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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 604-984-3673.
Call
Bishop toll free 866-867-8324 North American Wide!
Any
questions about kits, parts, installations or services are
welcome. Contact Bishop by phone at 866-867-8324 or
e-mail bishop@bishopsales.com
and we will respond promptly. If you're in the neighborhood,
then drop by the shop at 1130 West 15th Street North Vancouver
BC and we will gladly give you a tour of our facilities, but
beware – there may be a Monster and ferocious horsepower
beasts in our shop when you visit! We really love to share
the fun with other performance enthusiasts who want to take
their cars to the next level of performance, appearance and
handling!
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BAER
- ROTOR SEATING
