[De$perad0]

We were 65 yesterday, but that had nothing to do with the temperature, it was the wind speed.
If I could figure a way to step a mast on my CR-V I could probably break the sound barrier without burning any fuel.
The hybrid CAN achieve great mileage, but once you stray outside the conditions it's optimized for it suffers.
But that's OK with me, as long as I understand what's going on.

Lol now that would be something to see. A CRV going down the highway with a sail attached.

One pro tip I tried that worked really well is drafting Semi trailers on the highway. Set up ACC at 70+ mph, Set follow distance to the lowest setting (1 bar) and find a semi that's going at a good clip and stay behind them as much as you can. It gave me a few extra mpg. Gotta be careful not to freak out the semi driver tho. If they show signs of getting nervous just find another one or change semis every now and then.
But that all comes back to wind resistance. I got 41-42 mpg going 220 hwy miles that way.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Not to be a killjoy, but theres another thread here for MPG-related discussions

 

[REBELhybrid]

Having a bit of an issue with my brakes at only 10k. 4 months in and my brakes are making a terrible low pitch grinding noise. I'll have to take it in soon to get that checked out. Feels like it takes more pedal pressure to stop these days as well. Before anyone asks, no, this is not "sUrFaCe RuSt". These pictures were taken after a 10 mile trip of stop and go traffic. Car is driven EVERY day, 2000+ miles a month. Pics of each rotor.

awaiting victim blaming

 

[Schmullis]

Sorry to hear that. One year, 2,600 miles on mine. Brakes look as good as new

 

[beww]

Sorry to hear that. One year, 2,600 miles on mine. Brakes look as good as new

2900 miles and mine look new as well.
But I don't live near any ocean, they do not use salt on the roads here, and the humidity is extremely low.
But @REBELhybrid DOES live near an ocean, they do use salt on the roads in PA, and the humidity there is relatively high.
Not saying that's the cause, but they are factors.

 

[REBELhybrid]

2900 miles and mine look new as well.
But I don't live near any ocean, they do not use salt on the roads here, and the humidity is extremely low.
But @REBELhybrid DOES live near an ocean, they do use salt on the roads in PA, and the humidity there is relatively high.
Not saying that's the cause, but they are factors.

I don't live close enough to the ocean that it would be an issue but they do indeed use road salt here. That being said, this is not my first vehicle but it is the first time I've had this problem on brakes with only 10k miles. In my 20 years of car ownership, I've never seen anything like this and I've lived in this area my whole life.

 

[beww]

I don't live close enough to the ocean that it would be an issue but they do indeed use road salt here. That being said, this is not my first vehicle but it is the first time I've had this problem on brakes with only 10k miles. In my 20 years of car ownership, I've never seen anything like this and I've lived in this area my whole life.

I think anything east of Harrisburg is "near the ocean" as far as salt in the air is concerned.
A possible factor is the hybrid does not use the friction brakes as much as a friction-braking-only vehicle would.
So the rust doesn't get "cleaned up" by the pads as much as a vehicle without regen braking would do.
Again, not saying that's the issue, just pointing out possibilities.
I certainly understand your concern, and I'm hoping someone here knows more than both of us about it.

 

[Carbuff2]

A possible factor is the hybrid does not use the friction brakes as much as a friction-braking-only vehicle would.
So the rust doesn't get "cleaned up" by the pads as much as a vehicle without regen braking would do.

Agreed. Rebel's pics to me, looked just like rotors that were allowed to sit after a car wash, without using them.

As a test: When you see that rusty effect, take the V up and down the street. Brake FIRMLY (past the regeneration point). Then take some more pictures.

post them here.

 

[beww]

. Brake FIRMLY (past the regeneration point). Then take some more pictures.
post them here.

I read somewhere that you need to brake more than 1/3G to get the calipers to engage. That's a lot of stopping.
Of course the calipers engage as you slow below effective regen speed, but that won't clean things up as much as friction braking at full speed.
The vehicle gives you no indication of the switch from regen to friction, which I guess shows how good the braking "feel" is.

 

[Carbuff2]

I read somewhere that you need to brake more than 1/3G to get the calipers to engage. That's a lot of stopping.

I would defer to you, since we don't own a Hybrid.

But, please try the FIRM brake test. can't a driver tell when that 'traditional' brake action begins? (The feeling is often mentioned in road tests of hybrids & EVs of all makes.)

++++++++++

On a lighter note, it is often said that rapid braking helps a vehicle owner find things that they thought they lost!!🥶 (Because when you stop short, it will hit you in the back of the head)🤭

 

[beww]

can't a driver tell when that 'traditional' brake action begins? (The feeling is often mentioned in road tests of hybrids & EVs of all makes.)

I certainly can't tell. Also often mentioned is that Honda has the best "feel" of all the regen systems.
I drove a RAV4 and it was obvious when it switched from regen to friction, but I can't tell in the CR-V.

 

[REBELhybrid]

Agreed. Rebel's pics to me, looked just like rotors that were allowed to sit after a car wash, without using them.

This is what I was trying to avoid which is why I made sure to take the pictures after a decent amount of driving. I literally hopped out the vehicle immediately upon parking to take those photos.

Wouldn't the noise I'm hearing come from the fact that the brakes are engaging?

While I do use regen braking quite often, there's no way it's doing even most of the work. Regen braking doesn't do all that much at low speeds.

I don't drive like a mad man but I do live in the city so these brakes do get used.

 

[Charlie1960]

But, please try the FIRM brake test.

These look like my rotors after a day parked up but I live by the coast and I’m sure salted roads would cause the same effect.

If there’s no obvious gouging or deep pitting this is what brake rotors look like in specific environments and at low speeds it can generate a rubbing noise until cleared. As the front brakes take most of the load the rears tend to look worse. The only way to shift this rust is to hard brake from speed obviously when safe to do so to ensure you utilise the front and rear brakes. You should see the difference unfortunately there’s a good chance the rust will be back next day when you’ll have to do it all again. I’d try this before approaching the dealer.

 

[De$perad0]

These look like my rotors after a day parked up but I live by the coast and I’m sure salted roads would cause the same effect.

If there’s no obvious gouging or deep pitting this is what brake rotors look like in specific environments and at low speeds it can generate a rubbing noise until cleared. As the front brakes take most of the load the rears tend to look worse. The only way to shift this rust is to hard brake from speed obviously when safe to do so to ensure you utilise the front and rear brakes. You should see the difference unfortunately there’s a good chance the rust will be back next day when you’ll have to do it all again. I’d try this before approaching the dealer.

Yea rotors are typically made of carbon steel. They will tend to rust and it will rub off the first time you hit the brakes and then you are good to go. So sometimes they will look rusty if it has been a while since you drove and its been wet or in some kind of rust causing environment.

I read somewhere that you need to brake more than 1/3G to get the calipers to engage. That's a lot of stopping.
Of course the calipers engage as you slow below effective regen speed, but that won't clean things up as much as friction braking at full speed.
The vehicle gives you no indication of the switch from regen to friction, which I guess shows how good the braking "feel" is.

Trust me I drove a gen 2 prius for a long time and sometimes in certain speeds and conditions it had really terrible transitions from regen to calipers and that sucked. you are pressing the brake with an even pressure and the car is braking hard*soft*hard*soft*hard*soft it was rage inducing. So I am VERY thankful for how well Honda has set up their system to seamlessly transition between the 2.

 

[De$perad0]

It will. It was warmer here yesterday so I turned off the climate control system, and my mileage is back to almost 40. I was down to below 30 when I was using the heat a lot.
Other factors are winter blend fuel and snowy roads, both of which cut into your mileage.

Update. The temperatures have warmed up where I am to 40s in the morning and 70s during the day. I can say without a doubt I get 40+ MPG on the drive home where I was getting 34 MPG when it was 30's 40's on the way home. Temperature has a phenomenal effect on the efficiency of the hybrid system.

 

[williamsji]

I think the bottom line here is the actual answer to the question posed about wear is to put a set of calipers on the rotor and measure it vs Honda spec. Same with the pads. In other words... stop guessing and speculating and science the #$%^ out of it with actual precision instruments to measure and compare to spec limits.

As others have noted during the discussion, nothing in the photos looks alarming.

 

[dave 2020]

I recently bought a 2020 CRV Hybrid. Even when it was new I noticed that the finish on the rear brake disks was kind of rough. I have about 2500 miles on the car now and the front brake disks look really bad too, heavily pitted and rusting. Has anyone else had this problem? It looks like they were made from defective steel.
Overall I like the car with my main gripe being poor gas mileage. I'm getting between 32-34 MPG, much less than advertised.

Mileage drops in cold weather get 40-42 mpg in warm weather consistently in city driving...

 

[NCD]

I figured out a hack to give those rusty hybrid rotors a good scrub if they are grabby, squeaky, and so on from the limited use they get.

Disclaimer: I'm just some idiot on the internet. Do this at your own risk! But it works 😀

Find an empty, straight road. Come to a stop, switch to your other foot on the brake pedal, and keep the brake applied somewhat as you accelerate away. This leaves the standard brakes engaged and you can drag them for a bit and come to a complete, hard stop without any regen brakes. (I never see the green bar rise when doing this.)

I have been going up to about 25mph with them dragging, then braking to a full stop. Gets the rotors toasty hot and cleans em' up nice. Once or twice does the trick.

 

[Carbuff2]

This is like the 'Italian Tuneup" for ICE cars...except for brakes.

Periodic 'exercise' keeps the system and components working well!


Its like joining a gym to keep your body in shape. (I was a member of a gym once, but then I realized you had to actually GO there! )