Track pads don't make noise
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 3,601
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From: Toronto
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,689
Likes: 21
Well, we'll see what happens, I'm at 4 days/500 miles post track day.
The way I bedded them was to new rotors in the rear, and previously bedded to XP10's in the front. I used backing plates all around and grease on 3 of the 4 calipers. I ran out before the left rear.
I drove them normally for 1-2 miles to seat them. Then, about 5-6 55-5mph stops, were they outgassed. Then, about 12 or so 80-5mph stops were they just barely started to fade. Some cool sparks as well. Then, about 10 min of 20-30mph driving with no braking to cool them off. I was able to accomplish that because I live on top of a big hill, and just drove up the hill without stopping.
Here's Carbotech's official breakin procedure:
Proper bedding instructions for AX-Series & XP-Series Compounds :
Warning: Failure to properly bed in your pads could lead to friction material to chunk and break up resulting in poor pad performance and pad life. Improper bedding can also lead to overheating your pads and causing them to glaze over resulting in the car not being able to stop or slow properly.
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5. What is the proper way to bed brake rotors?
New discs (rotors) just like pads need to be bedded in. Proper bedding will increase the rotor life and make it more resistant to thermal cracking. Before installing the new brake discs (rotors), be sure to thoroughly clean discs with clean wipes and brake cleaner. By cleaning the disc surface you want to make sure you have completely removed any and all grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads. Once the discs (rotors) are installed on the vehicle perform the following procedure. Please note that you can bed new pads & discs (rotors) at the same time.
NOTE: Do not drag your brakes; meaning, do not continually drive around the track with applied pressure to your brake pedal. This does not bed brake pads and/or rotors properly. This can severely hurt the performance and life of your brake pads & rotors.
<a href="http://www.ctbrakes.com/faqs.asp#top" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(2, 99, 170); ">Back to Top
6. Should I clean rotors/drums and/or pads/shoes before installing them?
Before installing new brake rotors (always install rotors in axle sets), be sure to thoroughly clean the rotors with clean wipes and brake cleaner. Make sure you completely remove any grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads.
Reconditioning (turning) rotors/drums can leave a lot of metallic debris on the surface which can embed itself into the new brake pads or brake shoes and cause noise and many other problems. Even if the rotors or drums have not been resurfaced, cleaning is strongly recommended to remove dirt and grease. Dirt and grease can contaminate brake pad & brake shoe compounds and cause uneven braking or grabbing.
The way I bedded them was to new rotors in the rear, and previously bedded to XP10's in the front. I used backing plates all around and grease on 3 of the 4 calipers. I ran out before the left rear.
I drove them normally for 1-2 miles to seat them. Then, about 5-6 55-5mph stops, were they outgassed. Then, about 12 or so 80-5mph stops were they just barely started to fade. Some cool sparks as well. Then, about 10 min of 20-30mph driving with no braking to cool them off. I was able to accomplish that because I live on top of a big hill, and just drove up the hill without stopping.
Here's Carbotech's official breakin procedure:
Proper bedding instructions for AX-Series & XP-Series Compounds :
- All new brake pads require a bedding process, start this process by pumping your brakes a few times to assure proper installation. Once on track perform several moderate (medium) near stops (to a very slow rolling speed) to thoroughly warm up the pads and rotors. This should take 1-2 laps. This allows a thin layer of the pad material to be transferred into the micro-grooves of the rotor.
- After the pads/rotors are warm, perform a series of hard near stops (to a slow rolling speed) until some brake fade is felt. This process should take about 2-4 laps (depending on the track). Once this occurs, then stay off the brakes (as much as possible) and bring your car into the pits/paddock to completely cool. Do not lock the tires during this operation.
- Allow brake pads and/or rotors cool down to ambient temperatures; no less than 30 minutes. The total bedding procedure should not take more than 5-6 laps or about 10-15 minutes.
Warning: Failure to properly bed in your pads could lead to friction material to chunk and break up resulting in poor pad performance and pad life. Improper bedding can also lead to overheating your pads and causing them to glaze over resulting in the car not being able to stop or slow properly.
Back to Top
5. What is the proper way to bed brake rotors?
New discs (rotors) just like pads need to be bedded in. Proper bedding will increase the rotor life and make it more resistant to thermal cracking. Before installing the new brake discs (rotors), be sure to thoroughly clean discs with clean wipes and brake cleaner. By cleaning the disc surface you want to make sure you have completely removed any and all grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads. Once the discs (rotors) are installed on the vehicle perform the following procedure. Please note that you can bed new pads & discs (rotors) at the same time.
- Start out with several near stops for the first 1-2 laps, while gradually increasing your speed and brake force with every stop.
- Next, do another 1-2 laps at normal speed followed by a cool down lap. The gray coloration is the pad material depositing a transfer layer of material into the micro-grooves of the disc. This process is pinnacle in achieving the best performance and life out of the rotor.
- Then allow rotor(s) to completely cool down to ambient temperature.
- If rotors have been previously bedded with Carbotech brake pads, then bedding the rotors again is not necessary.
- If rotors were previously bedded using a different manufacturer’s brake pads; then it is strongly recommended that the used discs (rotors) be reconditioned/turned and meet minimum specification requirements.
- Start out with several near stops for the first 1-2 laps, while gradually increasing your speed and brake force with every stop.
- Next, do another 1-2 laps at normal speed followed by a cool down lap. The gray coloration is the pad material depositing a transfer layer of material into the micro-grooves of the rotor. This process is pinnacle in achieving the best performance and life out of the rotor.
- Then allow rotor(s) to completely cool down to ambient temperature.
NOTE: Do not drag your brakes; meaning, do not continually drive around the track with applied pressure to your brake pedal. This does not bed brake pads and/or rotors properly. This can severely hurt the performance and life of your brake pads & rotors.
<a href="http://www.ctbrakes.com/faqs.asp#top" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(2, 99, 170); ">Back to Top
6. Should I clean rotors/drums and/or pads/shoes before installing them?
Before installing new brake rotors (always install rotors in axle sets), be sure to thoroughly clean the rotors with clean wipes and brake cleaner. Make sure you completely remove any grease, surface residue, and debris that might contaminate or damage the brake pads.
Reconditioning (turning) rotors/drums can leave a lot of metallic debris on the surface which can embed itself into the new brake pads or brake shoes and cause noise and many other problems. Even if the rotors or drums have not been resurfaced, cleaning is strongly recommended to remove dirt and grease. Dirt and grease can contaminate brake pad & brake shoe compounds and cause uneven braking or grabbing.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,689
Likes: 21
Here's a little more info from their website about noise:
2. What causes brakes to make noise (squeal)?
Lack of friction material on the backing plate is the most common result of brake noise. Another reason for brake noise is that the pads are loosely fitted into the caliper. Debris caught between the brake pad and rotor is another of the common reason’s for brake noise. Loose lug nuts or caliper hardware. Cracked or worn rotors. Uneven finish on reconditioned (turned) rotors.
Loose or missing brake hardware (anit-rattle clips, shims) can be responsible for brake noise. There are steel springs and pins which allow the pads mounted in the brake calipers to move freely without rattling and vibrating excessively. However, due to the nature of your brake system, these pins and springs wear and loosen their tension over time. Worn pins can result in binding, squealing, brake fade, uneven braking and reduced pad life.
Sometimes brake noise on certain vehicles is completely normal and no maintenance is required. Brake noise can be caused by the everyday vibrations of daily driving on the brake pads, rotors, and calipers; whick is also known as Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) a common term in the automotive industry.
2. What causes brakes to make noise (squeal)?
Lack of friction material on the backing plate is the most common result of brake noise. Another reason for brake noise is that the pads are loosely fitted into the caliper. Debris caught between the brake pad and rotor is another of the common reason’s for brake noise. Loose lug nuts or caliper hardware. Cracked or worn rotors. Uneven finish on reconditioned (turned) rotors.
Loose or missing brake hardware (anit-rattle clips, shims) can be responsible for brake noise. There are steel springs and pins which allow the pads mounted in the brake calipers to move freely without rattling and vibrating excessively. However, due to the nature of your brake system, these pins and springs wear and loosen their tension over time. Worn pins can result in binding, squealing, brake fade, uneven braking and reduced pad life.
Sometimes brake noise on certain vehicles is completely normal and no maintenance is required. Brake noise can be caused by the everyday vibrations of daily driving on the brake pads, rotors, and calipers; whick is also known as Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) a common term in the automotive industry.
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,651
Likes: 107
From: Mt. ________
Just wanted to share, this is the ABSOLUTE best explanation of brake bed-in/burnishing that I have ever seen. From Essex, definitely recommend watching this video! 
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c...ds/post/Bed-in
It really doesn't make sense to say a pad "doesn't" need bed-in or burnishing. It really doesn't have anything to do with the pad specifically, but the way the pad & the rotor work together.
For people that keep their track pads on for regular normal driving on the street, the last bit is definitely interesting, and completely logical.
Also gives me another good excuse to promote canyon/mountain driving. "I simply do it to maintain my pad transfer layer, duh.." 
Also:
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c.../swapping_pads
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c...ose-brake-pads
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c...ds/post/Bed-in
It really doesn't make sense to say a pad "doesn't" need bed-in or burnishing. It really doesn't have anything to do with the pad specifically, but the way the pad & the rotor work together.
For people that keep their track pads on for regular normal driving on the street, the last bit is definitely interesting, and completely logical.
"What happens over time?
Okay, so you did your bed-in and your brakes have been flawless for a couple of weeks driving back and forth to work, and carting your girlfriend to the mall. You've had good bite, the pedal feels great, and you haven't heard any noise. Out of nowhere, they start to squeal a little bit one morning on the way to work. By the time you get home, they're making all sorts of noise. When you inspect them, the transfer layer is gone, the rotors are silver, and they look almost like they did when they came out of the box new.
That's completely normal. Just like the other parts of your car, your brakes and their transfer layer needs to be maintained for optimal performance. When you're operating your car in day-to-day driving, they're almost always cold. When they're cold, they slip into the abrasive friction mechanism we talked about at the beginning of this video. That means that on your way to the store, they're constantly scraping away at the transfer layer you laid down on the rotor. The only time they might get hot enough to replenish that transfer layer would be on a canyon run or a trip to the track. Your only solution is to go back out and do another bed-in cycle to get them back in proper form."
Okay, so you did your bed-in and your brakes have been flawless for a couple of weeks driving back and forth to work, and carting your girlfriend to the mall. You've had good bite, the pedal feels great, and you haven't heard any noise. Out of nowhere, they start to squeal a little bit one morning on the way to work. By the time you get home, they're making all sorts of noise. When you inspect them, the transfer layer is gone, the rotors are silver, and they look almost like they did when they came out of the box new.
That's completely normal. Just like the other parts of your car, your brakes and their transfer layer needs to be maintained for optimal performance. When you're operating your car in day-to-day driving, they're almost always cold. When they're cold, they slip into the abrasive friction mechanism we talked about at the beginning of this video. That means that on your way to the store, they're constantly scraping away at the transfer layer you laid down on the rotor. The only time they might get hot enough to replenish that transfer layer would be on a canyon run or a trip to the track. Your only solution is to go back out and do another bed-in cycle to get them back in proper form."
Also:
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c.../swapping_pads
http://www.essexparts.com/learning-c...ose-brake-pads
Former Moderator
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 14,847
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From: Emmett
I'm curious where you found this info and if it was in here or somewhere else.
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/759...-thread-links/
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/759...-thread-links/
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 399
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From: SoCal...
My XP10's always stayed quiet, when I switched to XP12's though OMG do they make your ears bleed a hundred miles or so after a track day... I ended up putting my stock rotors/pads back on this afternoon since I won't be tracking any time soon 
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2009
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Just some props to Mike for his method of bedding pads. Everybody keeps telling me that track pads will always make a lot of noise....
Well, I bought some take offs, and then some new pads, Carbotech XP10/8, bed them in according to psycoazian's technique, which is pretty much what the manufacturer recommends, and I can say that the pads make NO noise at all.
I've been on the street and to the track once with them, about 800miles so far, and no noise at all.
Guess you just gotta do it right.
Well, I bought some take offs, and then some new pads, Carbotech XP10/8, bed them in according to psycoazian's technique, which is pretty much what the manufacturer recommends, and I can say that the pads make NO noise at all.
I've been on the street and to the track once with them, about 800miles so far, and no noise at all.
Guess you just gotta do it right.
The difference between European drivers and American drivers is that European drivers don't care if their brakes squeal, just as long as they stop the car. American drivers don't care if their brakes stop the car, just as long as they don't squeal.