Open wheelers- how are you bedding in your brake pads?
Discussion
Brake pads have a really specific break-in procedure involving a certain number of stops from a certain speed and then being allowed to fully cool.
In a world where a test day is 300 quid or more for 4x 30 minute sessions- how is everybody bedding in their brakes? Are we really losing a whole session to it? Or is everybody just not really following the procedure and completing a session while being a bit gentle on the brakes?
In a world where a test day is 300 quid or more for 4x 30 minute sessions- how is everybody bedding in their brakes? Are we really losing a whole session to it? Or is everybody just not really following the procedure and completing a session while being a bit gentle on the brakes?
It wasn't so bad with closed wheel because I could book a relatively inexpensive trackday, often open pitlane.
Testing for open wheel is expensive and the timetables are restrictive. 6x 20 minute sessions used to be commonplace but they all seem to be 4x 30 minute now. Circulating for 30 minutes generally a waste of time considering the races are 20 minutes- but 30 minutes is not really long enough for a one man team to leave the circuit, get back to the paddock, make any adjustments and go out again.
It'd be helpful to be in a garage in the pitlane but its often 70 quid to rent a garage for a day
Testing for open wheel is expensive and the timetables are restrictive. 6x 20 minute sessions used to be commonplace but they all seem to be 4x 30 minute now. Circulating for 30 minutes generally a waste of time considering the races are 20 minutes- but 30 minutes is not really long enough for a one man team to leave the circuit, get back to the paddock, make any adjustments and go out again.
It'd be helpful to be in a garage in the pitlane but its often 70 quid to rent a garage for a day
I use Ferodo DS3000 which to be fair aren’t the last word in fancy pants compound, but they work well for me doing 15 min races in a 1300kg car (quite often last of the late brakers as well, I don’t give them much mercy!!!)
They have a bedding in procedure which is of course best to follow to the rule on a track day, but my last few sets have been bedded during a qualifying session, get the bedding in done then a cool down lap or two with plenty of airflow, then start leaning on the pad from there. Not ideal but to be honest I’ve noticed very little difference in the behaviour of the pads compared to ‘proper’ bedding in.
Can your pads be bedded in like this? And if not, unless you’re doing endurance races then is the compound you’re using really worth the extra effort? I’ve driven cars with super duper expensive pads, and the truth is that over 15 minutes there is really no difference to a solid if unspectacular compound such as the DS3000. Worth a think!
They have a bedding in procedure which is of course best to follow to the rule on a track day, but my last few sets have been bedded during a qualifying session, get the bedding in done then a cool down lap or two with plenty of airflow, then start leaning on the pad from there. Not ideal but to be honest I’ve noticed very little difference in the behaviour of the pads compared to ‘proper’ bedding in.
Can your pads be bedded in like this? And if not, unless you’re doing endurance races then is the compound you’re using really worth the extra effort? I’ve driven cars with super duper expensive pads, and the truth is that over 15 minutes there is really no difference to a solid if unspectacular compound such as the DS3000. Worth a think!
Historic closed wheel stuff for me but I’ve been using Performance Friction carbon metallic pads for quite a while and have found you can do it pretty well in two laps; first lap 3 or 4 hard brakes as per the recommendations and then a cooling down lap. Next lap you’re pretty much good to go. Basically I can turn up waste a couple of laps of qualifying and be fine. Although running Dunlop Historic tyres you’re never really at the limit of what the brakes can offer.
I'm using Mintex 1144. That's what's in there at the moment and although its a very mild friction material I have no concerns with stopping power or overheating (Formula Ford on ACB9s).
I did wonder if it was as you are saying Canoesniffer & Oneball, and I am worrying too much about the 'fully cool' bit. However I think I did once attempt to use a set of 1144s in a Caterham without any bedding in procedure or cooling and ruined a set of pads. The discs turned blue.
I did wonder if it was as you are saying Canoesniffer & Oneball, and I am worrying too much about the 'fully cool' bit. However I think I did once attempt to use a set of 1144s in a Caterham without any bedding in procedure or cooling and ruined a set of pads. The discs turned blue.
indigorallye said:
Buy your pads from Questmead.
Ask them to pre-bed them for you on their dyno.
Superb service from them everytime.
(If you make an enquiry, please tell them Mike from Kinetic Racing recommended them to you)
I had no idea that was possible. I won't do it this time around as I already have my pads and I suspect it'd at least double my cost- but interesting to know.Ask them to pre-bed them for you on their dyno.
Superb service from them everytime.
(If you make an enquiry, please tell them Mike from Kinetic Racing recommended them to you)
HustleRussell said:
I'm using Mintex 1144. That's what's in there at the moment and although its a very mild friction material I have no concerns with stopping power or overheating (Formula Ford on ACB9s).
I did wonder if it was as you are saying Canoesniffer & Oneball, and I am worrying too much about the 'fully cool' bit. However I think I did once attempt to use a set of 1144s in a Caterham without any bedding in procedure or cooling and ruined a set of pads. The discs turned blue.
It's a trackday pad, spend a couple of laps in qualy getting them sorted, back off for a lap, or two if its Brands Indy and then get on with the session and assess after qualy but I suspect you will be fine. I used to run the same pad in a tintop and this is all I have ever done and its been fine. I have switched to CL pads but that's because I went from sprint to endurance. I have seen others with Mintex pads destroy them in one session but they left the pitlane on a new set and then immediately set about being hard on them. It also pays if you can to do a test day and bed in a few sets over the sessions so that when you do need to change pads between sessions you have some ready to go.I did wonder if it was as you are saying Canoesniffer & Oneball, and I am worrying too much about the 'fully cool' bit. However I think I did once attempt to use a set of 1144s in a Caterham without any bedding in procedure or cooling and ruined a set of pads. The discs turned blue.
Trev450 said:
OP, if you are within reasonable travelling distance to Llandow you can hire the circuit for testing at a price that won't empty your wallet.
Yep I'm considering it. Bertbert of this parish let me have a go in his FF2000 there a couple of years ago. I'm making some changes to the pedal box too so a nice relaxed Llandow test might be good whilst I spend ages faffing about with adjustments.Does anyone bother with this anymore? I've been racing for years and don't know anyone that doesn't just take it easy for a lap or 2 with new pads, no messing around. In fact I will often put new pads in for quali because it gives the best pedal feel with the minimum fluid in the system.
cashmax said:
Does anyone bother with this anymore? I've been racing for years and don't know anyone that doesn't just take it easy for a lap or 2 with new pads, no messing around. In fact I will often put new pads in for quali because it gives the best pedal feel with the minimum fluid in the system.
Depends on the pads I guess. I do exactly that with CL pads as that's what they're designed to do. In the past I've used Mintex M1144 pads and not gone through the whole bed-in procedure and they were truly awful. Dead feeling and no bite at all but a new set of pads broken in properly were excellent.Gassing Station | UK Club Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff