I have an '00 Passat 1.8t that has some H&R springs that drop it about 2". The rear discs are toast at 65.000. They have been getting covered in brake dust since new. I took it into the dealer twice during the first year to have them check the brake system and they just said all is fine. I was thinking maybe there is a load level sensor that adjusts the brake fluid pressure if the trunk is loaded. The front brakes show like zero wear of very little if any. So if the car was lowered, would that mess-up a brake sensor somewhere?
4drives
Depending on how you drive, the rear may wear faster. The brake bias is not adjustable, has nothing to do with your springs, or the load in your car.
It has to do with the initial setup of most ABS equiped cars. My guess is that you do alot of freeway driving, and are not an agressive driver.
It has to do with the initial setup of most ABS equiped cars. My guess is that you do alot of freeway driving, and are not an agressive driver.
There has been much speculation as to why the rear brakes seem to wear out first in the B5. Obviously, the more normal pattern is for fronts to wear out in most cars.
The reason why pass-variant suggested you are probably not an agressive driver has to do with one theory on the brakes. This theory is that to reduce the dive of the car during moderate braking at high speeds, VW decided to bias the car towards the rear brakes. This reduces dive for the same reason that when you ride a bike, you make sure you use the rears before you clamp down on the fronts. Unfortunately, they apparently forgot to tell the guy in charge of brake components, and he didn't make the pads or rotors any bigger to absorb the increased wear and heat.
SirWired
The reason why pass-variant suggested you are probably not an agressive driver has to do with one theory on the brakes. This theory is that to reduce the dive of the car during moderate braking at high speeds, VW decided to bias the car towards the rear brakes. This reduces dive for the same reason that when you ride a bike, you make sure you use the rears before you clamp down on the fronts. Unfortunately, they apparently forgot to tell the guy in charge of brake components, and he didn't make the pads or rotors any bigger to absorb the increased wear and heat.
SirWired
To add to Sir wireds addition to my post. It's not actually a biasing in the traditional sense (70% front, 30% rear all the time), its a pedal-position based bias. During the initial movement, let's say the first 20% just for examples sake, the brake controller favors the rears, once past that, and the controller KNOWS you are braking more heavily/seriously/urgently, it gives the bias back to the fronts where the power is.
This is common practice on ABS equipped cars (Honda and Toyota I know also does this... my previous Accord went thru rears like the Passat does). Since the ever watchfull ABS controller is making sure the rears don't lock up, the car will squat less during those times when you just touch the brakes to shave a little speed off.
I guess it's not so much being agressive or not, it's more of your typical driving conditions. If you spend alot of time on the freeway where you adjest speed by touching the brakes, then you're prone to it, but if it's alot mot city/ full stop driving, then the fronts may keep up to the rears.
My wifes Jetta went thru rears first... my Passat, is about even. Within a millimeter of each other last time I did brakes.
This is common practice on ABS equipped cars (Honda and Toyota I know also does this... my previous Accord went thru rears like the Passat does). Since the ever watchfull ABS controller is making sure the rears don't lock up, the car will squat less during those times when you just touch the brakes to shave a little speed off.
I guess it's not so much being agressive or not, it's more of your typical driving conditions. If you spend alot of time on the freeway where you adjest speed by touching the brakes, then you're prone to it, but if it's alot mot city/ full stop driving, then the fronts may keep up to the rears.
My wifes Jetta went thru rears first... my Passat, is about even. Within a millimeter of each other last time I did brakes.
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