Subaru BRZ Forum banner
11K views 32 replies 12 participants last post by  wbsrazzle 
#1 ·
I should write a thread on breaking-in the brakes. Every new car manual I have read declares, "Don't brake hard!"

That’s ridiculous.

However, instead of waiting for me, or someone, to write about it, just go read the proper bedding-in procedure for new brakes from Brembo, Hawk, or any other reputable brake manufacturer. Pick whichever method appeals to you; they're all essentially the same. And they're the OPPOSITE of what every new car manual tells you to do…

The "trick" is to get the pads and discs really hot, and then let them COOL without the pads touching the discs again. That last part is not so easy; one needs to find a nice, long stretch of little-used country road to get the job done safely (without causing an accident) and correctly.

If you do need to stop after the final brake application, let the car roll to a stop without touching the brake pedal, and use the handbrake to hold it, and/or turn off the engine and put the car into 1st gear to hold it from rolling away.

Remember, DO NOT APPLY THE BRAKES! Not to stop, not to hold the car in place. That's the awkward part.

Do not touch the brake pedal until your brakes have cooled down thoroughly, which may take 30 minutes. The reason is that the very hot pads and discs may cause pad material to transfer to and fuse onto the rotor. That's not good. Then you will have "warped" rotors. You don't want that.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
The assumption being made with the engine and brakes, it seems, is that Subaru hasn't done these things or taken their own measures to seat them. On the lot, the engines are not brand new-never run and I'd be surprised if the brakes were also seated and cured so to speak.

Being gentle on a new car is about using all of the parts in the car with reatraint and getting used to it while validating everything works.

New cars today are not like old cars nor are they like built up cars.
 
#4 ·
The ebrake still engages the brake pads so you are still using the rear brakes. If you need to panic stop , do it, just don't make a habit of it. Stock brakes and performance brakes are two different animals so the initial break in periods will vary. I think Subaru and scion just want people to refrain from re-enacting Tokyo drift and tracking the car right off the showroom floor. If you drive the car like a normal car for the first 1000 miles you really needn't worry about breaking in the components.
 
#8 ·
The ebrake still engages the brake pads so you are still using the rear brakes.

Not for the BRZ. Subaru designed a mini drum brake within the disc assembly, so the disc brake pads do not contact the rotor when the handbrake is on. It's been a while since I've seen a design like this one. But, ordinarily, I'd make the same assumption as you have here, and would avoid the handbrake, thinking that it would clamp the pads to the hot disc. Not so, apparently.

An interesting aside: Subaru says that these mini drum brakes may require adjustment, and that the owner should have Subaru perform this service. I'd be grateful to anyone who could direct me to instructions for doing this myself. Maybe we just need to zoom backwards, in reverse, and stomp on the brake pedal like in the "good old days" for some drum brakes.


Stock brakes and performance brakes are two different animals

I cannot think of any reason that they would differ meaningfully. Every instruction I've read for bedding brakes has been essentially the same. Did Moss Motors indicate different procedures for different types of pads? My impression was that their instructions were general purpose.

If you can provide evidence for your assertion, I would be eager to read it; I'm always interested in learning something new. :)
 
#15 ·
Check the offerings from Hawk; they have a number of pads that are "better" than OEM pads, but remain quite street-able. They're deservedly popular, offering superior street and autox performance. Tire Rack carries them.

Everything has compromises, though, hence the choices made by OEM manufacturers. Performance pads wear out faster (they're softer), they often create a LOT more messy brake dust, and they can be noisy, too, especially at low speeds when cold. John Q. Public would complain bitterly were his BRZ to squeal loudly when braking for every turn in the city, not to mention the short pad life, and black, dust-covered wheels.

So... that's why they're not standard equipment on most cars. Short-lived, dirty, squeaky brakes ... makes for "squeaky wheels" noises from the public! :eek:

Since it is quite easy to swap brake pads at an autox event, and one is usually changing wheels, too, many competitors have pads dedicated to autox. They'll change pads, wheels+track tires, and often tweak the alignment as well. Autocross can get serious. :)

The biggest problem is that one almost never exceeds 55 mph on a typical course, second gear stuff all the way, typically, and a serious road racing pad would not, I'd think, ever reach optimum temps. So, Hawk and others, have special autocross pads that are excellent enthusiast choices for the street, too. But, again, note the downsides.

Google research will turn up reviews of the different popular pads with their respective strengths and weaknesses. Some are noisier than others, some dirtier, some more durable, and so on.

Have fun!:)
 
#19 ·
At last. A voice of experience and reason comes forward. Where have you been, import_nation?

The above is what I said on page 1.

Maybe now, more will take it seriously. On the other hand, maybe not … and maybe they will glaze their pads and rotors, and never experience the effective braking that they might have had with properly bedded brakes.
 
#21 ·
I actually prefer the more aggressive pads, regardless of the downsides. HP+ are a great street/light track pad. Proper break-in is pretty much required to get the most out of your new pads, especially aggressive pads like the HP+ that take much longer to heat up than the ceramic based pads like their HPS. I've ran both on my Sentra and have to say the HPS pads are junk. They fade far too quickly in hot temps, and don't stay consistent. They just don't have the bite that I require. I tried them after I ran Axxis Ultimates (another super dusty pad) and was fairly pissed off about having to buy another set of pads at the time. I felt like I had weak brakes after the change. Maybe it's because I was used to the increased bite of the more aggressive pads.
 
#28 · (Edited)
One thing that bothers me about more recent generations is their propensity toward giving up fundamental freedoms in the name of security or reduced risk without regard to how the slow ratcheting up of these invasive ideas tend to eventually make them mandatory. You already have black boxes in your car recording everything you are doing in case of an accident. That's preposterous. Think the so-called "cash of clunkers" program had anything to do with getting lower fuel mileage older vehicles off the road? Think again. It's because the vehicles made for sale within the US subsequent to the Patriot Act have embedded tracking that the older vehicles don't. Big Brother stuff. I live on the border with Mexico and we have more stringent laws and surveillance on us than anybody that lives farther than 30 miles from the border. Why? We are US Citizens too with less rights than the balance of our countrymen. We have road signs that read our newer vehicle transponders every time we pass them. That's unconstitutional and there is something very much fundamentally wrong with anybody wanting to monitor any personal activity within the USA. Cripes almighty, that's one of the reasons we fought the Revolutionary War with the king of England. Progressive Insurance says it's optional. NOW. Kind of like insurance used to be optional. Or social security numbers used to be optional. Or showing a stupid utility bill to your local school district just to get your kid registered used to be optional. **** Progressive. I'm with BRZ Driver 100% on this one. Although I know BRZ Driver is too classy to say it I will: "Brozee is the brainwashed **** and result of modern social conditioning and desensitized from knowing what true freedom is". His was the stupid post.
 
#29 · (Edited)
BACK ON SUBJECT:

I have been driving for numerous decades, purchased about 20 vehicles, most of them new. I have always been cautious in not having to brake hard during the 'break-in' period. It has always been the right thing to do. When I DID HAVE an extreme braking emergency situation during break-in, my brakes suffered from it.

YOu can be guided by the manufacturer's suggestion or not. It is up to you. But this is one guy who suggests to follow the manufacturer's directions, whether car OEM or aftermarket companies. The term, "DO NOT APPLY THE BRAKES!' is a little scary to me whether off the beaten track or not. The average BRZ driver, at least in my opinion, is not going to go thru your break-in procedure.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Depending upon what is meant by "performance driving", I believe Progressive is just trying to key in on those drivers who, in their opinion, have driving habits that are more potentially 'fender bending' than the average driver rate. I rarely have a hard braking situation in my normal driving and even if I did I would think that Progressive would have to see an ongoing sequence (frequent repeating) of hard braking to justify a higher insurance rate. I would study the insurance contract to determine this. I, for one, would not like to be a passenger with a driver who frequently has to brake hard to avoid a collision or for other reasons other than tracking, for instance.

QUOTE=BRZ Driver;25821]That's an outrageous intrusion. I'm not surprised, but this is new to me.

Progressive, I take it, is an auto insurance company? And this is a Nanny device to track "performance driving," and punish the driver with higher rates, maybe even exclusion of coverage should one crash while "enjoying" one's BRZ on a country drive?

Day by day, we Americans are losing our freedom; we're frogs in a pot that is being gradually heated, hotter and hotter, and no one will raise a voice in objection.

I'm worried about the overhead flying drones planned for our urban areas; soon they'll be flying over my favorite country roads, too. Maybe there will be a market for mini surface-to-air missiles?[/QUOTE]
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top