getting ready to change my brakes and have been reading up on brake bedding. according to Stop Tech, new brakes should be bedded in with a series of 60mph - 10mph braking events.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedinstock.shtml

i have 2 questions.

1. does anyone actually do this when they get new brakes?

2. if so, where the hell do you find an area where you can get up to 60mph and slow down to 10mph on a consecutive basis safely?

 

1) I do that when I get new brakes.

2) Last time I replaced my brake pads I did it during the night, so I finished at about 1am when there was no traffic anywhere basically. 280 seems to be pretty empty at night. I guess you just have to find an area where there aren't many people during any time of the day? lol

 

Ah, you're around Berkeley which could be a problem...

West Oakland near the port is quiet on/near Mandela Pkwy. Just don't go at night cos that ish is scccuurryy. The 13 past 1:30AM in either direction. Skyline?? Lots of critters up there at night though.

Protip: Bring a block or find somewhere even to let the pads cool down. Don't pull the ebrake when cooling down.

 

1. ALWAYS bed your brakes in properly after you change them, that is if you want optimum performance from your pads.

2. Well..... depends on your location. I do most of my car work at home in alameda. I live on encinal ave..... and I just take it out on encinal ave and watch very carefully for cops. Also, because this process requires repetitive stop and go acceleration, I make sure there are as few cars around me as possible. Then I just hit it.. (depending on your brake pads) I go from like 50-15 mph. Sure you have these ppl looking at you thinking you are mad because you are speeding and stopping so much. But oh well... Just dont get caught or hurt anyone if you do it on the streets.

I have also done it on the freeway on 680, I just stayed in the right most lane, the slow lane. Same... make sure not a lot of people are around you or you are gonna get a lot of angry ppl getting brake checked.

 

My stoptechs said that they didn't need to be bedded... but I did it anyways!

if you take 24 toward concord you can take the moraga way exit, turn left and take it all the way til it becomes san pablo dam road and return back down 80 west to berkeley. Its about a 45 minute drive and after 10 pm there's not much traffic.

 

why?

PRO TIP! the ebrake pad is inside the rear brake rotor and operates separately from the brake pads... FOR THIS VERY REASON
racing inspired

 

I think it's "no break in required". This is different from bed in. I called their customer support and been told that bed in is still required.

 

I know homie. I just got mine done and for some reason, when I applied the ebrake the drum seemed to alter the rotors just ever so slightly thus making contact with my new pads during start up. Guess my drum doesn't apply equal amounts of pressure on each side. Has gone away though since the replacement so maybe it was just extra material protruding off the pad?

 

Everyone SHOULD bed in their brakes, but it's not going to kill you or your car if you don't.

Yes, I bed them in, but it's nearly impossible to follow bed in instructions without exclusive access to a closed road.

So here's what I do... do you brakes late at night. The later the better... you want no traffic. Enter the freeway, exit the freeway and "moderately" slow... try to keep rolling and never come to an actual stop. Because it's late, hopefully the light will turn green and you can roll through and get back on the freeway. Repeat.

Alternatively, just drive a non-traffic commute. Try to emulate the bed in process, avoiding a complete stop unless it's unsafe or the brakes have "cooled". I used this method and over several days the brakes bedded themselves in.

OH... and as long as you're gentle with brakes, then it's ok the brakes are not bedded in. So while you're bedding during daily driving, go easy on the brakes.

Also... it depends on the compound you're using. If you're using a street pad, then bedding isn't as critical and can just be done via daily driving.

 

That's what I said! haha.

@OP
I see that you're in Berkeley. What you can do is take university ave all the way down to go towards SF, then after the SF onramp to 580/80, there will be a intersection where you can go straight or left after the stop sign. take a left and that road right next to the highway should probably be empty during late night..

 

I've done it once when I installed my Hawk HP+'s. It turned out to be a waste of time.
I don't bother anymore.

 

I do. PMed you .

 

Wow.. Lots of cars use the "tiny drum inside the rotor" and the real reason is because the only other way with rear discs is to have the parking brake handle actuate levers in the calipers that physically compress the caliper which is seriously not effective as a parking brake, and not possible with rear brake calipers like those used on an STi.

The reason you don't use your parking brake is because of HEAT. You still generate lots of HEAT when you are bedding your pads, so you still should not use your parking brake after extended brake use.

The pressure applied by the brake shoes in the drum can warp the drum when it's really hot. This is very unlikely on a WRX but it's still a good idea to use a block or a wheel chock to keep your car stationary after really using the brakes.

Mis-information makes me sad.

 

1. ALWAYS.

2. I used to bed my brakes along 237 and the frontage road there that you can access from Mathilda. You can make a nice loop - south on Moffett Park, really fun "hairpin" onramp to 237, exit Mathilda, loop around right onto Moffett Park, lather/rise/repeat. I would do this at night, and both offer nice long straight stretches. The whole area there was conducive to this sort of activity due to all the nice straight roads (Java, Caribbean, Borregas, Mathilda, etc).

Have not lived in that area for a few years so I don't know if this still the case. The last time I did brakes it was on my Justy, and I just drove up/down HWY 1 trying to keep my braking from around 50mph to 10mph with no stops and no hard applications of brakes. Couple cooldowns via finding a parking lot and alternating sitting and slowly driving around in such a way that I do not need to apply brakes at all. The reason for this is if you cooldown with the rotor stationary, it's cooling is not even compared to the sections of the rotor that are exposed to the air versus the section of the rotor that is hidden in the caliper. If your brakes do not smell like a welding shop, you are not doing it right.

I always know that if an officer sees me, I will probably be "contacted" and I will probably get cited for whatever he feels citing me for that seems to fit into a category he is familiar with. I would respectfully explain what I was doing, and not expect it to get me anything at all.

If you do not bed your rotors/pads you will end up with hotspots, uneven wear, and can likely end up with that "warped rotor" feeling when you apply the brakes. Depending on how you use your brakes, you may burn them off enough where this is not a problem (say, trackdays) or you might not notice/care.

 

Just go up to Grizzly Peak Blvd. Berkeley has a lot of twisties up in the hills. If that doesn't bed the pads in, that I don't know what will.