to a company fleet. It took some long trips and was parked for long periods.
I went through the car after purchase for evaluation and created a wish list before the 3/36K basic warranty expired.
Nice big brakes on this car!

I replaced pads & rotors after first purchasing my car at 18K miles. The car had sat outside a long time and the rotors were heavily rusted.
I found a RF caliper slider that had frozen and began to wear the pad linings at an angle.
I also noticed the Alfa-Romeo script on the rear brake calipers.

The car came off from a lease and had belonged to a company fleet. It took some long trips and was parked for long periods.
I went through the car after purchase for evaluation and created a wish list before the 3/36K basic warranty expired.
Nice big brakes on this car!

the alfa romeo rear calipers are still being used on the small Cherokee Jeeps and I think on the mini van's.

 

[Steve R]

About downshifting to save on brakes. I drove manual shift cars for over 40 years before I got my 200. I was taught to drive that way to save brakes. However, as brakes became cheaper and easier for me to do I changed that habit. This was before switching to an automatic. I figured wear on the brakes was cheaper then wear on the drivetrain. I've also heard about people having trouble with these transmissions so I try to be gentle with it.

 

[gric_az]

Brake life is very dependent on materials used and the way they are made. I had a 06 Chrysler 300 with 65k miles that I bought from my in laws. Father in law didn't know how to work on cars so repairs/ maintenence was always done by a shop. They kept every receipt and none were for brake service. I finally decided to replace them at 110 because I thought no pad and rotor should last this long. They were still good when I did. Drilled and slotted gives a normal vehicle no real benefit other than looks. Race cars that have them are not made from the same material as our cars. Plus they going from 100+ down to 50 to make a sharp turn.

 

[N8200C]

About downshifting to save on brakes. I drove manual shift cars for over 40 years before I got my 200. I was taught to drive that way to save brakes. However, as brakes became cheaper and easier for me to do I changed that habit. This was before switching to an automatic. I figured wear on the brakes was cheaper then wear on the drivetrain. I've also heard about people having trouble with these transmissions so I try to be gentle with it.

I don't downshift so much to save the brakes as much as to avoid having to ride the brake pedal the whole way down a long decline. I don't believe that using engine compression puts the drivetrain under an particular stress in that circumstance. Even on a rather steep hill, downshifting till the rpms are at 2000-2500 is enough to stop the car from accelerating.

A tip is: after the downshift, just tap the brake peddle once and you'll feel the engine create decent drag. If you don't tap the brake, the RPMs will just try to rev match and won't really slow you at all. I've seen people on here complain that when they try to downshift to slow down the car actually goes faster. If you just downshift, the car seems to assume that you are downshifting because you are about to mash down on the throttle. You have to let it know that you actually mean to slow down instead.

 

[200_S_AWD]

I think that a significant pad wear improvement is from the factory 'anti-drag' pad clips with springs that pull the pads back from the rotors when the brakes are not applied.

 

[Crazcnuk]

100,000kms original brakes still in good shape except the dealer is telling me I should replace all the rotors because they are 'rusty'!

 

[200_S_AWD]

As long as the rusty rotors aren't impeding your stopping ability and you have confidence in the brake feel, give it some time.
Pads can outlast the rotors around here. I have seen rotors get a pulsation and heavy pitting while there is still good lining left.