Finally- Brakes that work!
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Finally- Brakes that work!
I have an 08 RDX and hated the brakes from day 1. I tried redstuff for a while- ate the OEM rotors. Went to new drilled/slotted front rotors and greenstuff all around. While they provided a very slight improvement in braking performance, it was still much worse than other vehicles I have owned.
The greenstuff scored the new rotors and so I took a chance and tried a package I bought on ebay that included new drilled/slotted rotors all around plus Powerstop Z16 Ceramic pads. All for about $250. Had my mechanic install them. The car finally stops with good performance, close to how my BMW would stop. Quiet, minimal brake dust. I highly recommend them. I see they are still listed on ebay- #290605081078. BTW- I have nothing to do with the brakes' seller- I'm so pleased to finally have safe brakes I thought I would pass it along.
The greenstuff scored the new rotors and so I took a chance and tried a package I bought on ebay that included new drilled/slotted rotors all around plus Powerstop Z16 Ceramic pads. All for about $250. Had my mechanic install them. The car finally stops with good performance, close to how my BMW would stop. Quiet, minimal brake dust. I highly recommend them. I see they are still listed on ebay- #290605081078. BTW- I have nothing to do with the brakes' seller- I'm so pleased to finally have safe brakes I thought I would pass it along.
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Mr Marco (10-03-2011)
#2
Instructor
Thank you for sharing. Just ordered mine, my front rotors were warped so on hard braking I would get the stakes on the steering wheel.
Great price, I hope they perform well.
Great price, I hope they perform well.
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Actually, the greenstuff pads weren't worn too badly- perhaps 50% wear in 35,000 miles- they just couldn't stop the vehicle in what I considered a safe distance. They also did score the rotors sufficiently that they had to be replaced, which got me looking around. Fortunately, it worked out for the best.
#5
Thanks Max366. Really waiting for someone to do a BBK.
#6
My 2cts...Well not just mine...Baers'
Even on our '11 RDX the brakes are not as good as I'm used to. And what is that crunchy sound under hard braking? Its the same sound I hear on my Moms Accord.
Good for an upgrade.
But harder pads = less dust, less pad wear, more rotor wear.
Ceramic = harder pad.
Most people do not break-in their brakes.
This is a must to avoid checking and cracking of a slotted/drilled rotor.
Even o/e brakes should be broken-in. The o/m says no hard braking for the break-in period. Not much detail given.
I learned of the need to season the rotors and bed the pads when I put Baer Eradispeeds and Performance Friction 731 z rated pads on our vert in '06.
You need to warm these brakes up before you use them. They stop very well.
http://www.baer.com/index.php?option...d=519&Itemid=4
The first step in preparing the brake system for duty is to “SEASON” the rotors. The most visible effects are that of burning the machine oils from the surface of the iron and establishing a wear pattern between the pad and rotor. The most complex task it performs is that of relieving the internal stresses within the material. If you’ve ever poured water into a glass of ice and noticed the ice cracking, then you’ve witnessed first hand the effects of internal stresses.
By gradually heating the material, the crystalline matrix will reconfigure to relieve these internal stresses. After these stresses are relieved, the rotor is ready to accept the heat of bedding pads. Heating the rotors before they are fully seasoned can result in material deformation due to the unrelieved internal stresses in the material. This deformation may cause a vibration from the brakes.
Rotors need to be gradually elevated to “race” temperatures before any severe use. A “nibble”, or slight vibration, normally indicates rotors that were heated too quickly. After initial “Seasoning”, when running your car at open track events or serious canyon carving, you should use the first lap of a session (or first couple miles of open road), to warm the brakes as well as the engine, gearbox, etc. Where an engine turns chemical energy into motion, the brakes turn that motion into thermal energy.... and lots of it! And where there is no cooling system for the brakes as there is for the engine, and there’s not, the brakes could use the courtesy of a warm-up lap.
Remember to ALWAYS WARM THE BRAKES before any heavy use!
Seasoning Procedure:
Before you begin, please note: The following represents the minimum recommended, “Seasoning” process. If your situation offers any opportunity to perform gentle preliminary “Seasoning” outlined in Step 2 below for a longer period of time, this will
generally render even better performance and increase further long-term rotor life. Use the vehicle for 5 to 6 days of gentle driving. Use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes, DO NOT TEST PERFORMANCE or ATTEMPT HEAVY USE UNTIL ALL ITEMS OUTLINED HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. It is imperative that excessive heat is not put into the rotors at this stage. They need temperature-cycling to relieve the internal stresses.
Note: Zinc plated rotors (which are an extra cost option) need a couple of extra days of driving to wear through the plating before “Seasoning” actually will begin. Find a safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Your goal is to gradually increase brake temperatures with progressively faster stops. Start by performing four 60 to 70 mph stops, as you would in the normal course of driving.
Next, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Park the car and allow the brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature. You are now 50 % done with the rotor “Seasoning/Bedding” procedure proceed to STEP 4 the following day.
Return to the safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Make sure the brakes are warmed to full operating temperature and then, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with
five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool. Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING
to allow the rotors to cool.
NOW, make six HARD partial stops from 60+ mph down to 15 mph or until rotors have reached an operation temperature of between 900 and 1,100° (Note: Temperature paints to accurately measure rotor temperature may be purchased from Baer Racing). Every effort should be made to perform this procedure without locking a wheel. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Let the system cool off over night. The rotors are then ready for the next step in Preparing your Brake System: Bedding Pads.
If any of this is unclear, or you have comments, please call the us at
(602) 233-1411
Bedding brake pads has a couple of important effects. The friction material in semi-metallic pads is held together by an organic binder, usually a type of phenolic material. As the pads get hot, the binder boils and burns from the top surface of the pad. Once this burning or “Bedding” takes place, the friction material makes proper contact with the rotor.
Baer Claw® systems feature Baer’s ceramic-based SPORT TOURING “D-compound” brake pads. Although pre-burnished from the factory, SPORT-TOURING, just as with all pad types, benefit from being properly mated to the rotor surface. If both the rotor and pad are new and the rotor surfaces are un-plated, it is most desirable to run the pads through normal commuting type driving for at least 150-200-miles before using them aggressively. If the new rotor surface finish is plated or the rotor is used with a compound other than the SPORT-TOURING ceramic-based pad, increase the commuter type driving with no hard use, to a total of 250-300-miles to accomplish the blending of the pad surface to the rotor surface.
Bedding The Pads - (NEVER DRAG the brakes)
Note: Never “Bed” pads on rotors, which have not first been “Seasoned.” Always allow a substantial coast down zone when bedding pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.
(602) 233-1411
Good for an upgrade.
But harder pads = less dust, less pad wear, more rotor wear.
Ceramic = harder pad.
Most people do not break-in their brakes.
This is a must to avoid checking and cracking of a slotted/drilled rotor.
Even o/e brakes should be broken-in. The o/m says no hard braking for the break-in period. Not much detail given.
I learned of the need to season the rotors and bed the pads when I put Baer Eradispeeds and Performance Friction 731 z rated pads on our vert in '06.
You need to warm these brakes up before you use them. They stop very well.
http://www.baer.com/index.php?option...d=519&Itemid=4
The first step in preparing the brake system for duty is to “SEASON” the rotors. The most visible effects are that of burning the machine oils from the surface of the iron and establishing a wear pattern between the pad and rotor. The most complex task it performs is that of relieving the internal stresses within the material. If you’ve ever poured water into a glass of ice and noticed the ice cracking, then you’ve witnessed first hand the effects of internal stresses.
By gradually heating the material, the crystalline matrix will reconfigure to relieve these internal stresses. After these stresses are relieved, the rotor is ready to accept the heat of bedding pads. Heating the rotors before they are fully seasoned can result in material deformation due to the unrelieved internal stresses in the material. This deformation may cause a vibration from the brakes.
Rotors need to be gradually elevated to “race” temperatures before any severe use. A “nibble”, or slight vibration, normally indicates rotors that were heated too quickly. After initial “Seasoning”, when running your car at open track events or serious canyon carving, you should use the first lap of a session (or first couple miles of open road), to warm the brakes as well as the engine, gearbox, etc. Where an engine turns chemical energy into motion, the brakes turn that motion into thermal energy.... and lots of it! And where there is no cooling system for the brakes as there is for the engine, and there’s not, the brakes could use the courtesy of a warm-up lap.
Remember to ALWAYS WARM THE BRAKES before any heavy use!
Seasoning Procedure:
Before you begin, please note: The following represents the minimum recommended, “Seasoning” process. If your situation offers any opportunity to perform gentle preliminary “Seasoning” outlined in Step 2 below for a longer period of time, this will
generally render even better performance and increase further long-term rotor life. Use the vehicle for 5 to 6 days of gentle driving. Use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes, DO NOT TEST PERFORMANCE or ATTEMPT HEAVY USE UNTIL ALL ITEMS OUTLINED HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. It is imperative that excessive heat is not put into the rotors at this stage. They need temperature-cycling to relieve the internal stresses.
Note: Zinc plated rotors (which are an extra cost option) need a couple of extra days of driving to wear through the plating before “Seasoning” actually will begin. Find a safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Your goal is to gradually increase brake temperatures with progressively faster stops. Start by performing four 60 to 70 mph stops, as you would in the normal course of driving.
Next, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Park the car and allow the brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature. You are now 50 % done with the rotor “Seasoning/Bedding” procedure proceed to STEP 4 the following day.
Return to the safe location where the brakes can be run to temperature. Make sure the brakes are warmed to full operating temperature and then, perform four medium effort partial stops (about 50 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with
five minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool. Then, perform four medium-hard effort partial stops (about 75 %) from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING
to allow the rotors to cool.
NOW, make six HARD partial stops from 60+ mph down to 15 mph or until rotors have reached an operation temperature of between 900 and 1,100° (Note: Temperature paints to accurately measure rotor temperature may be purchased from Baer Racing). Every effort should be made to perform this procedure without locking a wheel. Follow this with ten minutes of freeway driving with LITTLE to NO BRAKING to allow the rotors to cool.
Let the system cool off over night. The rotors are then ready for the next step in Preparing your Brake System: Bedding Pads.
If any of this is unclear, or you have comments, please call the us at
(602) 233-1411
Bedding brake pads has a couple of important effects. The friction material in semi-metallic pads is held together by an organic binder, usually a type of phenolic material. As the pads get hot, the binder boils and burns from the top surface of the pad. Once this burning or “Bedding” takes place, the friction material makes proper contact with the rotor.
Baer Claw® systems feature Baer’s ceramic-based SPORT TOURING “D-compound” brake pads. Although pre-burnished from the factory, SPORT-TOURING, just as with all pad types, benefit from being properly mated to the rotor surface. If both the rotor and pad are new and the rotor surfaces are un-plated, it is most desirable to run the pads through normal commuting type driving for at least 150-200-miles before using them aggressively. If the new rotor surface finish is plated or the rotor is used with a compound other than the SPORT-TOURING ceramic-based pad, increase the commuter type driving with no hard use, to a total of 250-300-miles to accomplish the blending of the pad surface to the rotor surface.
Bedding The Pads - (NEVER DRAG the brakes)
Note: Never “Bed” pads on rotors, which have not first been “Seasoned.” Always allow a substantial coast down zone when bedding pads that will allow you to safely drive the car to a stop in the event of fade.
- Perform four-repeated light to medium stops, from 65 to 10 mph, to bring the rotors to temperature.
- Perform three light stops in succession. Perform eight heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph to about 5 mph.
- Drive for ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.
- Perform three light stops in succession. Perform eight heavy stops, back to back, at a point just pending wheel lock, from 65 mph
to about 5 mph. - Drive for ten minutes to create cooling airflow, without using the brakes if at all possible.
- Metallic brake pads – Metallic pads need high temperatures to keep the pad “Bedded”. If you drive the car for a period of time without using the brakes extensively, you may need to “Bed” the pads again. This is not a problem. Simply repeat the procedure.
- Switching from Carbon Metallic pads to semi-metallic brake pads (not recommended) – When switching from Carbon Metallic pads to semi-metallic brake pads will need to wear through the layer of carbon that the PFC pads have deposited in the rotor surface. The new pads won’t grip well at all, until this layer of carbon is removed.
- Racers - Racers should “Bed” a few sets of pads at a time. In the event you need to change brake pads during a race, you MUST use a set of “Bedded” pads. Racing on “non-bedded” pads leads to a type of “fade” caused by the binding agents coming out of the pad too quickly. This is called “green fade”. These binders may create a liquid (actually a gas) layer between your pads and rotors. Liquids have a very poor coefficient of friction. This condition is the reason for reverse slotting or cross-drilling rotors, as it allows a pathway for the gasses to escape.
(602) 233-1411
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#8
2008 Acura RDX
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Jamaica W.I.
Age: 61
Posts: 1,227
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I have an 08 RDX and hated the brakes from day 1. I tried redstuff for a while- ate the OEM rotors. Went to new drilled/slotted front rotors and greenstuff all around. While they provided a very slight improvement in braking performance, it was still much worse than other vehicles I have owned.
The greenstuff scored the new rotors and so I took a chance and tried a package I bought on ebay that included new drilled/slotted rotors all around plus Powerstop Z16 Ceramic pads. All for about $250. Had my mechanic install them. The car finally stops with good performance, close to how my BMW would stop. Quiet, minimal brake dust. I highly recommend them. I see they are still listed on ebay- #290605081078. BTW- I have nothing to do with the brakes' seller- I'm so pleased to finally have safe brakes I thought I would pass it along.
The greenstuff scored the new rotors and so I took a chance and tried a package I bought on ebay that included new drilled/slotted rotors all around plus Powerstop Z16 Ceramic pads. All for about $250. Had my mechanic install them. The car finally stops with good performance, close to how my BMW would stop. Quiet, minimal brake dust. I highly recommend them. I see they are still listed on ebay- #290605081078. BTW- I have nothing to do with the brakes' seller- I'm so pleased to finally have safe brakes I thought I would pass it along.
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