How do you guys bed new brake pads at the track? If you drive your car to the track on street pads and then change to track pads how do you bed them? Or if you have to change pads and/or rotors at the track, how do you bed them?

 

Bedding Procedure and Proper Maintenance

1. Why should I follow bed-in procedure?
Proper bedding of pads & rotors will result in greater performance and longer pad life & less rotor wear. Failure to properly bed in your pads could lead to friction materials chunking and breaking up. This could also lead to overheating your pads and causing them to glaze over resulting in the car not being able to stop or slow fast enough.

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2. Do I have to resurface (turn) the rotors, or get new rotors?
If you have had another manufacturers brake pads on those same rotors; then you will ABSOLUTELY have to replace or resurface (turn) those rotors before installing the Carbotech brake pads.

If the rotors and drums are in relatively good condition, meaning they are smooth, flat, with no visible cracks, deep scoring, distorted, and with no other visible damage; and you have ONLY had Carbotech brake pads on them, then they do not have to be resurfaced or replaced.

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3. Do rotors require a bedding process?
New rotors just like new pads need to be bedded in. Brake rotors don’t require as much bedding as brake pads require. If you follow the brake pad bed-in procedure your rotors will be completely bedded. Proper bedding will increase the rotor life and make it more resistant to thermal cracking. By cleaning the disc surface you want to make sure you have completely removed any and all grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads.

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4. What’s the proper way to bed pads & shoes?
Proper bedding instructions for the Bobcat 1521 Compound :

Brake from 60mph down to 30mph about 4-6 times.
Then let your brakes cool for about 2-3 minutes while driving.
Repeat step # 1.
Allow the brake pads and discs to cool down to ambient temperature (about 30 minutes or more).
NOTE: Proper bedding of pads & rotors will result in greater performance and longer pad & rotor wear.

NOTE: The proper way to bed your brake pads and brake discs (rotors) is to bed them on the racetrack, NOT on the street (excluding the Bobcat 1521 compound).

Proper bedding instructions for AX-Series & XP-Series Compounds :

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.
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.
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.
Warning: Failure to properly bed in your pads could lead to friction material to chunk and break up resulting in poor pad performance and pad life. Improper bedding can also lead to overheating your pads and causing them to glaze over resulting in the car not being able to stop or slow properly.

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5. What is the proper way to bed brake rotors?
New discs (rotors) just like pads need to be bedded in. Proper bedding will increase the rotor life and make it more resistant to thermal cracking. Before installing the new brake discs (rotors), be sure to thoroughly clean discs with clean wipes and brake cleaner. By cleaning the disc surface you want to make sure you have completely removed any and all grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads. Once the discs (rotors) are installed on the vehicle perform the following procedure. Please note that you can bed new pads & discs (rotors) at the same time.

Start out with several near stops for the first 1-2 laps, while gradually increasing your speed and brake force with every stop.
Next, do another 1-2 laps at normal speed followed by a cool down lap. The gray coloration is the pad material depositing a transfer layer of material into the micro-grooves of the disc. This process is pinnacle in achieving the best performance and life out of the rotor.
Then allow rotor(s) to completely cool down to ambient temperature.
Proper USED brake rotor bed in procedures:

If rotors have been previously bedded with Carbotech brake pads, then bedding the rotors again is not necessary.
If rotors were previously bedded using a different manufacturer’s brake pads; then it is strongly recommended that the used discs (rotors) be reconditioned/turned and meet minimum specification requirements.
Start out with several near stops for the first 1-2 laps, while gradually increasing your speed and brake force with every stop.
Next, do another 1-2 laps at normal speed followed by a cool down lap. The gray coloration is the pad material depositing a transfer layer of material into the micro-grooves of the rotor. This process is pinnacle in achieving the best performance and life out of the rotor.
Then allow rotor(s) to completely cool down to ambient temperature.
NOTE: Brake pads should be checked regularly. If pads are wearing evenly, then the pads can be used almost down to the backing plate.

NOTE: Do not drag your brakes; meaning, do not continually drive around the track with applied pressure to your brake pedal.

 

Those instructions are fine but they do not take into track safety into account. In an HPDE there are many different skill level drivers in the same run groups and hitting the brakes in unexpected areas of the track or going 60 mph on the track can create some exciting experiences.

At Watkins Glen where straight away speeds are in the triple digits in several areas you do not want to be running at 60 and slowing down to 30. More than likely you would be black flagged. I would suggest warming up the pads on pit road if possible, then driving at 8/10s and lightly using the brakes for the first few corners. Once the pads are warmed up increase the braking force but do not get anywhere near max decel for a lap or two. Then increase speed and braking for a couple of turns followed by slowing back to 8/10 and letting the brakes cool. You can keep a reasonable speed so you are not an obstacle and not being continously passed. To keep the brakes cooler let off the throttle several hundred feet further away from a corner and let the engine slow the car before hitting the brakes. You can get them bedded in without being a danger to yourself or others.

Bill

 

I dont bed my race pads AT the track. I bed them at least 24 hours prior to going to the track. as Bill mentioned, saftey at the track and on paddock roads is important.

Part of the reason I bed them 24 hours prior to going is so I can do a final brake fluid bleed, just prior to going to the track.

I bleed my brakes on Thursday or Friday mornings, put on the track wheels and load the car in the trailer, then drive too the track. That way I have fresh brake fluid for the next day

Different pad manufactures have different bedding procedures. Then I have also developed my own produce for the brake pads that I use, Wilwood H or PFC-01s.

 

Thanks guys, some good advise.