rbauhart

Hi all.

I'm not really sure where I should be posting this, as it's a general question on brakes.

When i'm switching between my track and street pads frequently, I always try to make sure that I bed them properly each time, especially when putting on my pagid yellows before I go to the track. I have heard that it helps to, before you put the new pads in, take some steel wool to the rotor surfaces to help get rid of the surface residue of the other brake pad compound that you have just taken out. By doing so, I have been told, that this will help prevent glazing?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Roland

joey bagadonuts

Hey Roland,

I've only heard that recommendation to cure uneven pad deposits. Bedding them in according to the manufacturer's recommendation should suffice, although, you will rarely reach speeds sufficient to do it properly on the street. Your first track session with the Yellows will still be VERY slick. They won't produce maximum friction until your second session, so please take it easy on the first run.

If you're car is still street-legal, you might want to look at a dual-purpose pad, e.g. Pagid Blues. That way, you can just leave them in. $0.02

rbauhart

Thanks for the input.

My RSA is still street legal, but it's a track car at heart and I drive it very much to it's limits, so I won't be going to a dual purpose compound. I run pagid yellows up front and pagid blacks in the rear.

I am pretty good about bedding them in well. I usually try to do a highway drive before I hit the track, and still hold back a little bit in the first session to ensure that they are bedded in well, before I begin braking late.

Just want to do everything I can to get the most performance out of them and be as safe as possible as well. The steel wool idea sounded interesting. Never tried it though.

Roland

joey bagadonuts

Sounds like you're going about things right and familiar with the first-session slide (why won't it stop?!). I know the Pagids can be a bit squealy but have you considered leaving them in? They're a little tricky on cold mornings but if you're only doing DE's and the occasional sunny-day drive, it would certainly minimize the bedding in hassles and have your brakes ready to go for the first session.

rbauhart

Have left them in from time to time when my track days are close together. It's just too tempting for me to commute to work in it during the summer, so I switch out most of the time. Would be much easier, but the squealing kills me. I'll leave them if it's less than a couple of weeks.

The car is full a full track setup suspension wise, but I still have my carpet, a/c, stereo, etc, so I like to drive it on the highway as well. Not the most comfortable for long hauls or on bumpy side roads though!

Dave White

Why not dedicate a set of rotors to each compound? That way you wouldn't have to re-bed them? Then you would have optimal for both. Assuming that you are only switching the fronts, it wouldn't be too much more of a project than swapping pads.