Brake pads are an important part of reducing speed and ensuring the safety of the occupants and the vehicle.
That is why you need to know how to break in ceramic brake pads to improve the accuracy of this safety system.
So what do you need to do? Scroll down and get detailed instructions.
Pros And Cons Of Ceramic Brake Pads
The word “ceramic” makes many people feel fragile, but engineering ceramics is extremely hard, even being listed as one of the hardest materials.
Appearing in the first half of the 90s of the last century, a few car manufacturers have begun to use ceramic brake pads instead of the usual ones, which are often complained by customers about brake noise, dirt, and fast wear.
This set of brakes gives the car an expensive and fashionable feel, but it also has its pros and cons.
Pros
At high temperatures, carbon-ceramic materials are also likely to deform or warp but will withstand longer than conventional brakes.
However, these brake pads do not rust, even when exposed to salt or water during the winter.
This feature ensures a brake disc life of about 150.000 km on normal roads and 2.000 km for special purposes.
This material’s biggest and most important advantage is weight reduction and good heat dissipation. Carbon ceramic pads are 50% lighter than cast iron discs.
This helps reduce the weight of the car, which in turn improves handling and driving dynamics.
Another plus is that they are quiet, making almost no noise when braking.
The brake dust generated during wear and tear is also less than other types. Their eye-catching looks also make them ideal for luxury brands and sports cars.
Cons
Possessing many advantages, but the production cost of this type of brake pad is the most expensive since there is a lot of debate on the forum about whether this type of part is worth its price and replacement cost.
Ceramics’ ability to absorb heat is not as much as other materials.
This causes the heat generated by the braking process to escape from the pad and into the rest of the system, causing wear and tear on the components.
It is also not the most optimal choice when driving in very cold conditions, heavier vehicles, or racing cars. At high speeds, stopping ability may be impaired if pedaling continuously.
How To Break In Ceramic Brake Pads?
It would help if you did this as soon as possible, and it’s best to do it as soon as you buy the car or right after installing the ceramic pad.
This process is not too complicated; you need to get behind the wheel and take some time to drive out on the road.
The specific steps are as follows:
Find An Empty Area To Park Your Car
The first thing vehicle owners must remember is that you should do the break-in in a large, secluded area, preferably traffic-free.
This is to avoid problems with surrounding vehicles traveling at 65 miles per hour.
In cases like these, drivers often choose empty roads or parking lots. Thus, try looking around to see if any places meet this criterion.
Hard Braking At 40 mph
Heavy braking is the act of applying the brakes quickly and hard. According to many teachers at driving schools, this is bad practice, but it is essential when your brake pads are in a bad state.
Braking at 40 mph allows drivers to apply and heat the brakes for increased effectiveness. When braking sharply, avoid stopping the vehicle completely.
Go At 50 mph And Brake Until The ABS Works
Like the step above, we will also have to brake hard in this step, but at a speed of 50 mph. Try to slow down fast enough to get the ABS to work. The role of this step is to wear out what is needed rapidly.
Repeat Step 3 Four Times
That’s right; you didn’t read it wrong. Be persistent and repeat the operation in the above step 4 more times. This is to help your car break the pads completely.
One thing to keep in mind when repeating this step is not to come to a complete stop. A useful tip is to drive at a minimum of 10 miles per hour for the best performance.
Acceleration To 65 mph, Then Down To 15 mph
If you are a skilled driver or at least feel good about driving at high speeds, this step should not be difficult for you. Take it like any other safety precaution.
After increasing the speed to 65 mph, slow down to 15 mph as quickly as possible without bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.
A complete stop at this time harms the new ceramic pad and its break-in process.
Let The Brake Rest For 20 Mins
After the exercises, the important thing you should not ignore is giving the car some time to cool down.
Please park your car in the park and leave it for about 20 minutes. This helps cool the brake system and switch to a new form. It is done.
Why Do You Need To Break In Brakes And Rotors?
Breaking new brakes or “bedding” involves cooling and heating the brakes in a controlled manner to improve the system’s performance.
Brake rotors will receive a transfer pad material to prevent brake fading.
To understand the importance of break-in procedures for new brakes, you need to understand the effect of friction selection on braking ability.
Braking is the process of converting kinetic energy into heat and consists of two types of friction:
Abrasive friction: It occurs when we rub two surfaces together or press the brake pedal against the rotor.
The heat from this friction material is so great that it can soften the rotor, break the places and cause a total system failure.
Adherent friction: When braking, the brake pads and the thin cushioning material on the rotor will bond together and create adherent friction.
The combination of these types of friction creates the resistance needed to bring your vehicle to a stop. Thus, you must correctly align the spacer and rotor for this system to work.
This process brings many other conveniences to drivers when braking:
- Correct action
- Smoother and quieter
- Feel for how the new system works
- Increase brake performance and brake life
Is The Vehicle Safe Without Breaking In New Rotors?
The bedding process is essential for the braking system to work at full capacity. Otherwise, your vehicle may not be able to stop promptly during emergencies.
Properly breaking the rotor and pads will create a thin cushion layer on its surface. This layer is required for the braking system to stop the vehicle.
Having a layer of material on the pads makes it possible for your car to stop more smoothly instead of causing the passengers to jerk forward.
If you omit this process, their material will deposit unevenly on the rotors, which can cause vibrations of varying intensities in the pedals, steering wheel, or entire vehicle.
Skipping break-in steps also reduces the vehicle’s speed to a stop and makes it take longer to squeeze into the new rotor.
Conclusion
Above are detailed instructions on how to break in ceramic brake pads. This is an important action to increase braking performance that you can do yourself.
However, if you are not confident, you can take the car to the center to ask the technicians.
We hope this article is useful to you. Thank you for reading, and seeing you in the next posts.