[ImperialCrown]

I like the lifetime premium ceramics also. Most auto parts store chains carry some deal or other. Brake parts, batteries and wiper blades are their bread and butter.
A 'rattle' over bumps is more a symptom of loose/missing hardware than worn pads. The linings may still have plenty of life left, although with taxi-duty you want them inspected more frequently.
There are anti-rattle clips and pad shims that should be in place and can be purchased in a rear disc brake hardware kit. Sometimes the old clips can be used over if they are in good condition.
Assembly with special (hi-temp) brake grease will allow for movement and 'cushion' any parts that may rattle against each-other. See #9 here:
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[DC-93]

Just saw this thread -

ALWAYS replace the stainless clips on the calipers with a pad change.
Use LOTS of hi temp grease on the clip-pad interface, especially inboard, so the pad slides easier as it wears.
I use OEM MoPar parts. The rotors are balanced. The pads are thicker. I also pay more and don't get the "Value-Line" parts because I rather enjoy life than change out brake parts sooner!

 

[Rick Anderson]

The "Value-Line" is just cheap aftermarket pads being sold at the dealership. The OEM brake pads, I would look up the part number in the parts catalogue and order them by the part number. Not just ask the Dealer parts counter for pads for you model and year, they will likely give you the value line.

I have been very satisfied with aftermarket brake pads from my local auto-store, as long as I order "Premium" pads. If you buy cheaper pads, even the middle level price/quality, they will NOT be as good as the OEM that came from the assembly line. If you buy the cheapest pads they sell, then you're buying garbage. I've seen people complain that their Chrysler product is bad because even after brand new pads, the brakes make all sorts of noise and vibration, stop poorly. And without fail it turns out they bought the cheapest pads available, the problem is NOT the design, its the cheap brake pads they purchased.

Yes, you should replace the clips with the pads, if the pads don't come with the clips, then I won't buy them. Any quality pad will include the clips needed to do a proper pad change, if they don't include the clips, they are NOT up to my level quality I insist on for my vehicles.

Yes, you "might" get away with re-using the old clips, you might NOT. For the couple of bucks it costs to get the clips or pay for better pads that include the clips, you want to risk it? You might NOT get away with re-using the clips and may need to spend even more money, time and effort redoing the job again.

You also should take apart and clean/re-lube the sliding pins/caliper pins and bushings. Make sure to use a grease that is compatible with the high temps and rubber bushings/seals on the pin if they have them. Those pins need to slide easily and freely, check them.

You're suppose to turn the rotors as well with new pads, but if the rotors are in good shape (you should inspect and measure) you often get away without turning them and NOT run into problems. I don't always replace or turn the rotors with new pads, and I don't run into problems. You do need to check the thickness of the rotor, if they wore down too much that effects brake performance and safety and they need to be replaced.

 

[Rick Anderson]

I have trouble believing the brake bias is the issue. Unless you've got a defective part somewhere in the system, or you typically drive the van with it unusually loaded heavier in the rear, the bias set from testing should be fine. The ABS as well, will compensate for heavy braking if the bias is off.

I would suspect there is something wrong with the rear brakes that is causing the higher wear rate.

Also don't forget that new cars have stability and traction control that activate individual brakes to achieve this. I "think" it was mandated in 2006, so a 2011 van would have these features. And especially if you drive in a lot of snow, the rear brakes might be activating all the time for directional and stability control driving in the snow, and that could increase the wear on the rear brakes a lot.

I know the O.M. says the brake fluid will last the life of the vehicle, but they also consider the life of the vehicle only 100k miles. Bleeding and flushing the old brake fluid out for fresh brake fluid can be very beneficial. I do it every couple of years on my vehicles and does prevent the hydraulic problems that come up on brakes every so often (sticking/leaking caliper/slave cylinders, bad master cylinders, bad hoses, etc). Contaminants and moisture get into the brake fluid, forms gums that causes the calipers to stick. Fresh fluid might help solve some gumming, but usually changing the brake fluid is a preventative measure to prevent the gumming up from forming, its NOT likely to solve the problem after the gumming up as formed.

Also suggested the pads themselves might be sticking. Lack of lube on the contact points, bad clips that they ride on. The caliper pins that allow the calipers to slide as the pad wears, might be gummed up and sticking.

The rotors themselves, might not have worn correctly and have some sort of irregular surface or hard spot that is wearing the pads faster, etc.

Oh, the rate pads wear front to rear. Yes, the front brake does more braking force, that should chew up the front pads faster. But keep in mind, so many vehicles today have newer 4 wheel disc designs, many are matching the brake size and pad thickness front and rear that they some are lasting the same length of time front/rear. Simply because they have made the fronts bigger and thicker and the rears smaller and thinner, etc.

The 05-10 WK/XK's are typically having the rear disc pads wear out a few thousand miles before the front. But the rears pads are typically making a lot of noise as they approach the end of their life, i.e. the pad gets very thin. Which just boggles me, people post about spending twice as much at the dealers getting them to fix the noise of the rear pads near the end of their life with a few thousand miles left on them, instead of just replacing the pads for much less and the new pads get that solves the problem.