Rotor/Brake Pad Break-In Question
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
From: Leander TX
Rotor/Brake Pad Break-In Question
Cheers.
Just installed a set of sportbrakes zinc washed drilled/slotted rotors and AC Delco ceramic pads. Install went off without a hitch...I then followed the rotor/brake pad break-in procedures and now the rotors have this blackish film on them. They're not scored or scratched and the brakes work fine...no pulsation or vibration. Is this the zinc washing/heating off of the rotor surface and it takes a few more miles...or is this not right...anybody experience this?
Break-in procedures sent by sportbrakes were:
4 gentle decelerations from 60 - 40
8 moderate decelerations from 60 - 10
Thanks for any info/advice.
Just installed a set of sportbrakes zinc washed drilled/slotted rotors and AC Delco ceramic pads. Install went off without a hitch...I then followed the rotor/brake pad break-in procedures and now the rotors have this blackish film on them. They're not scored or scratched and the brakes work fine...no pulsation or vibration. Is this the zinc washing/heating off of the rotor surface and it takes a few more miles...or is this not right...anybody experience this?
Break-in procedures sent by sportbrakes were:
4 gentle decelerations from 60 - 40
8 moderate decelerations from 60 - 10
Thanks for any info/advice.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 4,933
Likes: 30
From: San Rafael CA
Looks like a shot of your rear brakes.
The front brakes do about 80 percent of your braking, and to me the picture looks like normal "break-in" as the pads eat their way through the zinc coating.
HTH
The front brakes do about 80 percent of your braking, and to me the picture looks like normal "break-in" as the pads eat their way through the zinc coating.
HTH
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Port Orchard WA
I just did the exact same install this week as well. The car is still on jacks. I'll be cleaning the inside of the wheels tommorrow and then putting them back on. Then I begin the breakin. Wow.....I wasn't expecting the breakin to look anything like that!
I know there are other members on this forum that have this exact set up so I think we're safe.
On a side note your calipers look sweet. And the inside of the wheels look really clean. R/ Al
Did you put the rotors on the correct side? Which rotor is that a picture of?
I know there are other members on this forum that have this exact set up so I think we're safe. On a side note your calipers look sweet. And the inside of the wheels look really clean. R/ Al
Did you put the rotors on the correct side? Which rotor is that a picture of?
Last edited by aschiftner; Dec 23, 2006 at 08:07 PM. Reason: add on
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
From: Leander TX
Pic is the driver's side rear...rotors are on the correct corners. Both rear rotors look very similar...a little more black smudging than the front (hopefully, like BlackZ06 mentioned, it's because the fronts are wearing through the zinc a bit quicker)...not that fronts look great right now. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is the zinc coating wearing off...because right now they look terrible. Good luck w/your set-up.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Port Orchard WA
My rotors are put on different than yours. I just checked my car another post currently in the "general" section and I think yours may be backwards.
On mine and the one I saw in the general forum section .... the slots in the rotors start in the center and go forward on all four tires. I'm not totally sure..... I need to look more. I'm not sure why that would matter. R/ Al
On mine and the one I saw in the general forum section .... the slots in the rotors start in the center and go forward on all four tires. I'm not totally sure..... I need to look more. I'm not sure why that would matter. R/ Al
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,639
Likes: 39
From: Winston-Salem North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
I just installed a set of hawkhps plus pads today, and according to the literature for the breakin, the process will allow a transfer film to be generated at the pad and the rotor interface. This might be what you are seeing, as far the rotor mounting, I don't use drilled/slotted because of how i use the car.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
From: Leander TX
My rotors are put on different than yours. I just checked my car another post currently in the "general" section and I think yours may be backwards.
On mine and the one I saw in the general forum section .... the slots in the rotors start in the center and go forward on all four tires. I'm not totally sure..... I need to look more. I'm not sure why that would matter. R/ Al
On mine and the one I saw in the general forum section .... the slots in the rotors start in the center and go forward on all four tires. I'm not totally sure..... I need to look more. I'm not sure why that would matter. R/ Al
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#16
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Port Orchard WA
Don't believe the "exterior" slot direction is the driving factor...some brands go forward and some go to the rear...my understanding is the direction of the inner curved vanes are the key piece of the puzzle. All four rotors inner vanes should face towards the rear of the car, as you're looking at them from above ////. They should move air from the center of the rotor outwards, not catch air from the outside and move towards the center of the rotor.
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#16
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#16
I just read the stop tech thread and according to that my vanes (the channel tunnels between the rotor surfaces) are backwards. I guess I'm heading back to the woodshed. Your right the vanes should be what is important. THANKS!!!!!!!!! R/ Al
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,478
Likes: 20
From: guthrie oklahoma
I just finished the same install, sportbrake rotors and AC Delco pads, and all i got was a lot of dusting didnt really see anything like you have I now have probably 50 to 60 miles on them????, I do notice a little noise like pads trying to grab the rotors or something right when it comes to a complete stop, anything like that on yours????
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Port Orchard WA
Wow, I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight knowing that the lock-tite was drying on those calipers so I went out to the garage, broke the bolts loose and swapped the rotors out. That was tough and the lock-tite was only 4-5 hours dry. When I was cleaning the bolts the lock-tite was not completely dry so it made the job allot easier.
Need to spray with break cleaner now cause I forgot I was out and now there pretty dirty. THANKS!!!!!! Good luck with the breakin. R/ Al
Need to spray with break cleaner now cause I forgot I was out and now there pretty dirty. THANKS!!!!!! Good luck with the breakin. R/ Al
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
I have the same combo on my '01 Vert.
I drove for about 150 miles of daily driving with the old pads still on the new sportbrakes rotors, to wear thru the zn coating on the firepaths, then did the break in or seasoning as you describe. I then tossed the old pads and installed the new ones and seasoned them with the newly seasoned rotors.
It takes a while to wear thruough the Zn coating...
I drove for about 150 miles of daily driving with the old pads still on the new sportbrakes rotors, to wear thru the zn coating on the firepaths, then did the break in or seasoning as you describe. I then tossed the old pads and installed the new ones and seasoned them with the newly seasoned rotors.
It takes a while to wear thruough the Zn coating...
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
From: Leander TX
I just finished the same install, sportbrake rotors and AC Delco pads, and all i got was a lot of dusting didnt really see anything like you have I now have probably 50 to 60 miles on them????, I do notice a little noise like pads trying to grab the rotors or something right when it comes to a complete stop, anything like that on yours????
Al...let me know how your break-in goes. May want to take rws.1's recommendation on using the old brake pads for a while to get through the zinc coating...if I were to do this again, I believe I'd take that route.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,478
Likes: 20
From: guthrie oklahoma
I just put the regular AC Delco pads the dusting has gone down considerably but every now and then when i come to a complete stop I hear a little grabbing noise, it seems to be getting better I think a lot of the dusting is just wearing off the Zn coating??? The pads I used are the oem pad
Last edited by jon c; Dec 25, 2006 at 02:59 PM. Reason: more info
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
From: Leander TX
I just put the regular AC Delco pads the dusting has gone down considerably but every now and then when i come to a complete stop I hear a little grabbing noise, it seems to be getting better I think a lot of the dusting is just wearing off the Zn coating??? The pads I used are the oem pad
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
I followed Baer's break-in carefully when I did mine a few years ago. I swapped in the new rotors and left the almost-new, but broken-in stock pads in place because Baer says to season new rotors with used pads and to bed new pads with seasoned rotors. I did get a similar discoloration as your pic shows but when I did the final hard stops, the rotors got very smooth but turned a deep bluish-purplish color until they cooled and then I drove it another couple of days. This is correct according to other break-in procedures I've read - the rotors changed appearance exactly as predicted in those how-to's. They've been perfect ever since. I have never bothered swapping in the new Hawk pads after that for bedding because the stock pads work so well.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Cheers.
Just installed a set of sportbrakes zinc washed drilled/slotted rotors and AC Delco ceramic pads. Install went off without a hitch...I then followed the rotor/brake pad break-in procedures and now the rotors have this blackish film on them. They're not scored or scratched and the brakes work fine...no pulsation or vibration. Is this the zinc washing/heating off of the rotor surface and it takes a few more miles...or is this not right...anybody experience this?
Break-in procedures sent by sportbrakes were:
4 gentle decelerations from 60 - 40
8 moderate decelerations from 60 - 10
Thanks for any info/advice.
Just installed a set of sportbrakes zinc washed drilled/slotted rotors and AC Delco ceramic pads. Install went off without a hitch...I then followed the rotor/brake pad break-in procedures and now the rotors have this blackish film on them. They're not scored or scratched and the brakes work fine...no pulsation or vibration. Is this the zinc washing/heating off of the rotor surface and it takes a few more miles...or is this not right...anybody experience this?
Break-in procedures sent by sportbrakes were:
4 gentle decelerations from 60 - 40
8 moderate decelerations from 60 - 10
Thanks for any info/advice.
Normal break-in ( bedding or seasoning ) for rotors. Find a no traffic straight road. Only day light hours. Brake in straight lines only.
4 to 8 gentel slow downs from 60 to 20 or so
then 4-5 moderate stops from 60 to 10
then stomp ( not panzy arz step ) but stomp hard to almost activate ABS
Do four to five each
40-5 mph stops
80-5 mph stops
and if you have the nads
100-5 mph stops.
Drive around for 30 to 40 min to cool the rotors and brakes. Put car away and do not drive for 24 hours to finish compleat cooling.