Am I going to have issues if I upgrade front brake pads and rotors and not the rear (for now)? I'm going with carbotech XP10 and centric rotors. My thought is that most of the braking is in the front anyway right? Track and autocross. This is my first brake upgrade from oem. I will also upgrade to ss lines and better fluid (ate typ200 or motul or torque?) I read their bedding in procedure, but I cant exactly take it to the track for that...

 

No, it is common to change the rear less frequently than front. What isthe bedding procedure? I just get the car to 50 mph then non-abs, but still hard, brake to 30 mph, drive normally for a minute then repeat a few times. I just installed akebono pads and they are working great after this.

 

They recommend as follows, presumably from higher speeds than street driving... I think it is essentially the same just from higher speed.

Proper bedding instructions for XP-Series Compounds :
1. All new brake pads require a bedding process, start this process by pumping your brakes a few times to
assure proper installation. Once on track perform several moderate (medium) near stops (to a very slow
rolling speed) to thoroughly warm up the pads and rotors. This should take 1-2 laps. This allows a thin layer
of the pad material to be transferred into the micro-grooves of the rotor.
2. After the pads/rotors are warm, perform a series of hard near stops (to a slow rolling speed) until some
brake fade is felt. This process should take about 2-4 laps (depending on the track). Once this occurs, then
stay off the brakes (as much as possible) and bring your car into the pits/paddock to completely cool. Do not
lock the tires during this operation.
3. Allow brake pads and/or rotors cool down to ambient temperatures; no less than 30 minutes. The total
bedding procedure should not take more than 5-6 laps or about 10-15 minutes

 

i think those are CYA instructions in that they don't want you to do what I described on the street. Just pick an empty street haha. My process took about 10 minutes too, bedding brakes isn't brain surgery. Good point about letting them cool before parking, don't want to risk warping the rotors.

 

yeah, no kidding. I'll find somewhere...

 

Most performance brake manufacturers have a bed in procedure, they are all about getting some material transferred from the pad to the rotor and to make sure that the surfaces are in contact.


I remember one company (wilwood, IIRC) that said to do 3 moderate stops from 60-20 mph, then 5-10 hard stops from the same speed. If fade is noticed, then stop the process. Basically, they didn't want the car to come to a stop, but wanted to get the brakes good and hot. After the hard stops, drive 10-15 minutes trying to avoid using the brakes to allow them to cool. Having a long country road worked well for me. After 5 or 6 hard stops it got pretty smoky, but the brakes definitely worked better for me after bedding.


Have fun,
Mike