Let the experts at Mel's Tire LLC in Emporia, KS assist you with your braking service!

Your vehicle's disc brakes are similar to the handbrakes on a bicycle. Your wheels are bolted to a smooth steel disc called a rotor, and two pads of friction material are held in a caliper which encloses the rotor. Hydraulic pressure engages the brakes by forcing the pads against the rotor, where they drag and slow the vehicle. 

Brake pad material is ceramic or semimetallic, and can last 60,000 miles or more. Since brake pads wear so slowly, it can be easy to not notice a decrease in braking performance as they wear down. These are all sure signs, though: 

• Excessive brake pedal travel
• Brake pedal feels "soft" or spongy underfoot
• Longer stopping distances
• Tendency for one or more wheels to lock up and skid while braking
• Pulsation or vibration through brake pedal
• Vehicle pulls to one side while braking