Hey all,

Just got done installing new centric rotors and powerstop PSA race day pads. Took them out for bedding and did the recommended 10 stops from 60 to 10, 10 stops from 80 to 10, then 10 minutes cool down. I then repeated the process the next day. I did have the abs kick in a few times during the process even though I was trying to stop aggressively but without abs.

I’m a bit worried I may have either warped the rotors or just not transferred an even bedding layer and was hoping to get feedback based on the pictures below.

Thanks!


Rear rotor

Front rotor

 

Is this the Stoptech Sport pad? Looks like pad smearing. It just means the pad got "too hot" for itself, which makes sense for 20 bed-in stops. doesn't necessarily mean the bed-in failed.

With some harder brake use it will go away, if you see it again in the future it means the pads are above their intended temp range

 

Are you feeling any pulsation when hitting the brakes?

And these are the powerstop PSA we talked about? Or did u change to Stoptech 309?

 

Crap! You are correct, it’s the Powerstop Pads.

I don’t know why I wrote stop tech lol. I’ve changed the original post.

I don’t have any pulsating that I can notice, but it’s been raining a lot so I haven’t had much street time since.

I did notice that there seems to be a bit of free play in the brake pedal before engagement which feels like more than before, but I could be totally imagining it.

 

That would make sense! I was worried because the abs was kicking in a bit and I know you don’t want that when bedding brakes.

 

Re-bled the brakes tonight and took it out for a spin again. Solid pedal with very little free play now. I think I’m learning how these pads react in different conditions. When cold, hard stops engage ABS nearly instantly. Once warmed up, hard stops are smoother and abs kicks in less. Panic stops will still have aggressive ABS, which is what I would expect but it’s a new sensation to be in a car with so much brake power relative to tire grip lol!

My TransAm will engage ABS under hard braking but not nearly as much, and it has much less sticky tires. However, it’s a 4200lb car....so there’s a lot more mass to try to slow down with the factory brakes, and they just can’t clamp down as easily as the brakes on the S.

At least, that’s my thought lol.

 

I've used a few sets of the PSA and I do just some mild bedding on the street. The full bedding cycle would have me road sick and in the back of a police car.

I usually take one "easy" session at the beginning of a track day to get everything set.

Sometimes after a normally spirited lapping session, my rotors will look like yours.

The characteristics of the pads change drastically for me once tracked. They act like they're glazed after I'm done tracking them. Which tells me I'm probably overheating them.

While on track, they require a lot of pedal pressure after a few laps. But the pedal will stay firm.

As I'm typing this...I am sure that I'm viciously overheating them.

Which also explains why my front rotors only last 3 days.