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The day I realized I was ruining my rotors by not bedding in pads properly | Brake Pad Diaries - Rigidtalk

The day I realized I was ruining my rotors by not bedding in pads properly

For like 3 years I just put new pads on and drove normal. Then I did a brake job on my buddy's Civic and he asked if I bedded them in. I had no clue what he meant. He took me for a quick drive and did like 10 hard stops from 40 mph without coming to a complete stop. The difference in stopping power was night and day. I felt like such an idiot for all those warped rotors I replaced over the years. Anyone else skip this step for way too long before learning the right way?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie7122mo ago

Tbh I used to be just like you christopher_craig. I thought bedding in was some overhyped internet thing people bragged about to sound like they knew what they were doing. Then I actually tried it on a car that had that annoying pedal pulsation from old rotors. It smoothed out like 80% of the vibration after a proper bed-in cycle. The transfer layer of pad material bonding to the rotor is a real chemical thing, not a myth. Once you feel a fresh set of pads grab consistently from the first tap instead of needing to warm up, it's hard to go back. Maybe it doesn't matter for grandma's sedan on city streets, but for anything you actually drive hard, skipping it leaves performance on the table.

christopher_craig2mo ago

Huh, I mean honestly I've been driving for like 15 years and I've never once bedded in pads. I just slap them on and drive normal. All my rotors are fine, no warping, no weird vibrations. Maybe it's just me but I think people overthink this stuff way too much. The whole 'bedding in' thing feels like one of those internet myths that got blown out of proportion. I swear half the time it's just placebo effect, you think you feel a difference because someone told you it matters. If your brakes work and stop the car, they're probably fine.