Context: I drive a 15+ year old SUV, and I am no longer in the position to just replace everything should anything bad happen. So sadly I will have to buy a newer car at some point. Hopefully not anytime soon 🤞🏼🤞🏼 But, I noticed when shopping with other people that newer cars sound weird. My knowledge of car troubleshooting is little more than sounds good/sounds bad, looks good/looks bad, smells good/smells bad, feels good/feels bad.
So, how are newer cars supposed to sound?
Mine has a bit over 90,000 miles and still has the factory pads. I’ve made very heavy use of regen braking. They’re still in good condition (passed inspection), but I’m going to get new tires soon and will just have them replaced for good measure - I definitely feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of them.
Pads dont really need to be replaced if they arent low and arent crumbling or falling apart, but if it makes you feel better then you can have them replaced. If you want to keep your fuel economy make sure you install an economy tire for hybrids, theyre a harder tire.
I don’t know exactly how much life is left on them (just that they passed inspection), but I’m due for tires soon so figured might as well since it’s sometimes a hassle to schedule that.
Yeah, I cheaped out the last time I got tires and didn’t spring for the “eco” tires. Lost 2-3 MPG but was still averaging 48. The regular tires were like $200 less than the eco ones (per tire). I haven’t done the math, so I don’t know if the 2-3 MPG savings would have broke even or not. I do know they did better in the snow.