I just recently was informed that properly breaking in new pads and/or rotors is considered a very important precaution to take if you want to get the most out of your $$$ investment!

I had always slapped the pads on and went easy on them for a couple of miles...then I would give them a good test to see how much better they worked. I would nail the hell out of them, only 10-15 minutes after installing them.

That was about THE WORST thing I could have done....and I had done it for years!!!

If you want to get most out of your Akebono's, Redstuff, Porterfields, or OEM...break them in them properly!

The procedure was a pain in the @ss, but I feel that it has made a HUGE difference in the over all performance of the pads & rotors.

Here you go...cut and pasted from a source I forgot to note. (I will post the source here if I can find it)

The Proper Bedding in or “Burnishing Process”

After installing the new rotors and/or pads:

1. Test drive the vehicle braking very gently from 20 mph to 5 mph without coming to a stop. Your brakes may not “grab” at first, so allow plenty of time to slow down. Repeat 10 times.

Allow a 1/2 mile "cool off" between the ten 20 mph - 5 mph slow downs.

2. Now brake "normally" from 40 mph to 10 mph without coming to a stop.
Repeat 40 mph - 10 mph "normal braking" 5 times. Allow 1/2 mile cool off between slow downs.

3. If you are breaking in new rotors, park your car for one hour, after the above slow down cycles. A gradual cool down, for one hour, avoids warping of rotors.

4. No “panic stops” for the first 300 miles. (unless it is an emergency - duh )

IMPORTANT Note about Rotor Warping:
If you are an aggressive driver, or track your car – take your foot off the brake pedal after coming to a stop. (I just put it in park for a few moments each time after doing some post 300 mile test panic stops.)

Leaving the pad on the rotor acts like a heat sink producing uneven heat distribution and possible warping of rotors.

Why Burnishing Works…
A gradual break-in burnish reduces brake vibration and noise by controlling the pressures and temperatures new pads are exposed to. A 20 pound rotor brings a lot of heat to 3 pound brake pads. New brake pads that are pushed too hard during break-in will over heat, glaze, become too hard, may deeply groove rotors, cause vibration, noise, and not perform well.

Try it if you have the patience and time....it worked like a charm for me!

Scott
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Thanks for the write-up. I just changed my pads and rotors last weekend and was unsure about the break-in process. Fortunately, I think I managed to guess correctly and was pretty close to your "correct" method. I think I will make note of this and really do the break-in correctly next time.

 

Ive always used this procedure with my rotors and pads.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

 

I wish this post would of been a month earlier...Thanks for the info!!

 

Every pad manufacturer has a different "recommended process for bedding-in pads" - for example, with Akebono Euroceramic pads, the recommendation is simply moderate braking for the first 500 miles or so... no "45-5 10 times" steps or anything, which surprised me. So I guess, when in doubt, just check what the pad manufacturer recommends for the product (i.e. pad) used... if anyone would know, they would!

 

I agree...this procedure kind of surprised me too.

I had never heard of such a detailed step by step. I had always done a very abrieviated version of the Akebono 500 mile you mentioned. (about 5 miles ) All I can say is that the car has never stopped like it does after going through the steps.

The 300 miles also seem to take forever to roll by....I could not hardly wait to see how fast the car would stop.


I hope no one thinks I am trying to say that this is THE OFFICIAL and ONLY way to break in new pads & rotors...it was just recommended to me by a buddy that races SCCA. He is a perfectionist of sorts - so I took his word on it, and also found very similar info when I was searching for pads.

Hope it is helpful to somebody

Scott

 

There must be many theories on how to properly bed new pads and rotors. These are the ones I use:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedinstock.shtml

BTW, if you follow the above directions, please be aware that some cars (ie. Chevy Suburban) will start fading after just a few 60-5 cycles.

 

It is looking that way indeed....I like Stoptech's better

Thanks for sharing!

 

 

Is that your car all chrome paint?

 

Nah, Just a pic I found.. It must look crazy on a sunny day in the street though!!