Can brake pads be re-bedded?

GeoGoGo

Original poster
Member
Dec 29, 2015
166
Upstate NY
Hi Guys,

I just replaced the brakes on my 07 LT 4X4. NAPA Adaptive One pads and new rotors all around. While I was trying to bed them, I was interrupted by traffic a couple of times. Is it possible to re-bed them or is it just a one time deal? I ask because they seem a little grabby now.

Thank you all for the time and have a great day!

Respectfully,
George D.
 
Dec 5, 2011
574
Central Pennsylvania
You should be good to try it again. Some pad manufacturers actually recommend doing it twice anyway. Remember that applying your brakes removes minuscule amounts of material from the pads (and to a lesser extent, the rotors). "Bedding" isn't fully achieved for 500 to 1000 miles. The procedure ceramic pad manufacturers have us follow is to ensure that the process is started properly and allows the pads to perform adequately until fully bedded.
 
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mrrsm

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Oct 22, 2015
7,642
Tampa Bay Area
The main idea for "The Bedding" is to create enough GRADUAL CAREFUL, UNIFORM HEATING OF THE DISCS in order to Heat Treat their platter surfaces, without using so much IN THE WAY OF HARSH, SUDDEN OR EXTREME and extended periods of Braking that can cause the Soft, Virgin Cast Iron Metal to create a myriad of Cracks and Heat Crazing of their Brand New Surfaces.

Your manufacturer probably failed to advise that if possible... the best thing to do is head out on a long stretch of road at say... 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM in a seldom traveled area and follow the Breaking MPH and Rest Time Frames in between often enough to ensure Long Life for the Discs AND the Pads.

If you are forced to make sudden or extended stops prior to completing this mission... the problems of Cracking, Crazing and "Disc Wobble" with surging occurring during stops may become a reality. I agree with "TW"... there is STILL time left to do this important procedure. And... Your Brakes will LOVE You for it!.
 

Ilikemy3s

Member
Dec 3, 2011
367
OK .. here is a silly Questions .. what is the proper bedding procedure? I have always done short slow drives around the neighborhood while gentle applying the brakes. Would do it forward and in reverse. But if there is a better way I am all for it.
 

Matt

Member
Dec 2, 2011
4,019
This is from Power Stop and is the way I always do it.

5 moderate to aggressive stops from 40 mph down to 10 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool and do not come to a complete stop. If you’re forced to stop, either shift into neutral or give room in front so you can allow the vehicle to roll slightly while waiting for the light. The rotors will be very hot and holding down the brake pedal will allow the pad to create an imprint on the rotor. This is where the judder can originate from.

Then do 5 moderate stops from 35 mph to 5 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool. You should expect to smell some resin as the brakes get hot.

After this is complete, drive around for as long as possible without excessively heating the brakes and without coming to a complete stop (Try for about 5 minutes at moderate speed). This is the cooling stage. It allows the heated resin in the brake pads to cool and cure.

After the brakes have cooled to standard operating temperature, you may use the brakes normally.
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
I've always used the 30-30-30 method. 30 stops from 30mph to not quite stopped with 30 seconds in between.

I'm surprised @Chickenhawk hasn't dropped in on this as he is our de facto brake expert here.
 

Chickenhawk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
779
LOL. Been busy writing up the 2019 Michigan State Police police vehicles trials. Don't let my editor know I am on here!

Yes, there are lots of ways to bed. Some say drive normal. Some bed with lots of hard-ish stops. Basically, the idea is to get them fairly warm, and then work them HARD (but don't ever come to a full stop.) Any of the above will work.

My personal procedure is from Raybestos on their police brakes. Do half a dozen moderate stops in a row from 30 to 10. (Not important exactly the speeds - the idea is to get them warm without getting them red hot.) Then, do three very HARD stops in a row from 60 to 5. Brake to the point just before the ABS engages, and don't come to a full stop.

This is why the advice to go on a quiet stretch of road late at night is a good one.

The reason you want to do three very hard stops in a row is to bed them properly, but also to show what the capabilities of the braking system are. In an emergency where braking is required, the vast majority of people do not use the full capability of their braking system. They tend to brake too late and too gentle in the beginning. It is good to get used to the feel of braking to just before ABS engagement. Hammer them three times in a row from 60 to 5, and then cruise without touching the brakes for at least ten minutes to let them cool.

There was an article in Car and Driver many years ago, in which they compared stopping distances between controlled threshold braking and panic stops where the ABS kicks in. The surprising results were that panic-braking stopped shorter for the AVERAGE driver in an emergency. Threshold braking to the point just before ABS engagement takes practice (hence, my above technique for bedding) and if a driver has never practiced, they tend to brake too late and too light. If a driver jumps on the brakes sooner, and kicks in the ABS, the theoretical stopping distance is longer, but the PRACTICAL stopping distance in real world conditions is shorter. It is simply reaction time. Reduce the reaction time (to think about threshold braking) and you spend less time travelling at full speed with no braking action going. Even half a second is a significant difference in the end.

It is a fallacy of course that ABS helps you stop shorter. ABS stops LONGER than non-ABS systems. What ABS does is turn the average driver into a near-expert braker, and it maintains steering control throughout the braking.

And of course the Chickenhawk corollary to all the above is simple - I have gotten out of trouble almost as many times using the gas pedal as the brake pedal.
 

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