Just finished installing new Wagner Thermoquiets and brand new shiny rotors. Do I need to "bed" them or just take it easy on them for the first 500 miles or so?
New Pads/Rotors
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I never "bed" the brake when I bought new cars or when I replaced the pads with/without replacing rotors. I just took it easy the first 10-20 stops, then back to normal driving/stopping. So far never had problem with glare or anything else.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I never "bed" the brake when I bought new cars or when I replaced the pads with/without replacing rotors. I just took it easy the first 10-20 stops, then back to normal driving/stopping. So far never had problem with glare or anything else.
Yep, just drive normal the first 500 miles. No need for bedding the pads.
I never "bed" the brake when I bought new cars or when I replaced the pads with/without replacing rotors. I just took it easy the first 10-20 stops, then back to normal driving/stopping. So far never had problem with glare or anything else.
Yep, just drive normal the first 500 miles. No need for bedding the pads.
Yeah, resist the urge to plow on the brakes or do anything that could aggressively heat them up. When I put on new pads, I also avoid coming to complete stops with the brakes on if I've come off the highway, just because the pads get rather toasty and apparently it can cause bad transfer of material to the rotors.
But don't "bed" them in, just drive casually for 500 miles like LT4 and HTSS are saying.
I "bed" in a set of pads once and they squeaked badly and really didn't last very long. I was told it baked the pad and made it very hard and brittle. Bedding is more a performance brakes related concern.
But don't "bed" them in, just drive casually for 500 miles like LT4 and HTSS are saying.
I "bed" in a set of pads once and they squeaked badly and really didn't last very long. I was told it baked the pad and made it very hard and brittle. Bedding is more a performance brakes related concern.
Zero need for bedding in the Thermoquiets. There are other applications that can benefit from that, this is not one of them. Drive it on the less agressive side of normal for the first 500 miles, and they'll be just fine after that...
http://www.centralpartsandsupply.com/specials_flyers/Brake noise & repair.pdf
From page 15, Federal Mogul (Wagner) Troubleshooting guide:
"Disc Pad and Brake Shoe Burnish Procedure
An effective burnish cycle to seat the friction materials into the opposing rotor and drum surfaces requires approximately 200 stops. The 200 stops is consistent with the burnish procedure in the FMVSS 105. As a practical matter for installers, 200 stops probably will not happen since few installers have all day to make that number of stops. Therefore, we recommend the following burnish procedure:
• Make approximately 20 complete stops from 30-mph or 20 “slow downs” from 50-mph to 20-mph with light to moderate pedal pressure
• NO PANIC STOPS
• Allow at least 30 seconds between brake applications for the brake pads or shoes to cool down
• No high speed stops and/or braking under heavy loads that could
result in glazed or otherwise damaged linings Using these guidelines, the friction materials will have conformed to the surface of the rotors and drums for improved stopping performance. In addition, the thermal conditioning of the friction materials during this process will increase the stability of braking effectiveness over a greater range of temperatures compared to when they were first installed."
From page 15, Federal Mogul (Wagner) Troubleshooting guide:
"Disc Pad and Brake Shoe Burnish Procedure
An effective burnish cycle to seat the friction materials into the opposing rotor and drum surfaces requires approximately 200 stops. The 200 stops is consistent with the burnish procedure in the FMVSS 105. As a practical matter for installers, 200 stops probably will not happen since few installers have all day to make that number of stops. Therefore, we recommend the following burnish procedure:
• Make approximately 20 complete stops from 30-mph or 20 “slow downs” from 50-mph to 20-mph with light to moderate pedal pressure
• NO PANIC STOPS
• Allow at least 30 seconds between brake applications for the brake pads or shoes to cool down
• No high speed stops and/or braking under heavy loads that could
result in glazed or otherwise damaged linings Using these guidelines, the friction materials will have conformed to the surface of the rotors and drums for improved stopping performance. In addition, the thermal conditioning of the friction materials during this process will increase the stability of braking effectiveness over a greater range of temperatures compared to when they were first installed."
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Zero need for bedding in the Thermoquiets. There are other applications that can benefit from that, this is not one of them. Drive it on the less agressive side of normal for the first 500 miles, and they'll be just fine after that...
I would like to know the "other applications" please. Not trying to start a fight but I have a Honda CR-V that needs front brakes right now and want to know whether or not to burnish my brakes or to just to gentle on things. Rotors WILL be turned.
Thanks.
Zero need for bedding in the Thermoquiets. There are other applications that can benefit from that, this is not one of them. Drive it on the less agressive side of normal for the first 500 miles, and they'll be just fine after that...
I would like to know the "other applications" please. Not trying to start a fight but I have a Honda CR-V that needs front brakes right now and want to know whether or not to burnish my brakes or to just to gentle on things. Rotors WILL be turned.
Thanks.
As an example, there are other brands of brake pads, such as mentioned in another thread in this same section about Hawk brake pads, that do have a specific bedding in procedure.
More or less the procedure outlined in RedCorvette's post comes across as you can bed them in as outlined or it may take 200 stops before the pad and rotor surface are bedded in together for maximum effectiveness, assuming the owner doesn't thrash the new pads. Goes along the lines of what has been recommended, break them in easy, and no problems...
More or less the procedure outlined in RedCorvette's post comes across as you can bed them in as outlined or it may take 200 stops before the pad and rotor surface are bedded in together for maximum effectiveness, assuming the owner doesn't thrash the new pads. Goes along the lines of what has been recommended, break them in easy, and no problems...
I overheated and glazed my Bendix CT-3s when braking them in with a method recommended on the Bendix website. They seem to work fine now, but it took 4k miles to wear through the glaze.
If I had to do it over again, I'd do a few medium stops to get things started, then just drive them.
If I had to do it over again, I'd do a few medium stops to get things started, then just drive them.
If you buy average pads, think about it from the manufacturer's perspective of the average motorist.
These manufacturer's provide lifetime / very long warranties on the pads. They are going to have to design the pads in a way that means they will work and bed in through average usage. They can't afford to make pads that will get compromised by the way an average driver drives them once they get them.
These manufacturer's provide lifetime / very long warranties on the pads. They are going to have to design the pads in a way that means they will work and bed in through average usage. They can't afford to make pads that will get compromised by the way an average driver drives them once they get them.
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
If you buy average pads, think about it from the manufacturer's perspective of the average motorist.
These manufacturer's provide lifetime / very long warranties on the pads. They are going to have to design the pads in a way that means they will work and bed in through average usage. They can't afford to make pads that will get compromised by the way an average driver drives them once they get them.
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
If you buy average pads, think about it from the manufacturer's perspective of the average motorist.
These manufacturer's provide lifetime / very long warranties on the pads. They are going to have to design the pads in a way that means they will work and bed in through average usage. They can't afford to make pads that will get compromised by the way an average driver drives them once they get them.
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
Originally Posted By: Donald
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
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Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
Originally Posted By: Donald
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
Well, that's pretty sexist! How can a person signal too much??
When I put new pads and rotors on my BMW a couple weeks ago I bedded the heck out of them. I did about eight 95 mph to 15mph hard stops, then let them cool for about 5 miles NEVER LETTING THEM STOP. Before the cool-down it looked like the car was going to burst into flames.
There's a thing on StopTech.com that explains why bedding is useful for performance.
Originally Posted By: Donald
And half the people getting new brakes are women! Yikes!! Imagine if they had to bed in new pads.
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
Well, that's pretty sexist! How can a person signal too much??
When I put new pads and rotors on my BMW a couple weeks ago I bedded the heck out of them. I did about eight 95 mph to 15mph hard stops, then let them cool for about 5 miles NEVER LETTING THEM STOP. Before the cool-down it looked like the car was going to burst into flames.
There's a thing on StopTech.com that explains why bedding is useful for performance.
Originally Posted By: antonmnster
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
Well, that's pretty sexist! How can a person signal too much??
They don't turn it off after changed lane for several miles on HWY or several blocks in city.
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
More than half the people getting brakes are women. It's a well known fact that women use the brakes too much (as well as blinkers).
Well, that's pretty sexist! How can a person signal too much??
They don't turn it off after changed lane for several miles on HWY or several blocks in city.
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I'd note the writeup on bedding in new pads on Stoptech is useful, but clearly oriented at the more perforamance oriented end of the braking lineup rather than the "daily driver" thermoquiet brakes of the world.
Even they note that the temperature required to bed in new pads varies widely between brake pads, so doing so in accordance with the manufacturer recommendation is a good idea.
Even they note that the temperature required to bed in new pads varies widely between brake pads, so doing so in accordance with the manufacturer recommendation is a good idea.
I bedded in my Thermoquiets (up front) hard enough to make them smoke. After some hard slowdowns (no stops) and plenty of time to cool, and some normal driving after that, they bite very well, especially once they heat up a little.
I did the same with the Wearever Golds on the rear, although I didn't get any smoke from those (quite a bit of smell though).
I did the same with the Wearever Golds on the rear, although I didn't get any smoke from those (quite a bit of smell though).
brake bedding is a well documented procedure and beneficial to most any vehicle with brakes. As noted the trick is to conform the procedure to the character of your particular pad formula.
Thus no one specific procedure is going to work for all cars/pad types.
This guy is a racer buddy of mine and has a great explanation of bedding: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm
And a great Stoptech link: http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths
Thus no one specific procedure is going to work for all cars/pad types.
This guy is a racer buddy of mine and has a great explanation of bedding: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm
And a great Stoptech link: http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths
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Taking it easy [if possible- if you gotta stop, go for it] is best. From 50 to 500 miles is sufficient.
Don't worry about special brake bedding techniques from internet experts.
The mfrs don't make you use special techniques, and umpteen jillion cars are perfect without them.
Don't worry about special brake bedding techniques from internet experts.
The mfrs don't make you use special techniques, and umpteen jillion cars are perfect without them.
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