Background: On bench lathes, it is normal practice to use a flex-hone to give a freshly resurfaced rotor the non-directional finish that is necessary to reduce noise and to reduce break-in time.
Issue: When an individual installs new brake pads onto serviceable rotors (old rotors that meet guidelines for thickness variation, rotor thickness and rotor runout), the old rotors have a slight amount of glaze and material leftover from the previous set of pads. I have found that the technique of "pad slapping," despite OEMs saying that it is okay, often results in a very lengthy break-in period. In other words, it usually takes a long time before the new pads fully seat and braking performance is restored.
I found a post from a motorcycle forum where an individual used the flex-hone to prepare his old rotors for new pads. It appears that the flex-hone did an excellent job of removing the glaze from the old rotors, as well as removing most of the old friction material that was embedded onto the rotor's surface:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/5943167-post9.html
Link to product: http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-18655-brush-research-mfg-rmfh120z25.aspx
Has anyone tried this practice before? It is quite intriguing and I think it may be a good step to add to a "pad-slap."
Issue: When an individual installs new brake pads onto serviceable rotors (old rotors that meet guidelines for thickness variation, rotor thickness and rotor runout), the old rotors have a slight amount of glaze and material leftover from the previous set of pads. I have found that the technique of "pad slapping," despite OEMs saying that it is okay, often results in a very lengthy break-in period. In other words, it usually takes a long time before the new pads fully seat and braking performance is restored.
I found a post from a motorcycle forum where an individual used the flex-hone to prepare his old rotors for new pads. It appears that the flex-hone did an excellent job of removing the glaze from the old rotors, as well as removing most of the old friction material that was embedded onto the rotor's surface:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/5943167-post9.html
Link to product: http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-18655-brush-research-mfg-rmfh120z25.aspx
Has anyone tried this practice before? It is quite intriguing and I think it may be a good step to add to a "pad-slap."