Right now I have a 2006 RWD Infiniti G35 coupe and am experiencing (what I think) is abnormal rear brake wear.

I have 42,000 miles on the car and replaced the rear brake pads last year (around 35k miles). Now, already a year in to my new brake pads, they are already down to 4-6mm left (they started w/ 8.5mm I believe). My front brake pads have been fine, no issues whatsoever for 5 years and still over 7mm (start w/ 11 mm I believe).

Any ideas? Or is this expected on a rear-wheel drive car that I brake semi-aggresively on the highway with? I figured that my front brake pads should have worn down by now if it was driving that caused it.

[This message has been edited by Tonto_Baggins (edited 10/10/2011 12:10a).]

sticky parking brake?

Does your car have VDC (vehicle dynamic control)?

350Zs and G35s with VDC will apply the rear brakes to maintain yaw stability. If you're an aggressive driver then VDC may intervene a lot, and can wear out the rear pads prematurely. I don't know if this feature can be completely turned off. The 350Z owners I know who have VDC and track their cars usually have to bring an extra set of rear pads to the track because of this issue; the more aggressive your driving the more quickly VDC eats up the rear pads.

Rear pad wear has never been an issue for my 2007 350Z and I've done plenty of tracking and have put over 110k miles on it. But my car doesn't have VDC, only basic traction control which doesn't affect the brakes and can be turned off.

[This message has been edited by madd_ag_05 (edited 10/10/2011 6:33a).]

Damn...you sliding around every corner you take with the TC on?

You don't have to actually be sliding to activate the VDC. If the yaw rate is high enough it will intervene to try to prevent a slide, even if you aren't close to actually losing traction.




[This message has been edited by madd_ag_05 (edited 10/10/2011 11:11a).]

What kind of pads were they and who replaced them?

The VDC light on my dashboard does not come on so I don't think its that. I don't drive it that aggresively. The most aggressive I will drive includes hitting 110+ and then slowing down. Typically, except for when I was being foolish, I am completely alone on the highway and can slow down gradually when this happens.

Have checked my parking brake and it is all the way down.

My brake pads are OEM and were installed by the dealer after re-surfacing the rotors. The first brake pads were of course installed by the manufacturer. Are new rear brake pads after 35k miles, despite the front being plenty healthy, abnormal as well?

[This message has been edited by Tonto_Baggins (edited 10/10/2011 11:56a).]

I replaced both front and rear brake pads on my 2005 G35 last year around 50k miles.