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Buy quality semi metallic pads and put them on the shelf.
The rest of you assumptions is just that. It can be half that or three times that. Plan your braking and, if you have one of them steering wheel manual shifter model, use engine braking when feasible.
It's sort of amazing that, out of entirety of parts, RAM is made out of, you chose pads, not tires, filters, oil.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have had rotors last as long as the car with just one resurface, others had to be replaced every 10-15,000 miles after being warped. You really cannot make assumptions, especially with a truck that may be used to tow or haul. I don't see any shortage of parts, other than the chips for new cars. I have ordered parts for my 1974 Nova and gotten them in 2-4 days, such as a carburetor, taillight gaskets, side mirror and brake cylinders.
Would you bring a loaf of bread and a package of sliced ham to a sandwich shop so they could make you a sandwich ?
Unless you're planning on changing out brake pads & rotors yourself, you'd be better served by patronizing a reputable repair facility and voicing your concerns well in advance. Perhaps asking if parts availability is a concern ? Just my $.02 worth.
You should look at a Ram-specific car forum to see what others with your vintage have experienced. Every vehicle has different specs and some use rotors have plenty of "meat" while other manufacturers use rotors with very little. If your truck has a electronic brake distributor system (brake bias based on brake pedal pressure/speed), it's possible your rear pads might wear out well before your front pads. This was the case on my MK4 VW Golf TDI where the OEM rear pads would last 40K miles while the front pads would last 250K miles due to light braking. In the case, I installed Akebono ceramic pads at the rear and Hawk HPS at the front...they wear more evenly now at about 100K miles including a few track sessions.
I’ve got a Dodge Ram and am thinking about buying brake pads for front and back of my truck in case there is a parts shortage soon.
I’ve got 25,000 miles and always do light braking
Rotors should last 50,000 miles right? Or would they be resurfaced at brake pad change?
Calipers can last to 80,000 or 100,000 miles right? As long as they are greased at pad change?!
Thoughts?
Resurfacing is simply turning the rotors on a lathe to remove a small amount of material to make the disc flat and true again. If the rotor isn't warped--which can almost always be felt with a "pulsing" feeling during braking--there is no real benefit to replacing the rotors. When doing brake jobs, you can have the thickness of the rotors measured. If the rotors are still within spec, you can continue using them.
Calipers can last the life of the car with proper maintenance. If they do develop a problem, they can be rebuilt or replaced.
I’ve got a Dodge Ram and am thinking about buying brake pads for front and back of my truck in case there is a parts shortage soon.
I’ve got 25,000 miles and always do light braking
Rotors should last 50,000 miles right? Or would they be resurfaced at brake pad change?
Calipers can last to 80,000 or 100,000 miles right? As long as they are greased at pad change?!
Thoughts?
That's a loaded question.... My Ram 3500 gets about 30k miles on the front brakes (I tow a big fifth wheel camper with it) and rears get about 90k miles. Longevity depends on how you drive and how you maintain your truck as well as the quality of pads/rotors/fluid that you use.
Rotors are original with 125k on the clock. It all depends. If you aren't overheating the rotors by standing on the brakes, running the pads down to the metal, etc... rotors will last for a long time. I've had trucks with well over 200k miles on the original calipers. If you keep the fluid clean so that they don't rust internally they can last quite a while.
Buy quality semi metallic pads and put them on the shelf.
The rest of you assumptions is just that. It can be half that or three times that. Plan your braking and, if you have one of them steering wheel manual shifter model, use engine braking when feasible.
It's sort of amazing that, out of entirety of parts, RAM is made out of, you chose pads, not tires, filters, oil.
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