Bedding in Brakes

[pdub]

Yes this should be somewhere else, like in Technical or Projects or something. I don't want it there - short and sweet.

When I got the StopTech brake kit for the front of Red, the directions said do a whole bunch of 80 mph to 20 mph slowdowns to bed them in. Do NOT stop!

I just put on some Hawk pads for the run at AMP and there was a vast difference in procedure, per the directions. 30 mph to complete stop 5 or 6 times, cool them off, then hard stop (complete stop) from 40 maybe 3 times.

What thu? The pads I got from Hawk are supposed to be racier than the pads that came with the StopTech brake kit.

What I don't know about anything fills many volumes at the Library of Congress and everywhere else...

[Barry Donovan]

a trick to check quality: after heating them up with testing, this works for the ebrake brakes, hopefully the same as regular brakes. Anyway, I do this to my Subaru. After hot brake.. barely put the ebrake on. When the car starts creaking to move..you got swellers for pads (those suck, no excuses). I don't know where your brakes function, but I caught onto that trick some years ago. my Subaru had front brake ebrake. I still have off the shelf pads. Swellers, squashy.

[BigAL]

The problem I see is your mixing to different brake pad compounds, when s brake pad beds in, there is a certain amount of brake pad material that beds into the rotor, going to a different pad and mixing compounds may cause a reduction in braking and not the increased braking your looking for. And IMO from the research I've done on Hawk pads, I'd stay away from them for any sort of serious competition. Basically StopTech designed their kits to work with the brake pads that are supplied with it, and you would think if they thought Hawk was the shit that they would supply them with Hawk pads. But hey it's only money, might as well spend it on something....

[Bob Holmes]

Just follow the directions, Peewee. The manufacturer of the pads knows what it needs.

Hawk is a well respected manufacturer.

[pdub]

Just follow the directions, Peewee. The manufacturer of the pads knows what it needs.

Hawk is a well respected manufacturer.

Did. And WOW Red stops mucho better with the new Hawks on there. Big delightful difference. That's what I thought I was getting to start with, getting the StopTechs.

But the guy at MM convinced me on the phone during the purchase that the pads that came with the STs (in an ST box) were actually Hawks to begin with, that ST doesn't manufacture brake pads. I gave him the number off of the original ST box and he couldn't do anything with it.

Got the pads bedded in today and ohhhhhh boy....boogity boogity boogity boys, let's ro racin! Or at least driving hard as I can on a fun as hell road course. The new pads have the slightest hint of a squeal at a barely-rolling stop. I love it. I just plain love it. Film at eleven on Friday night after I get back home from it.

Thanks as always for all the help and feedback. Without all of you guys I'd be....well I probably wouldn't even HAVE Red when it comes right down to it. Fun fun fun fun fun.