Does anyone notice that their rear brake pads wear much faster than the front. I noticed it because I have a lot of brake dust on the rear rims and none on the front. I look at the pads and the pads in the rear a much more worn. I called the dealership and they said that it is normal. ?

 

Does the car have rear wheel drive?

I am not sure if that could be a reason. Because I have always hear that most of your stopping power is in your front brakes, what is it about 60% of your stopping power is in the front? Any way I know that my front ones where the first to go.

But of course I have a little 323 that is front wheel drive so I don't know.

 

the engine is in the front which is most of the weight so it seems obvious the wear should be more towards the front, and i havn't heard of any mazda 3's being made in rear wheel drive, but anyway your pads are rubbing on something causing it to wear faster

 

dude i totally believe you, i just hit 45,500 and i had to replace the rear because there was less than 15 percent left on them. the front are still fine, but i wonder if they were put on differnetly or something. if anybody could help us out, then please

 

Same problem here... brake dust is crazy on my back two tires (plus i drive in heavy traffic daily, alot of braking and going!) and i believe that is normal, havent really asked but seen it alot with the 3's.

Isnt the mazda 3 a front wheel drive car? I beleieve it is... most imports are... and the weight is mainly in the front of the car but i think the back brakes use more force to stop or something than the front, im not sure....maybe someone ask a dealer??

 

The excessive rear brake wear and dust is because the rear brake pads are of an inferior quality. The front pads are a high-quality composite ceramic while the rear pads are a poor-quality semi-metallic. This was confirmed to me by a Mazda mechanic on another forum.

A Mazda dealership will tell you the problem is normal because they don't want to admit that Mazda cut corners on the materials used for the rear brakes of the Mazda3. As we all know, the front brakes do the most work on ANY car, and therefore these are the brakes that should shed the most dust and wear the quickest. On a Mazda3, you'll find the opposite to be true thanks to the cheap rear brake pads.

I don't know of any good aftermarket rear brake pads that will blow less dust or wear longer. I have the same problem on my '05 Mazda3 and I wish I could cure it.

 

I have not noticed any difference in brake wear between the front and rear pads, i had mine checked a couple weeks ago and the dealership said they were all wearing evenly. I dont know if it is other year models that are having this problem, but mine is an '06 3i. if you are having a problem like that I would upgrade the pads to something more durable, like ceramic pads that give off less dust and have better stopping power.

 

empty

 

I didn't notice the problem until I put a set of Enkei rims on a month into ownership. I thought it was dirt before. It is brake dust. Take it into the dealership, and Mazda has a retrofit kit for the rear brakes that they will install under warranty. They were hitting before the front brakes. The update should include new pads and a new bracket. It should cost you nothing. I brought mine in after six weeks of owning the vehicle (05). If they give you crap about it, have them check their computer for updates.

Since this was done, the brakes on my car wear normally.

 

I have the same problem on my 2006 3 hatchback...excessive rear break dust,...which ussualy means more wear,...there are companys that sell better brake pads,..check "Rotora" website..they sell a sick *** drilled and slotted front break kit....kinda pricey for most tho. But they also sell pads. Check Cardomain also..they have links to vendors that sell beter break pads.

Kevin