New brake pads a bit soft

[ESP]

Theory against decades of tried and tested science
No brake manufacture will endorse this in the fitting instructions, they will suggest avoid HEAVY breaking during bedding in. (Bedding in, not Smashing in)

Just be patient and your brakes will last for years

 

[pvr]

Theory against decades of tried and tested science
No brake manufacture will endorse this in the fitting instructions, they will suggest avoid HEAVY breaking during bedding in. (Bedding in, not Smashing in)

Just be patient and your brakes will last for years

Ok, the brake manufacturers provide this:

Bedding fundamentals
In general, bed-in consists of heating a brake system to its adherent temperature to allow the formation of a transfer layer. The brake system is then allowed to cool without coming to rest, resulting in an even transfer layer deposition around the rotor circumference. This procedure is typically repeated two or three times in order to ensure that the entire rotor face is evenly covered with brake pad material. Sounds easy, right? Well, it can be if you have the proper information.
Because the adherent temperature range for brake pads varies widely (typically 100°F-600°F for street pads and 600°F-1400°F for race pads), each bed-in needs to be application-specific. One could try to generate a one-size-fits-all procedure, but too little heat during bed-in keeps the material from transferring to the rotor face while overheating the system can generate uneven pad deposits due to the material breaking down and splotching (that's a technical term) on to the rotor face.

In summary, the key to a successful bed-in is to bring the pads up to their adherent operating temperature in a controlled manner and 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 successfully accomplish the bed-in. The recommended procedures below should provide you with the information you need to select the bed-in procedure appropriate for your application.
by Matt Weiss and James Walker, Jr. of scR motorsports, exclusively for StopTech

I would just like to see a statement or publication which would contra this advice to have a balanced view. If there is data supporting the "bed them in slowly" theory, then I am very happy to accept that and base a decision on the two views, but as with everything, I can not accept just a comment that it is wrong rather than some material to back it up.

It is the same with running in a car discussion, some will say thrash it, some will do the opposite. I made my decision on that discussion based on articles and manufacturers detailed analysis on the pros and cons of each, and would like to do the same with the bedding in process.

 

[ZedFourM]

The paper being discussed here was written by people from scR Motorsports, whose primary experience will have been with race pads - these are a different proposition to street pads (perhaps - although this is speculation on my part - because the relative proportion of abrasive and adherent materials differ between the two).

Braking systems for autosport use are used in controlled circumstances - they are inspected frequently, used with appropriate brake fluid in braided lines, expected to be at full working temperature when they are used, used primarily or exclusively for heavy braking application, and designed to have a short working life (often a single race).

Street pads and disks on the other hand are much more of a compromise - they will frequently be used when cold, may rarely if ever be used for heavy braking, will only be inspected annually (if that) and may be expected to last 50k miles or more.

Hence the bedding in process required to get optimal use will differ between the two.

Unfortunately there is an internet belief that anything that's used for racing must be better than anything used for street. This is not always true, as many people have found out when that have fitted race pads to a street car, and then found that they have no braking when the pads are cold!

 

[pvr]

They did say about both though:

Because the adherent temperature range for brake pads varies widely (typically 100°F-600°F for street pads and 600°F-1400°F for race pads), each bed-in needs to be application-specific

 

[MHZ4C]

I'm only a novice spanner monkey. To be fair though, if I owned a brake pad company, I'd recommend avoiding hard braking when I knew the pads were new! Too many insurance claims for crashes before the pads and discs had bedded in!

Past experience has definitely shown me that bedding in new pads and discs helps to improve peddle feel and braking effectiveness for OEM pads and discs. I can't claim to have proven any science though! So caveat emptor!

 

[Richard!]

This really has set off quite the debate

So far I have gone with the lighter bedding in method. This is what I have always done. Will need to get a few more miles done and see how they evolve.