Brake pad replacement

[petteyg359]

Would like to know if anyone with a 2018 clarity has had to replace the brake pads on it yet, and at what mileage. Mine just hit 69k miles, and there's no odd noises and they still "feel" fine, but I suspect they're probably very close to needing replacement. I am not sure what to look for at the wheel to find out.

 

[David Towle]

If you drive conservatively and use the regen braking consistently by either sport mode or the paddles they can last a very long time. Mine appear to have about 75% of their wear left at 107k miles so they should go about 400k miles (will outlast me). If you don't know how to measure pad thickness just ask at your next oil change they can probably show you how to do it too.

 

[Joe17]

I have 57k on my 2018. Pads still look new. 90% of the braking is regen braking so pads do not see a lot of use except with heavy brake pedal application. Use a small inspection mirror and a flashlight and you should be able to see the pads.

 

[TC1782]

Would like to know if anyone with a 2018 clarity has had to replace the brake pads on it yet, and at what mileage. Mine just hit 69k miles, and there's no odd noises and they still "feel" fine, but I suspect they're probably very close to needing replacement. I am not sure what to look for at the wheel to find out.

I had to at 70K, brakes were rusting out, and the front pads had about 20-30% left.

 

[Atkinson]

Even though the pads don't wear very quickly, the brakes still need periodic maintenance. Brake fluid absorbs moisture until it's saturated, then no longer protects the internal parts. Caliper sliders and pins need to be cleaned and relubed so they move freely and wear pads evenly. Rotors can rust and reduce swept area on the wear surface and also rust in the vents between wear surfaces.
My general rule (on well maintantained brakes with even wear) is replace pads when wear material is somewhere between half of new and before they are the same thickness of the backing plate.
If you flush brake fluid regularly and take care of the sliders, the brake pads on a hybrid could last up to the life of the car. I had to replace the pads all around on my wife's Clarity because the regen wasn't allowing enough regular brake "scrubbing" to keep the rotors free of rust. So I finally replaced the rusty rotors and put on semi-metallic pads and they work great. No rotor wear and the light friction from the pads is just enough to keep the rotors clean.