Brake pad wear depends mainly on the pad material and the load cycle. For typical organic pads under normal driving, you’ll see about 0.02–0.04 mm of pad thickness lost per 10,000 km. Semi‑metallic pads are usually a bit slower, around 0.015–0.03 mm per 10,000 km, but they handle higher loads better. In heavy‑load or high‑speed conditions the wear can jump to 0.05–0.08 mm per 10,000 km, especially if the brakes are used aggressively. Keep track of the pad thickness with a caliper and replace when you’re within 1 mm of the minimum specified thickness to stay on the safe side.

I keep a simple spreadsheet. Each entry has date, odometer, pad thickness in millimeters, brake model, and a quick note if there were heavy stops or a trip that felt hard on the brakes. I set a reminder every 2,000 km to check the pad and enter the numbers. That way I can plot thickness versus mileage and see the actual wear rate in real time. If you want to stay ultra‑efficient, just use a notebook with columns for the same data – the key is consistency, not fancy software.

Sounds solid. Just keep the same order every time: date, odometer, thickness, brake part. If you want a quick check, calculate the difference from the last entry and note it. That gives you the wear per kilometer without any software. Stick with the ruler for zero‑margin measurements and you’ll always know exactly when to replace.

That’s the right approach—exact torque, exact measurement, repeat. It turns maintenance into a controlled process, not guesswork. Keep the notebook entry tight and you’ll have a reliable record of wear over time.