Bedding in new brakes - best way?

Jamesyboyjim · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:12

Hi all, had my car serviced yesterday (nothing special, SEAT Ibiza 1.4 2010) had new discs and pads fitted as they needed doing. I was told to take it easy for the next 5 - 600 miles while the brakes bed in (at the moment they feel spongy and certainly aren't stopping me quickly)

So I've been giving myself plenty of distance to stop. Decided to Google it and I'm seeing mixed advice, some people are saying brake really hard a few times in a row from a good speed, others are saying drive slower and brake lightly to come to a gradual stop (what I've been doing).

What should I be doing guys? What's the best way to bed in the discs and pads so the brakes respond as you'd expect?

Ryan-3 · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:24

I've always took it easier after a pad/disc change, braking earlier and with a bit less force. After about 100 miles or so I'd try a few with a bit more force.

Finglonga · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:28

They should certainly not feel spongy, if they are, take it back and get them to bleed them properly. New brakes will feel wooden for the first few stops but be fine after that for normal steady driving and most people would not even notice. I always go to a quiet stretch of road and do some braking from 60(ish)mph to zero a few times getting harder each time to bed them in quicker.

sovietspybob · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:34

Finglonga said:
They should certainly not feel spongy, if they are, take it back and get them to bleed them properly. New brakes will feel wooden for the first few stops but be fine after that for normal steady driving and most people would not even notice. I always go to a quiet stretch of road and do some braking from 60(ish)mph to zero a few times getting harder each time to bed them in quicker.

This pretty much, for standard road pads just a few stops getting harder each time and you'll be sorted, more race/trackdays type pads will have specific bed in procedures.

But they shouldn't feel spongy at all, they should just feel slightly down on stopping power for the first couple of stops and then be better than ever.

adolf hamster · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:36

all they are meaning is the discs/pads havent worn together with the grooves, and hence will have less surface contact, taking it easy is just to ensure you don't try stomping on the brakes to find they aren't as good as you'd expect.

Jamesyboyjim · 6 Apr 2017 at 09:41

Finglonga said:
They should certainly not feel spongy, if they are, take it back and get them to bleed them properly. New brakes will feel wooden for the first few stops but be fine after that for normal steady driving and most people would not even notice.

What do you mean by wooden? The garage did say to expect a bit of sponge feeling at first, I'd say the difference is I'm pressing the peddle further to get the car to stop which is how the peddle felt before when I'd press it hard. But I've only driven 30 miles (mostly in traffic) so far with them.

Janesy B · 6 Apr 2017 at 10:01

The pedal should be less spongey and have less travel, not more. Feeling wooden means that the pedal feels hard but you still have to press quite hard to get the same braking.

Finglonga · 6 Apr 2017 at 10:10

Jamesyboyjim said:
The garage did say to expect a bit of sponge feeling at first, I'd say the difference is I'm pressing the peddle further to get the car to stop which is how the peddle felt before when I'd press it hard.

Press it further or press it harder? Brake fluid doesn't compress so the pedal should remain solid the harder you press it but shouldn't go further towards the carpet. If it does then you have bubbles of air in the system from the pad change that will compress making it feel like your pushing on a sponge.

May be even worth if you have not done it ever before to get a brake fluid change as that will transform the brakes if it is on the original fluid.

mattyg · 6 Apr 2017 at 10:14

There was an article with a traffic bobby doing the rounds a few years ago showing how to bed in brakes. He started off doing stops from 30/40/50 mph etc. I think the general jist was to put a heat cycle through them "gently" so they didn't glaze.

Clarkson · 6 Apr 2017 at 10:26

I went to quiet roads and did roughly 60-10 several times hard braking. Don't completely stop or you could get a bit of 'crap' basically baked to the disc.

Jamesyboyjim · 6 Apr 2017 at 10:30

Finglonga said:
Press it further or press it harder? Brake fluid doesn't compress so the pedal should remain solid the harder you press it but shouldn't go further towards the carpet. If it does then you have bubbles of air in the system from the pad change that will compress making it feel like your pushing on a sponge.

May be even worth if you have not done it ever before to get a brake fluid change as that will transform the brakes if it is on the original fluid.

Not sure if the fluid has been changed before I owned it (had it a year now) I'll have a look through its history. I'll see how it goes for the next few days, if its still funny I'll take it back and mention the bubbles. I'll be doing some late night motorway driving Friday night so it will be a good opportunity to test them rather than my stop start slow commute.

Scania · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:00

I've recently had the discs and pads done all round on my ancient V70, the brakes are now sharp and much more effective, I wouldn't expect anything else!

I'd take it back if they feel spongy.

So far as bedding them in I just brake relatively gently for the first 200miles or so.

bainbridge · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:27

Just brake gently for the first hundred miles or so and avoid harsh braking. The friction material is press baked to the back plate in the factory but the curing process is completed with proper bedding in.

If they're spongy take the car back to be bled properly.

Akagi · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:29

I always thought you should just drive normally. Braking isn't too hard in normal driving conditions, and if you have to brake hard you have to brake hard! You wouldn't go into the back of someone because you don't want to break your brake wear in routine.

I think the 'hard braking' methods usually do more harm than good.

SC0TTRS · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:38

Finglonga said:
They should certainly not feel spongy, if they are, take it back and get them to bleed them properly.

Bleed the system? since when is this common practice after just changing discs/pads?!?..

OP hasn't mentioned anything about getting brake fluid changed.

acemastr · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:42

A few 60-10 stops with 30 seconds of driving between to cool them back down.

Same for bike pads too

MORE SPEED · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:43

Finglonga said:
They should certainly not feel spongy, if they are, take it back and get them to bleed them properly. New brakes will feel wooden for the first few stops but be fine after that for normal steady driving and most people would not even notice. I always go to a quiet stretch of road and do some braking from 60(ish)mph to zero a few times getting harder each time to bed them in quicker.

This, but go from 60 to 10, not 0. Stopping the car completely after braking hard with new pads is not what you want to be doing.

pepsilol · 6 Apr 2017 at 13:43

For performance cars a proper break in procedurece is needed for new brakes. This is various stops from 50 -20 and 80-20 or something like that. A normal family car just needs driving gently for the first few hundred miles.

Finglonga · 6 Apr 2017 at 15:03

SC0TTRS said:
Bleed the system? since when is this common practice after just changing discs/pads?!?..

OP hasn't mentioned anything about getting brake fluid changed.

Depends how they have wound the pistons back, if it wasn't spongy before they ave probably forced them back too fast introducing air bubbles into the system as it enters the fluid reservoir. If done properly they shouldn't need bleeding but sounds like they have not if they are spongy now and weren't before.

lordrobs · 6 Apr 2017 at 15:20

Acme said:
I always thought you should just drive normally. Braking isn't too hard in normal driving conditions, and if you have to brake hard you have to brake hard! You wouldn't go into the back of someone because you don't want to break your brake wear in routine.

I think the 'hard braking' methods usually do more harm than good.

Spot on, just drive normally and be wary that they might not be as sharp as you expect to start with.

I wonder how many people would buy a brand new car and instantly think they had to do multiple hard high speed stops.