Possible to measure brake pad thickness without...

[ajee622]

removing the tire??

also can i get away with just replacing the pads? original rotors have 46K miles on them.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by ajee622

removing the tire??

also can i get away with just replacing the pads? original rotors have 46K miles on them.

You might be able to do so with a very thin ruler you slide in there. I tried it and didn't have much success -- jacking up the car and removing the wheel only takes a few minutes.

Yes, you can replace just the pads as long as the rotors are still within spec. The mileage doesn't matter, the rotor thickness does. If you change pad compounds, you might need to flex hone the rotors and bed the pads in.

[macdude357]

I slide my phone in between the spokes of the wheel and hold it up against the brake rotor and take a pic. I can then compare the pad thickness to the backing plate thickness to get a ballpark of the pad thickness. It won't get you an exact measurement but it can give you a good idea how much pad you have left.

[msan]

You should also be checking the pad on the inside, closer to the engine...pads may wear differently between outer and inner

[roastbeef]

Yes. Look at them with your eyeballs.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

Yes. Look at them with your eyeballs.

Hahaha, cheers Roast, never thought of that...

[JPS-ATL]

Just get a cheap tool like this one from Amazon. Can use without removing the wheels. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[dparm]

Originally Posted by msan

You should also be checking the pad on the inside, closer to the engine...pads may wear differently between outer and inner

Sage advice. The inner pad gets less airflow and therefore runs hotter, which can cause it to wear faster.