John ButlerBrake pads should last between 30K and 60K miles. If your pads are wearing out faster than they should, you may be wondering what’s going on.
Do the calipers, rotors, and everything else in the brake system look OK? Do you have a performance car? If your answer to both questions is yes, then we may know what’s making your brake pads wear out fast. It may be your car’s advanced driving aid system.
What’s An Advanced Driving Aid System?
Some performance cars come with digital support systems. These systems are often called advanced driving aid systems. An advanced driving aid system helps keeps the vehicle firmly planted, either on the racetrack or on the road. Many different automakers have designed their own advanced driving aid systems. Here’s a list of some of the more well-known advanced driving aid systems:
- AYC (Active Yaw Control): This system is developed by Mitsubishi. It takes information from steering angle, yaw rate, driving torque, etc. to control the braking forces between the right and left wheels.
- DSC (Dynamic Stability Control): This system is developed by Mazda. It suppresses skidding by applying brakes to the inside wheels.
- DPC (Dynamic Performance Control): This BMW system sends engine power to individual rear wheels, especially when turning corners.
- Active Handling: This system for Corvettes improves cornering. It activates the front and rear brake calipers whenever necessary.
- Drift Mode: This is a common system across many makes and models. It’s an AWD system that switches to rear-wheel-drive to maintain control when the vehicle is drifting.
- Porsche’s PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring): This system varies the amount of torque sent to the rear wheels. It also applies brakes to the inside wheels whenever necessary.
All the systems named above are state-of-the-art systems focused on keeping a car’s rubber on the road at speed.
How Does An Advanced Driving Aid System Work?
Advanced driving aid systems minimize irregular dynamic conditions such as:
- Slips
- Bounces
- Skids
- Geometric irregularities
- Frictional irregularities
To do this, advanced driving aid systems engage the brakes whenever necessary. While the driver may be trying to do one thing, an advanced driving aid system could be trying to do something else.
How Does An Advanced Driving Aid System Wear Down Brake Pads?
Advanced driving aid systems help your vehicle operate safely on the road. Yet, they can be murder on brake pads. This is especially true if you’re tracking your vehicle and/or driving it aggressively. If the system engages the brakes, and you’re on the gas, the brake pads will wear faster.
An Easy Way To Fix This
Advanced driving aid systems are great, but they can be quite a nightmare when you’re on the track. Luckily, there’s an easy way to fix this.
Of course, first you would need to replace your brake pads. Speaking of which, we carry a large selection of high quality brake pads for many different makes and models. Check out our extensive catalog and see if we have a set for your car!
Once you have your new brake pads installed, you want to disable your advanced driving aid system before rolling out onto the track. That way, the system won’t interfere with your driving or wear out your brake pads. Be sure to turn the system back on when you leave the track!
