Increased fuel consumption after fitting new brake pads

LordMarcus

New member
Points
41
Location
Slovakia
Car
Volvo S40 2.4i
My brake pads on my 2005 Volvo S40 needed changing, so I treated the car with a set of Brembos. I fitted them last weekend (first time I did this myself) and all went well. This week I noticed my fuel consumption has increased. I do 120 miles every day and did 30 miles less to half tank than usually.

Is this normal and if not, what could I've done wrong?
 
Go for a drive but brake gently on the way back. Then straight away check your discs.they shouldbe warm but not hot or smoking. If they are then brakes are binding. Are the calipers bigger than standard? They could be rubbing against the wheels.
 
Thanks for quick response. I'll try that after work and let you know the result.

Calipers are standard and I didn't change discs either.
 
After you have followed the advice on the previous posts I would jack up the front of the car and spin the wheels to check for pad drag.
If you still have drag then there may be a reason as to why the pistons are not retracting fully/properly and would advise having then serviced otherwise you will not only continue to have high fuel consumption along with increased pad and disc wear and slightly less performance.
 
After 60 miles trip home discs were totally cold and fuel consumption looked OK. I'll keep an eye on it for a couple of tanks and report back if the problem persists.

Thanks for all advice guys.
 
Just reporting back on the topic. Supposed spike in fuel consumtion was due to fuel gauge behaving funny. It went through 5/8 of the range and then it stopped. By the time the fuel light came on, I did just 12 miles less than I usually do. Next couple tanks were back to normal.
 

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