Bedding in your brake pads and rotors is an essential task that is required for proper braking performance and longevity. Follow along with the article below, and we will walk you through these how-to steps.
When changing your brake pads and rotors on your Mustang or Lightning, there are two primary objectives for bedding in your stock or performance brake system. These included bringing the rotor and pads to their proper temperature to transfer the pad material evenly onto the rotor face. This process allows resins and binding agents within the pad to be removed from it and matures the pad friction material for proper operation.
Depending on the make-up of the pad material, the brake bed in procedures can vary slightly. First, we will cover a street or mild performance pad, and then we will go over a performance/race driving application pad. Make sure to follow these steps as closely as possible or braking capabilities can suffer. You need to ensure that this process is done in a safe area where you can make repetitive stops without impeding traffic and make sure you are obeying all of your local laws.
To begin, for a street application pad, you will need to complete ten partial braking events. You will need to bring the vehicle up to roughly 60 MPH and then slow down to 10 MPH. You will repeat these steps up to ten times, which will raise your brake temps sufficiently to be bedded in. When braking, ensure you apply moderate pressure through the pedal and do not allow ABS to kick on if equipped or do not allow the brakes to fully lock up. It is very important to complete these ten stops back to back without allowing the brakes to cool off. This is why it is important to be in a clear area where you have ample room to complete this task; if you allow the brakes to cool prematurely, this can impede the bedding in of the brakes.
For a performance/race driving application pad, it is recommended to complete the same 60 MPH to 10 MPH braking procedure ten times. Then immediately followed up by an additional three to four 80 MPH to 10 MPH braking events. Again, apply moderate pressure through the pedal and do not allow ABS to kick on if equipped or do not allow the brakes to fully lock up. Once you have fully completed the bed in process, allow your brakes to cool down fully and then double-check for proper operation.
We hope this article has helped you with the process of bedding in your brakes. The crucial part of successfully completing this task is allowing the brake parts to get to proper operating temperatures. Different manufacturers of pads and rotors can vary, so always read over any included information with your parts. As always, make sure to keep it here with LMR.com for the latest tech info.
