Brake pad life

[Glyn Ruck]

I am putting together a collection of service parts so that I have them to hand when required:

I know this is service dependent but what is the average mileage one can expect from brake pads running on good/new discs/rotors? (standard brakes, standard pads)

As the S Type does not have front predominant braking like modern cars I presume front & rear pads require replacement at similar mileage and have similar wear rate?

[NigelW]

I can't help with the front as I have Coopercraft 4 pots but the rears last for ever including the hand brake - as long as you don't forget to release it!

[Orlando St.R]

I too have Coopercraft 4-pots at the front, now, after my 'moment' in the Cotswolds a few years back. It certainly does feel as though the front brakes do most of the work, even with the standard calipers, so I think you'd have to do a lot of miles before the rears wore out.

If your calipers are standard, so many vehicles have been fitted with them over the years, I'd be amazed if you couldn't find suitable replacements when the time eventually comes.

Plus, FWIW, I didn't think much to the SNGB-supplied standard pads I had up-front before the upgrade; the EBC red stuff were definitely better and produced less dust. Though putting the Coopercraft calipers on was a revelation in comparison; they have EBC green stuff pads.

[cass3958]

I suppose it depends on how hard you drive the car, whether you drive on the brakes or with anticipation and the type of pads you have but a standard set of pads on my road car will easily last 30,000 miles so I would have thought the pads on my S Type will see me through to the end of my driving life as I only do 1500 miles a year.

[Glyn Ruck]

My Benz front pads go 30K Km's but they are huge in comparison to the S Types.

The reason I say the brakes are not front predominant is that they are single circuit. Large rear discs by modern standards. Same size pad front & rear, caliper bore is a little larger front vs. rear & in original road testing it was mentioned that they frequently locked up rear wheels. Not something you would have on the modern car where rears are for directional stability. So I think she brakes with more rear bias than a typical modern car. At recent roadworthy I was actually surprised at the brake effort she showed both back & front & even handbrake. I was determined my handbrake would work properly & it does. I suspect brake fade might be far less impressive.

The car is not going to be driven hard. I think I'll just keep a set of front's in stock for good measure. She is quite a heavy beast & pad area is modest.

[cass3958]

I suppose there is a list of parts you could stock up on which wear out to keep in the garage.
In the boot of the car I carry a spare fan belt, a spare bulb set, PAS fluid, Engine oil brake fluid and a container of water. If I had standard ignition I would carry a set of points and a condenser but I have changed over to an electronic dizzy and they are too expensive to carry a spare around. A full tool kit not just the Jaguar one ( I don't think I have touched that since I bought the car,) a special socket to remove the wheel spinners and a breaker bar, a tow rope and some jump leads about sums it up in the boot. A part from all the cleaning gear, umbrellas two chairs, table and picnic basket.

[Glyn Ruck]

Yes ~ I have fan belt, bulbs, fuses, ring/flats, Whitworth socket for SU's, points/condenser (to take Pertronix back to standard) etc in boot. I'm just stocking up on filters, pads, spare rad cap, thermostat, distributor & cap & Lucas connectors etc. etc. I can't access parts as quickly as you can this end. I have also kept spare PS box, pump, set of carbs etc from my donor cars. Also spinner saver etc from rebuild. Trying not to keep any junk I won't use but have a fairly decent collection of crucial parts including spare fog lamps & other difficult to find items.

[cass3958]

Please assure me you have a couple of chairs and a picnic basket in the boot of your car!!!!!! Essential items surely, so if you do break down at least you can make it look as if you have pulled over onto the hard shoulder on purpose just to have a picnic.
Used to see it all the time in the 1960s. Folkes making it look like they were having a picnic on the side of the motorway whilst the car was cooling down after overheating or they were waiting for father to come back from walking 10 miles to the nearest phone to call the AA. Ah the good old days when I was a kid.

[Glyn Ruck]

Yes indeed I have Rob. Folding, lightweight chairs in BRG. For shows, roadside etc. Even imported a lightweight Cosmos dust cover from the UK in BRG.

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[JCS]

Glyn

I think you will find the brake pad mileage rather good even if the car is braked hard.

In the 60’s I had some Jaguar Mk X cars running on a fleet, a heavier car than the S type, and the pad mileage was about 20,000 miles per front set. The rear sets usually became contaminated with axle oil, before they came to the worn out stage that is if the car was normally used for consistent high speed work. That situation improved after we fitted large axle breathers, altered seals and fitted oil deflectors to stop engine and transmission oil blow back onto the brakes. I hope to attain similar mileages from my S type, which is only a smaller Mk X after all. I did not operate the S types in my 60’s time, just Mk X and DS420’s.

I note you are based in SA and I know from automotive units I worked on from Africa that in some areas you have extremely abrasive dust and this could be a significant contributing factor in pad wear.

There are a number of miscellaneous spares that it might be sensible to stock considering your location. For instance if you have chosen to uprate to a high output alternator, you will need a few fan belts particularly if you are also driving the power steering pump. If you have power steering it is also sensible in my view to carry a spare star drive that fits between the dynamo and pump, these often shear and they are rare.