os993

I'm preparing for my first DE event of the year (Laguna Seca, CA this Tuesday) and need to prep my OEM brake pads. Rotors are already nicely seasoned. I checked the archives, but to no avail, therefore thought I would consult Rennlist's Panel of Experts on this.

BTY, here's some info I found on the web,which I'll attempt, unless someone has a better idea.

Note: Never 'Bed' pads on rotors which have not first been 'Seasoned¶ Always allow a substantial coast down zone when bedding pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.
A. Perform (2) repeated light to medium stops, from 65 to 10 mph, to bring the rotors to temperature.
2. Perform (2) heavy stops, back to back, at a point lust pending wheel lock or ABS actuation, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
3. Drive for (5) to (10) minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.
4. Perform (3) light stops in succession.
5. Perform (8) heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
6. Drive for (10) minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.

Thank you All!

Chris C.

Oleg:

I too was suprised by the lack of discussion on this topic on Rennlist.

I have new rotors and new pads and followed a process similar to the one you outlined, after driving normally on them for 100 miles to ease them in a bit. So far so good...no squeal, though still a bit fast to go to anti-lock, so I think they have some bedding yet to do.

I have seen this method validated by BMW "experts" (e.g Will Turner) in the past.

HTH,
Chris C Atlanta
98 993 S

B-Line home

oleg, read below instructions:

They came with my aftermarket Stoptech brakes for my Audi S4. I think they might help.
Just double check with a Pcar expert to make sure the same process applies..

B-Line home

oleg,
Just found the text instructions.. I will type them for you.. Look below for inst.

After completing instillation make a series of 10 stops from 60 to 5-10mph. At the end of each stop, immediately accelerate to 60 again for the next stop. Run all stops in one cycle.
During the 60-5-10mph series of stops, the exact speed is not critical. Accelerate to approx. 60 and begin the braking cycle. As you approach 5-10mph, it is not necessary to watch the speedomoter, keep your eyes on the road and approximate your speed at the end of each cycle. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AS YOU WILL IMPRINT PAD MATERIAL ONTO THE ROTOR, CAUSING A VIBRATION.

There are several indicators to look for whil breaking in the system.

On the 8th to 9th stop, there should be a distinct smell from the brakes. Smoke may be evident after several stops as well.

Also on the 8th or 9th stop, some friction materials will experience "green fade". This is slight fading of the brakes which will stabilize, but not completely go away.

If racing or higher performance pads are being used, add four stops from 80 to 5-10mph and if a full race pad, four stops from 100 to 5-10 mph.

After the final stop, drive as much as possibe without using the brakes to cool the system. Ideally, the brakes should be allowed to cool to ambient temperature before using again.

DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN THE SYSTEM IS HOT AND LEAVE YOUR FOOT ON THE PEDAL. PAD MATERIAL WILL IMMEDIATELY TRANSFER TO THE ROTOR CAUSING A VIBRATION.

after the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes will still not be operating at their best capacity. A second or third heat cycle is typically necessary before the brakes really start to "come in"

hope this is accurate for Pcars as well.

os993

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

I just got back, and used B-Line's advice. Found a great on/off ramp on my local highway, and looped under and over the overpass until I got ten good 60mph-10mph runs. Great way to do this, actually! Then I cruised down the freeway for 10 minutes (brake cooling), then went back for another 10 "bedding" runs. This technique makes a lot of sense to me and looks like a great way to season the pads.

Thanks again and Cheers!

B-Line home

Glad it helped Oleg...
You should know have a nice chemical bond between the rotor and the pad.
The stronger the bond, the stronger the braking.. is my understanding.
So, does that mean your going to give me a good user rating vote?

btw oleg.. I used to have nightmare problems with my Audi brakes.. Let me share with you what I've learned..
when you go to the track, never drag brakes after running hot laps..
never use the ebrake at the track...Duct tape to remind yourself not to touch it.
If you switch pads when you go to the track, street pads to race pads or vice versa, EVERYTIME you switch pads, Repeat this process. So if you switch pads in morning, heat cycle the new pads before you run hot laps. If in the afternoon you go back to your street setup.. Heat cycle the pads again before you drive home.
Everytime you change pads, every pad has different chemical compounds. So you must form a layer of deposition everytime you switch by doing a heat cycle.
Also, look into front brake cooling systems..
there cheap, easy, and are worth their weight in gold.

B-Line home

btw Oleg..
Did the brakes smoke?
Did they smell?
Did you get any fade after 8-10 stops..

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you did a good job bedding your pads

E. J. - 993 Alumni

I did not know any of this was needed with oem pads. Of course it wont hurt, I just have not heard of a dealer telling a customer to do this after a brake job.

Of course I do it for all race pads and I have posted those instructions in the past.

YMMV!

E. J.

os993

For daily driving, I doubt if any "bedding" is necessary, but for track driving I think it makes a ton of sense to properly season new OEM pads. New pads need seasoning, otherwise glazing can occur, and then your brake coefficient of friction dramatically drops - I've experienced this once, therefore it's worth it for me to take some preliminary precautions and season pads prior to track event.

For regular street driving, I don't think any of these techniques are necessary (but hey, can't hurt . I sure wasn't complaining while I was doing this

Cheers!

os993

Hi B-Line,
Thanks for all the feedback. Don't know if brakes smoked, but I definitely could smell them at run 8 and felt slight brake fade as well. It was actually good practice to work on my smooth braking technique and not have the ABS kick in!

I love Porsche brakes!

B-Line home

btw oleg,

One last thing.. Why are you using OEM pads for the track??
Why not get a set of track pads that you can swap for DE events??
I am going to assume because you don't want the hasstle at the track.
Just a suggestion though. If you are going to do a lot of DE, you might want to seriously consider some aftermarket track pads and a set of wheels and tires that have a track set up..
If you do this, you are changing your wheels at the track anyway so brakes aren't so much more work.
And, alot of DE have mechanics there that will do the work for you (trackside assistance) if your not a wrench turner or just don't feel like doing it. It might cost you $75-$100 but the performance differnce with tires and brakes is staggering.
Just my opinion...
Good luck.

os993

I'm using OEM pads because I've had very good success with them, both on and off the track. I've had OEM pads in for the last 30k miles, including 10-12 track days . When I recently replaced the pads, I still had a few mm's left! As for on-track performance, oem's performed beautifully.

Future additions will definitely include 2nd set of wheels with track rubber and track pads.

993tt

Erm... I'm going to change my rotors and pads since they are quite worn. How do I 'season' my new rotors? Can I install everything and then drive for a couple of miles before bedding the pads?

SundayDriver

This applies to race cars, where you are not in a position, at the track, to properly bed in the set. I do pads and rotors together all the time (in fact, I did it this morining). For race cars, you should bed in a couple of sets of pads on used rotors, then you can change rotors and have pads that are bedded (but need to be done again to get them mated to the new rotors.

With new rotors, you need to build heat gradually, then get the pads bedded in.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Oleg,

Didn't realize from your post that were tracking with the OEM pads, hence the original post. Since you are, then it sem syou got it straightned out.

I will say that track pads would really be eye opening for you.

E. J.