How much Rotor "seasoning" do I need?
10-09-2009, 12:23 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
How much Rotor "seasoning" do I need?
This sounds more like a cookbook article question 
but seriously how much break-in or "seasoning" of new C5 stock do I need to get them to give me normal life? I feel I should put new rotors on the front for an event 3 weeks from now. But I wonder besides pad break-in, in the 3 weeks, how many stops (and what speeds) do I need to "season" the rotors a bit?
Was seriously thinking of running a softer pad (ie stockish) for the 1st day at the DE just to "season" the rotors--not sure if this is really needed.
Thoughts?
Thanks
Andy
but seriously how much break-in or "seasoning" of new C5 stock do I need to get them to give me normal life? I feel I should put new rotors on the front for an event 3 weeks from now. But I wonder besides pad break-in, in the 3 weeks, how many stops (and what speeds) do I need to "season" the rotors a bit?Was seriously thinking of running a softer pad (ie stockish) for the 1st day at the DE just to "season" the rotors--not sure if this is really needed.
Thoughts?
Thanks
Andy
10-09-2009, 12:38 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
Stock or NAPA blanks. You can season them for a couple of weeks with your street pads. Still do the typical pad bed-in process of several aggressive slow down then cool. Several heat cycles vs 1 long one or abusive one seems to help some. I would get 1 good bed-in cycle with the race pads done before you go to the DE. Just to get that transfer of pad material and a heat cycle with more aggressive pads.
Graham
Graham
10-09-2009, 02:17 PM
#3
Race Director
Member Since: Oct 2000
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Call one of the vendors of the forum for Cryo treated rotors. They aren't any more expensive than the napa really. They will still crack but takes about twice as long to do so. When they do crack, the two sides of the crack tend to stay in the same plane so look your rotors over good when you start to see surface crazing since there is not the thump, thump, thump that one is used to with regular rotors. When coming off the track, try to not touch the brake. Simply turn off the key and let it coast to where you want to stop and then let out the clutch. This keeps the pad as far as possible from the rotor surface. Never set the emergency brake after a hot session. Of course, you may be aware and practice this already but I just thought I would throw that out there. 
10-09-2009, 02:29 PM
#4
Race Director
You can bed them now or bed them on the track your first session out by using them.
10-09-2009, 02:39 PM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Stock or NAPA blanks. You can season them for a couple of weeks with your street pads. Still do the typical pad bed-in process of several aggressive slow down then cool. Several heat cycles vs 1 long one or abusive one seems to help some. I would get 1 good bed-in cycle with the race pads done before you go to the DE. Just to get that transfer of pad material and a heat cycle with more aggressive pads.
Graham
Graham
What do you think of the idea of doing bed-in of the race pads right before day2 after running day#1 with the auto-pad? This would allow more seasoning plus give me 1 day less on the race pads--I'm not too crazy about the 3 day rotor life.
10-09-2009, 03:37 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
Any street use with help the rotors last longer. Many people put brand new rotors on their car and take them to the track and wonder why they crack, or crack after a few events. ANY kind of heat cycle strengthens the metal in the rotor significantly. Street use is PERFECT, because it is a more gentle heating and cooling and allows the rotors to "season" slowly.
Nothing last longer at the track, than the rotors I have been driving on all winter long. I just switch pads before the event and bed them in the day before.
Just use them like any normal driving on the street and bed them in the day before if you use race pads, if your using street pads at the track, no bedding necessary.
Nothing last longer at the track, than the rotors I have been driving on all winter long. I just switch pads before the event and bed them in the day before.
Just use them like any normal driving on the street and bed them in the day before if you use race pads, if your using street pads at the track, no bedding necessary.
10-09-2009, 04:46 PM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Any street use with help the rotors last longer. Many people put brand new rotors on their car and take them to the track and wonder why they crack, or crack after a few events. ANY kind of heat cycle strengthens the metal in the rotor significantly. Street use is PERFECT, because it is a more gentle heating and cooling and allows the rotors to "season" slowly.
Nothing last longer at the track, than the rotors I have been driving on all winter long. I just switch pads before the event and bed them in the day before.
Just use them like any normal driving on the street and bed them in the day before if you use race pads, if your using street pads at the track, no bedding necessary.
Nothing last longer at the track, than the rotors I have been driving on all winter long. I just switch pads before the event and bed them in the day before.
Just use them like any normal driving on the street and bed them in the day before if you use race pads, if your using street pads at the track, no bedding necessary.
I've always put on new rotors and driven them over winter before they see the track, even w/stock pads.
Since I have the brake cooling ducts up front, I think I might be ok 1 day w/the OE pads. I have used OE earlier this year--only overheated them in an intermediate group. This is another club so starting me lower--I bet it will be easier on the brakes.
10-09-2009, 06:25 PM
#9
Team Owner
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...contents.shtml
Bedding-in Club Race or Full Race Pads
For a typical performance brake system using race pads, the bed-in procedure must be somewhat more aggressive, as higher temperatures need to be reached, in order to bring certain brands of pad material up to their full race potential.
We typically recommend a set of ten partial braking events, from 60mph down to 10mph, followed immediately by three or four partial braking events, from 80mph down to 10mph. Alternately, a set of eleven stops, from 80mph to 40mph, or a set of seven stops, from 100mph to 50mph, would be approximately the same. As with street pads, each of the partial braking events should achieve moderate-to-high deceleration (about 80% of the deceleration required to lock up the brakes and/or to engage the ABS), and they should be made one after the other, without allowing the brakes to cool in between.
Again, depending on the make-up of the pad material, the brake friction will seem to gain slightly in performance, and will then lose or fade somewhat about halfway through the first set of stops. This does not indicate that the brakes are bedded-in, except where race-ready pads are being used. This phenomenon is the same as that which occurs with high-performance or street pads (except that, when race-ready pads are used, they do not exhibit green fade, and they will be bedded-in after just one complete set of stops).
As when bedding-in any set of brakes, care should be taken regarding the longer stopping distance necessary with incompletely bedded pads. This first set of stops in the bed-in process is only complete when the recommended number of stops has been performed - not before. As a general rule, it would be better to perform additional stops, than not enough. The system should then be allowed to cool, by driving the vehicle at the highest safe speed for the circumstances, without bringing it to a complete stop with the brakes still applied.
After cooling the vehicle, a second set of the recommended number of stops should be performed, followed by another cooling exercise. In some situations, a third set is beneficial, but two are normally sufficient.
Racers will note that, when a pad is bedded-in properly, there will be approximately 2mm (0.1 inch) of the pad edge near the rotor, on which the paint will have turned to ash, or the color of the pad will have changed to look as though it has been overheated.
In summary, the key to successfully bedding-in performance brakes is to bring the pads up to their operating temperature range, in a controlled manner, and to keep them there long enough to start the pad material transfer process. Different brake system designs, pad types, and driving conditions require different procedures to achieve a successful bed-in. The procedures recommended above should provide a useful starting point for developing bed-in procedures appropriate to individual applications.
Bedding-in Club Race or Full Race Pads
For a typical performance brake system using race pads, the bed-in procedure must be somewhat more aggressive, as higher temperatures need to be reached, in order to bring certain brands of pad material up to their full race potential.
We typically recommend a set of ten partial braking events, from 60mph down to 10mph, followed immediately by three or four partial braking events, from 80mph down to 10mph. Alternately, a set of eleven stops, from 80mph to 40mph, or a set of seven stops, from 100mph to 50mph, would be approximately the same. As with street pads, each of the partial braking events should achieve moderate-to-high deceleration (about 80% of the deceleration required to lock up the brakes and/or to engage the ABS), and they should be made one after the other, without allowing the brakes to cool in between.
Again, depending on the make-up of the pad material, the brake friction will seem to gain slightly in performance, and will then lose or fade somewhat about halfway through the first set of stops. This does not indicate that the brakes are bedded-in, except where race-ready pads are being used. This phenomenon is the same as that which occurs with high-performance or street pads (except that, when race-ready pads are used, they do not exhibit green fade, and they will be bedded-in after just one complete set of stops).
As when bedding-in any set of brakes, care should be taken regarding the longer stopping distance necessary with incompletely bedded pads. This first set of stops in the bed-in process is only complete when the recommended number of stops has been performed - not before. As a general rule, it would be better to perform additional stops, than not enough. The system should then be allowed to cool, by driving the vehicle at the highest safe speed for the circumstances, without bringing it to a complete stop with the brakes still applied.
After cooling the vehicle, a second set of the recommended number of stops should be performed, followed by another cooling exercise. In some situations, a third set is beneficial, but two are normally sufficient.
Racers will note that, when a pad is bedded-in properly, there will be approximately 2mm (0.1 inch) of the pad edge near the rotor, on which the paint will have turned to ash, or the color of the pad will have changed to look as though it has been overheated.
In summary, the key to successfully bedding-in performance brakes is to bring the pads up to their operating temperature range, in a controlled manner, and to keep them there long enough to start the pad material transfer process. Different brake system designs, pad types, and driving conditions require different procedures to achieve a successful bed-in. The procedures recommended above should provide a useful starting point for developing bed-in procedures appropriate to individual applications.
Last edited by John Shiels; 10-09-2009 at 06:28 PM.