Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes Replacing brake pads/rotors....

is it true I must go easy on the for a while? If so how long, what does it mean go easy brake like 200 feet nice and easy before the red light?

I do a lot of brake pad and rotor testing and go thru a lot of break in procedures. Heres what I've found to work the best. After you replace the pads and or rotors, pump the pedal up until its firm (yes I to have forgotten this once or twice and damn near took out a fence or something) and then go on a test drive. Drive it somewhere where you can go for a while without sitting in traffic or stopping all the time. I usually go through a series of hard brake applications from about 45 mph or so down to about 5 mph, until I smell the brakes and see smoke coming off the brakes, or until they start to fade, which ever happens first, DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP DURING THIS PROCEDURE! If you do, the extremely hot pad will transfer friction material onto the rotor at the one point where it is grabbing it while you are stopped, resulting in a slightly thicker spot on the rotor and ultimately a vibration in the pedal. After you "burn in" the pads, drive the car for a few miles without using the brakes to much to let everything cool down. You are now done breaking in the pads and rotors. You do not need to be easy on them, the harder you are on your brakes, the faster they will seat in. sorry for the long post.

Pat,

I'm curious where you do all this testing at? I run brake dyno's for a living and would never suggest smoking a brand new set of pads.

If anything, you should do a 40-20 MPH snub. Braking time should be around 4 seconds. I would do probably 20 or 30 of these in about 1-2 minute intervals.

The main thing you want to do in a burnish is to burn off the resin used in baking the linings and to seat the lining to the rotor face. You don't want to fade them out. It's not healthy for them. Brand new out of the box, you can start to burn off the bonding material that holds the lining material to the backing plate.

Just my .02.

Dale

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I do all my testing in the industrial park where our facility is located. Some refer to the procedure as "green fading".