The Japanese king of reliability and affordability, Toyota, has stayed true to its goal since its most popular model, the Corolla, was first introduced. This mid-sized sedan embodies the brand’s yearning for continuous improvement and consistency in quality, no matter how boring the design of the car may seem to some people.

A Corolla is synonymous with tried-and-true everyday motoring without being extravagant or too needy. Toyota’s best-selling car ever is modest and long-lasting while being safe and comfortable at the same time. When it comes to safety, timely maintenance of brake pads (as important and as taken for granted as wing mirrors), is a crucial part of a Corolla’s safety.

Types of Brake Pads

Ceramic

Talking about spending a fortune on brake pads, if that’s what you want to do, then consider getting ceramic pads for your Corolla. While they are not the quickest to warm up, once up to temperature, ceramic Toyota Corolla brake pads are the best performing, quietest and cleanest of them all.

They last much longer and can make a big difference when it comes to hard braking, especially on a track. Just know that fitting a ceramic Corolla brake pad set would be overkill when it comes to regular commuting.

NAO

One of the most commonly used brake pads on commuter vehicles nowadays are NAO or non-asbestos organic pads. They are made of organic fibres and resins such as fibreglass, rubber, cellulose and kevlar. This makes NAO brakes for a Toyota Corolla the most affordable and fitting for everyday driving. However, this blend of materials makes organic pads easy to heat up and wear down much quickly. This generates more brake dust, but it makes them quite even when not warmed up.

Low-Metallic

With low-metallic pads, you are still getting NAO contents as the base of the friction material, they’re just paired with steel or copper around 10% and 30%. This mix of materials makes for pads that are more resistant to wear than regular NAO pads and ones that provide more stopping power. The downsides of low-metallic brake pads are that they are noisier and more expensive than NAO pads.

Semi-Metallic

With semi-metallic Corolla brake pads, you can expect a longer lifespan and even greater stopping power than the above-mentioned pads. That’s because they are made of metal, between 30% and 65%, such as copper wires and steel wool. This makes them louder and longer to warm up, but it also helps improve heat dissipation and management without costing a fortune.

Brake Pad Maintenance

Driving

To keep your pads for as long as possible, it’s important to use them accordingly and keep them in good shape, which starts with how you drive. If you want to avoid replacing pads more frequently, then avoid harsh acceleration and using the brakes when going into a turn. Instead, rely on engine braking as this way you not only save your Toyota Corolla brake pads but also the fuel while being equally safe. Just adjust your speed next time you’re making a turn, especially on a sharp corner.

Braking

Using the brake pedal shouldn’t be an on/off switch, you should modulate the braking power available under your foot. This way, when braking, you break smoothly and safely, which, when combined with engine braking (when coming to a complete stop) it wears down the brakes much less and thus leaves more friction material, making them last longer.

Fluid

Brake fluid, like any other fluid in your vehicle, needs to be replaced at a regular interval. For a Corolla, this is anywhere between 2 to 3 years or from 30,000 to 50,000 km. Fresh fluid makes for a much better pedal feel and improves stopping power, especially if there have been air bubbles in the braking system.

Overloading

When loading your vehicle, it is important not to exceed the capacity the manufacturer has stated as its limit. For the Corolla, this shouldn’t go past 450 and 500 kg, depending on the year and body style. The exact number can be found on the door jamb sticker or owner’s manual and it shouldn’t be matched or let alone crossed over, as it can stress the brakes, especially the pads since you need to apply more force to the pedal.

There’s also more pressure on the suspension and chassis to the point where it can cause serious damage. Remove any items in the boot or back seats that add even a little bit of weight, as all together they do make for a substantial difference. Of course, this doesn’t include stuff like the spare wheel or spare parts like bulbs or a first aid kit, as they are essential items.

Check

The simplest preventative maintenance you can do on your Corolla brakes pads is to take a look at them from time to time. This doesn’t require you to take the wheel, as you only need a torch and 5 minutes of your time to check the thickness of the pads on all four corners.