Hello everyone,

I just bought my XC90 3 months ago and just got around to replacing the front brake pads. After removing the old ones, I noticed something odd about the wear pattern. For some context, I've always owned Japanese cars prior to this (mostly Hondas and Acuras), and I've never seen worn out brakes like these. They developed a pretty big '"lip" on the outer edge, kind of like if the edge of the brake never touched the rotor itself. The reason for changing the brake pads was that they were squealing when it was cold out (under 5 degrees Celsius). After driving around for 10-15 minutes, the squealing while braking went away. Anyways, see pictures below.

Vehicle specs:
2007 Volvo XC90
3.2L (inline-6) NA
2WD
7 Seater
U.S. Model, driven in the midwest

This Volvo came to me with 316mm rotors (I measured them before buying brake pads). I bought 316mm brake pads, and they were an exact match to the old ones.






Is this a normal wear pattern for Volvos? Do I have the wrong rotors/pads combination? What's going on here.

Thanks,

-Sebastian

 

Forgot to mention, it has 17 inch wheels

 

Correct - either the rotors or the pads are incorrect. If the pads fit properly i'd bet someone put the smaller rotors on. I'll search for a picture of the 3 sizes.

 

thanks for the reply. Maybe the last owner had 336mm pads put on by mistake. Would the 336mm pads fit on a 316mm caliper?

 

There are many question on xc90 rotor sizing - here's a recent one.

If you call your local dealer they will be able to give you the part # price and availability using your VIN, and the common knowledge of what they sell everyday. Then with that info you can choose your Vendor.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...estion-110883/

 

Update:

I think the last owner put the wrong pads on it. The rotors are marked (and I measured) at 316mm. The pads, I assume are 336mm. The picture below shows the lip being around 9mm, which would make sense for 336mm rotors. 336 - 316 = 20mm. 20mm diameter difference means that the radius changes by 10mm, therefore creating that lip on the picture.




I figured I’d post a resolution so this can be used by other members.

 

Or - how about the wrong rotors?

 

search the boards for a recent post - it suggested that the different pads use different clip types and provided some pics to match the pad to the rotor size. My suggestion would be to see if you can determine what was original for your model - that may take a call to the dealer with your VIN or build plate info.