Braking Down Break-In

Bedding new brake pads isn't nearly the chore it used to be, but it's still a task to which paying attention is well worth it.

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when changing brake pads was a rather significant task – and changing the pads was only the beginning. Once the new pads were on came the extensive and sometimes complicated process of bedding them in. With new compounds, new chemical compositions and all-around better technology, and with the exception of ultra-long-life endurance racing pads, that process is much simpler – although still important.

"The real purpose of bedding in brake pads, regardless of the nature and regardless of the brand, is to create a uniform film transfer layer of the friction material onto the disc itself," says Cobalt Friction Technologies Director of Advanced Materials, Andie Lin. "That's accomplished by a combination of rotating speed on the disc and also the temperature that results from compressing the pad against the disc surface."