hey i just learned about brake bedding in a magazine. are we suppose to bed our brakes to get maximum performance and stopping power?

and how do you bed our brakes?

i remember reading once a long time ago that there was a complicating process to bedding.

 

Bedding brakes is a process where you make stops from increasing speeds. I forget how many times and at what speeds, but realistically you'd need a track, deserted road, or a deserted parking lot to do it. It's not complicated, just need to have room to do it.

 

Here's a good article on bedding...my dealer, and Brembo, suggest a procedure similar to #1 and i've been very happy with it so far



101 Ways to Break In Brakes
Article by: SpeedOptions (Friday, July 23, 2004)





Well, recently, I have been having issues with my brakes on my personal/track car. After a hard day at the track, and for no reason that I can remember, the brakes appeared to be "Warped". Well, that is what it is typically called, warped brakes, although some brake companies believe that "warped" is a misnomer, and that it is actually the result of "cementite inclusions". Whatever it is, it sucks, and causes the brake pedal to pulsate, and the steering wheel to shimmy and shake. So, I had the rotors turned/resurfaced, and "bedded" the rotors again, and all seemed fine. Until the next track day. At the track, I had a severe reduction in braking, and wouldn't you know it, by the middle of the track day, my rotors were "warped" again. Arggg, what to do? So, I called the maker of the rotors, and asked what they thought. To begin, they felt that turning the rotors, especially for a car that sees track days, was a big no no. My first bad. They also said that I needed to properly bed the brakes. They suggested a procedure, which frankly, I had never heard before. So, I immediately went to the web, and started to search. Needless to say, it was definitely a learning experience. I learnt some terminology, and I learned that almost every manufacturer has a different "bedding" procedure, although there are similarities. I have including several of the procedures. I can't tell you which one is better, or worse, right or wrong. But, you can see some definite similarities between them, and I would take that to mean, those things must/should be done. The rest, well, I guess that would be personal taste, or better yet, whether you have the location, time, and patience to complete the other steps.

So, lets get into it.

Method #1

1. First, gently apply the brakes a few times at low speed in order to build up some grip before blasting down the road at high speed. Otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise the first time you hit the brakes at 60 mph.
2. From a speed of about 60mph, gently apply the brakes to slow the car down to about 45mph, then accelerate back up to 60mph and repeat. Do this about four or five times to bring the brakes up to operating temperature. This prevents you from thermally shocking the rotors and pads in the next steps.
3. Make a series of eight near-stops from 60 to about 10 mph. Do it HARD by pressing on the brakes firmly, just shy of locking the wheels or engaging ABS. At the end of each slowdown, immediately accelerate back to 60mph. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP!
4. During this process, you must not come to a complete stop because you will transfer (imprint) pad material onto the hot rotors, which can lead to vibration, uneven braking, and could even ruin the rotors.
5. Depending on the pads you are using, the brakes may begin to fade slightly after the 7th or 8th near-stop. This fade will stabilize, but not completely go away until the brakes have fully cooled. A bad smell from the brakes, and even some smoke, is normal.
6. After the 8th near-stop, accelerate back up to speed and drive around for as long as possible without using the brakes. The brakes will need at least 10 minutes to cool down. Obviously, it's OK to use the brakes to avoid an accident, but try to minimize their use until they have cooled.
7. After the break-in cycle, there should be a blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face. The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life.
8. After the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes may still not be fully broken in. A second bed-in cycle, AFTER the brakes have cooled down fully from the first cycle, may be necessary before the brakes really start to perform well. If you've just installed a big brake kit, the pedal travel may not feel as firm as you expected. After the second cycle, the pedal will become noticeably firmer.

Method #2

1. Drive at approx. 35 mph (60 kmh) for about 500 yards (solid front discs) to 800 yards (vented front discs) while slightly dragging the brakes (i.e. light brake pedal pressure). This process allows the brake temperature to slowly and evenly build up to 300°C (572°F) (How the heck can you check the temps while you are driving?).
2. Now, if possible, drive about 2200 yards(How the heck can I measure that while I am driving, so lets just say, ½ mile) maintaining the same speed without braking. This will allow the pads and discs to cool down evenly. After this cool-down, perform a normal brake application from 35 mph to 0. No panic stops!
3. Now, the friction surface has evenly developed friction coal, the pads have bonded with the disc surface, and tensions in the disc materials will have disappeared.

Method #3

1. Accelerate the vehicle to 45 mp/h
2. Apply brakes using moderate to firm pedal effort, reducing speed to 5mp/h
3. Drive 250ft - 500ft accelerating to 45mp/h.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 between 12 & 15 times
- Under no circumstances make repeated brake applications in quick succession
- Do not exceed 60km/h for bedding in procedure
- Never drive vehicle with brakes continually applied during the bedding in procedure These actions will cause excessive heat to be generated, resins to be burnt and loss of braking efficiency.

Method #4

1. Perform four repeated light to medium stops, from 65 to 10 mph, to bring the rotors to temperature.
2. Perform two heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
3. Drive for five to ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.
4. Perform three light stops in succession.
5. Perform eight heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
6. Drive for ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.

Method #5

1. Begin by applying the brakes at low speeds to assure proper system operation.
2. On the race track or other safe location, make a series of hard stops from moderate to slower speeds.
3. Gradually, increase the speed and the braking until the pads reach a hot racing temperature. If any brake pad fade is experienced during the bed-in, immediately begin the cool down process.
4. Drive the car at slow to moderate speeds while the pads begin to cool, and be sure not to drag the brake pedal.
5. Park the car with minimal brake use and allow the brakes to finish cooling before subjecting them to a strenuous workout

Method #6

1. For the first 10 miles, light braking from 50/60 mph down to 30 mph if possible in blocks of 5. Do not attempt any high-speed stops down to zero at this point, as only the faces will heat up with the mass remaining cool along with the mounting area.
2. For the next 100 miles increase the braking pressures similar to stopping in traffic, again avoiding if possible full stops from above 70 mph. By now the area around the mounting bolts should be a light blue temper colour. This is a good indication that the correct heat soak has been achieved.
3. For the next 100 miles gradually increase the braking effort.
4. The brakes are now ready for full power stops can be used. The disc should now be an even dark to light blue temper color, depending on the pad type and the braking effort being used during the process.

This Next tip is a great way to keep from warping brakes.

At the start of a track session, or canyon run, use a minimum of one warming up lap, or 3 or 4 minutes, to warm up the brakes by gradually increase the effort at each corner and do not drag the brakes under power as in left foot braking.
Use at least one cooling down lap at the end, or 3 or 4 minutes of cool down, and if possible stay off the brakes. Also, do not engage the emergency brake. Try and park the car, either in gear, or with some sort of checking of the wheels, to keep it from rolling, while letting the brakes cool.




Originally posted from: http://www.speedoptions.com/articles/4540/

 

wow that was excellent information. too bad i have nowhere to get enough room to do this haha.