Advice needed on brake pad bedding.
08-08-2008, 09:55 AM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Updated - Advice needed on brake pad bedding.
** Update - see post 15 **
I slapped on a set of Carbotech's XP10 & XP8's yesterday on the OE rotors. The first chance I'll get to drive the car will be at Road Atlanta tomorrow. How do you guys properly bed the pads without getting run over?
I slapped on a set of Carbotech's XP10 & XP8's yesterday on the OE rotors. The first chance I'll get to drive the car will be at Road Atlanta tomorrow. How do you guys properly bed the pads without getting run over?
Last edited by sperkins; 08-09-2008 at 08:52 PM. Reason: Updated
08-08-2008, 03:01 PM
#5
Team Owner
08-08-2008, 03:12 PM
#6
Race Director
don't stress over it, just get them as hot as you safely can, doing multiple stops of increasing energy dissipation. When done, park the car and don't touch it until they are completely cool.
If they melt the fingerprints off of your index finger, they are hot enough.
If they melt the fingerprints off of your index finger, they are hot enough.
Last edited by davidfarmer; 08-09-2008 at 04:46 PM.
08-09-2008, 03:11 PM
#8
Racer
I just installed the 8's in the back and the 10's in the front. Carbotech's advice for street bedding(not recommended by C-tech of course) was to do 60mph - 20 mph heavy braking 6-8 times. Let the brakes cool for 2 minutes while driving without touching the brake pedal, then do 80-20mph heavy braking 10 times. Let the car sit for 30 minutes to completely cool.
Ultimately, they still want you to do the track bedding according to the instructions provided. This was a temporary solution to keep the pads from glazing during street driving.
Ultimately, they still want you to do the track bedding according to the instructions provided. This was a temporary solution to keep the pads from glazing during street driving.
08-09-2008, 03:45 PM
#10
Drifting
80-60 actually dissipates quite a bit more energy ( about 7 times more) than does 20-0. An 80-60 dissipates energy roughly equivalent to a 53-0. I'll do partial slowdowns from a higher speed like this this if I unexpectedly encounter traffic and can't stop.
Last edited by RedLS6; 08-09-2008 at 04:33 PM.
08-09-2008, 04:18 PM
#11
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It has always been the same method. 6 stops from 60 , gently at first and progressively harder. Wait 2 hours and do 8 really hard stops from 60. Race the next day... 
I did a 12 hour at Thuderhill on one set of pads in the dry. We did a 25 hour at Thunderhill on one set of pads (rained for hours on end). I have always used that method and it has always worked.. got it from an amateur racer - Hans Stuck... 
I did a 12 hour at Thuderhill on one set of pads in the dry. We did a 25 hour at Thunderhill on one set of pads (rained for hours on end). I have always used that method and it has always worked.. got it from an amateur racer - Hans Stuck...
08-09-2008, 04:46 PM
#12
Race Director
busted.....was trying to give a quick response, obviously not an accurate one.......the point was you don't have to go 140mph to bed your brakes. You can even easily bed rear brakes on jack stands using the engine.
Kinetic energy is and always has been velocity squared.....sorry
Kinetic energy is and always has been velocity squared.....sorry
08-09-2008, 05:28 PM
#13
Former Vendor
Bedding is quite pad specific. In GT2, it wasnt uncommon to start with a FRESH padset. New, never run. The Cobalts need NO bedding what so ever.
PFCs need a lap or 2 depending on compound, all of the others, I do not have any data on, other than they were bedded the standard on-off-on-off method at 50% pace, and then used the rest of the session like an already bedded pad. Cooling down to ambient isnt really necessary with todays technology.
Rotor bedding is a different story, you want to bring them up to temp gently always, or they will crack prematurely.
PFCs need a lap or 2 depending on compound, all of the others, I do not have any data on, other than they were bedded the standard on-off-on-off method at 50% pace, and then used the rest of the session like an already bedded pad. Cooling down to ambient isnt really necessary with todays technology.
Rotor bedding is a different story, you want to bring them up to temp gently always, or they will crack prematurely.
08-09-2008, 05:38 PM
#14
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08-09-2008, 08:40 PM
#15
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
UPDATE.....
This morning at Road ATL, I followed the bedding instructions exactly as recommended from Carbotech. I went 2 laps with medium braking, 1 cool down lap with very little braking and then 3 laps under heavy braking until I felt them fade. I immediately pulled off track, cruised around the paddock for a couple of minutes and then parked the car for over 3 hours.
The result.....not what I expected. On my second session I immediately noticed that something wasn't quite right. I had fantastic initial bite, but overall braking power was pretty poor. I ran the entire session and never had a lot of confidence in them as there was little consistency. I will admit to anyone and everyone that I did over drive the car horribly and ended that session with a busted wheel after entering 10A too hot and dropping two off out of 10B.
Please do not take my comments as a negative review of the Carbotech brake pads. I'm sure there were other factors that contributed to these symptoms. It is highly possible that I boiled the fluid as I did not flush the brakes after my last track event. Also, it is possible that I didn't get the brakes hot enough while bedding them. Either way, something wasn't right. I return tomorrow and will be on street tires, so I will not be able to push the brakes as hard as before.
This morning at Road ATL, I followed the bedding instructions exactly as recommended from Carbotech. I went 2 laps with medium braking, 1 cool down lap with very little braking and then 3 laps under heavy braking until I felt them fade. I immediately pulled off track, cruised around the paddock for a couple of minutes and then parked the car for over 3 hours.
The result.....not what I expected. On my second session I immediately noticed that something wasn't quite right. I had fantastic initial bite, but overall braking power was pretty poor. I ran the entire session and never had a lot of confidence in them as there was little consistency. I will admit to anyone and everyone that I did over drive the car horribly and ended that session with a busted wheel after entering 10A too hot and dropping two off out of 10B.
Please do not take my comments as a negative review of the Carbotech brake pads. I'm sure there were other factors that contributed to these symptoms. It is highly possible that I boiled the fluid as I did not flush the brakes after my last track event. Also, it is possible that I didn't get the brakes hot enough while bedding them. Either way, something wasn't right. I return tomorrow and will be on street tires, so I will not be able to push the brakes as hard as before.
Last edited by sperkins; 08-09-2008 at 11:27 PM.
Bump for the 8/10 update ...
08-11-2008, 02:26 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
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St. Jude Donor '10-'11
08-11-2008, 02:46 PM
#20
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St. Jude Donor '09
UPDATE.....
This morning at Road ATL, I followed the bedding instructions exactly as recommended from Carbotech. I went 2 laps with medium braking, 1 cool down lap with very little braking and then 3 laps under heavy braking until I felt them fade. I immediately pulled off track, cruised around the paddock for a couple of minutes and then parked the car for over 3 hours.
The result.....not what I expected. On my second session I immediately noticed that something wasn't quite right. I had fantastic initial bite, but overall braking power was pretty poor. I ran the entire session and never had a lot of confidence in them as there was little consistency. I will admit to anyone and everyone that I did over drive the car horribly and ended that session with a busted wheel after entering 10A too hot and dropping two off out of 10B.
Please do not take my comments as a negative review of the Carbotech brake pads. I'm sure there were other factors that contributed to these symptoms. It is highly possible that I boiled the fluid as I did not flush the brakes after my last track event. Also, it is possible that I didn't get the brakes hot enough while bedding them. Either way, something wasn't right. I return tomorrow and will be on street tires, so I will not be able to push the brakes as hard as before.
This morning at Road ATL, I followed the bedding instructions exactly as recommended from Carbotech. I went 2 laps with medium braking, 1 cool down lap with very little braking and then 3 laps under heavy braking until I felt them fade. I immediately pulled off track, cruised around the paddock for a couple of minutes and then parked the car for over 3 hours.
The result.....not what I expected. On my second session I immediately noticed that something wasn't quite right. I had fantastic initial bite, but overall braking power was pretty poor. I ran the entire session and never had a lot of confidence in them as there was little consistency. I will admit to anyone and everyone that I did over drive the car horribly and ended that session with a busted wheel after entering 10A too hot and dropping two off out of 10B.
Please do not take my comments as a negative review of the Carbotech brake pads. I'm sure there were other factors that contributed to these symptoms. It is highly possible that I boiled the fluid as I did not flush the brakes after my last track event. Also, it is possible that I didn't get the brakes hot enough while bedding them. Either way, something wasn't right. I return tomorrow and will be on street tires, so I will not be able to push the brakes as hard as before.
I had to bed pads in Qualifying on Sunday as the ones I put on Friday were all gone by the end of the race Saturday. I ran about 3 pokey laps, slowly building heat until the bite felt right, and then ran 2 laps. I ran another pokey cool-down lap (all the while annoying the other qualifiers I'm sure) and then parked it. I had good brakes for the whole race Sunday, other than my calipers are shot.
I bleed brakes after EVERY session, not sure if you've been doing that. It may be a bit overkill, but I'd say do it as often as you possibly can. When you say the overall braking power wasn't great - was the pedal soft or was it firm pedal and just no stopping? Your bedding procedure seems pretty reasonable, so I'm surprised.
Hope to meet up with you some other time!