So i finally got around to doing my brakes and rotors, R1 Rotors and Akebono ceramic pads. The old oem stuff was Waaaaay more wornout than i had thought lol. But it was a pretty smooth process changing them out. The braking power doesnt seem right though, i guess they just have to get warmed up or 'broke in'....it feels like a car that doesnt have power brakes, or like they have alot of water on them, they just are not very Grippy. the fluid level is normal and it wasnt leaking or anything, there shouldnt be any air in the system. Anyone have a similar pedel feeling after swapping in new brakes and rotors? is there some special method of breaking them in that i need to do?

 

Hi Bobby,

Several members who have switched to the Akebono ceramic pads have mentioned a difference in brake feel. You may just have to acclimate to the new feel. Akebono states that their pads do not need a typical break-in or bedding procedure: "400 to 500 miles of moderate driving is recommended. Consumer should avoid heavy braking during this period." But if you google this topic you'll find differing opinions on some of the automotive forums.

Cheers,

Don

 

When the pads have been replaced and the rotors are new, the pads need to seat properly onto the friction surface of the discs. There may be some high and low areas on the pads that need to wear level so full contact is achieved.

Some brake pads also have a protective coating on the friction material that must be worn off before optimal braking performance is reached.

 

Replaced the pads and rotoors on an A8. Flushed the brake lines with trusty power flusher. Now 12-13,000 miles and a year later the pedal in still hard.
I used some Meyle semi-metallic pads made in Canada. There is NO brake dust, they may be ceramic. The pads on it before had good feel and braking, the rotors were shot.
I plan on removing these and installing some TRW semi-metallic. The hard pedal and occasional squealing has to go.

 

I drove it about 10 miles yesterday after putting them on, it seemed to improve as i drove, hopefully theyll keep getting better. Id hate to loose that grippyness because of them being ceramic, but if they dont turn my wheels totally Black in 4 days like the oem pads did it just might be worth it lol

 

Uhh the brake dust from OEM pads are terrible. If i don't clean the wheels every week, id forget what color they are. However they are very grippy. Semi-metallic pads are usually softer and provide better braking "performance" but dust more.

Typically the harder the pad, esp ceramic, the less friction they develop against the rotors, and they don't wear down "dust" as much. This is also why many track pads or high performance ones like EBC use very grippy and soft pads, also why many performance cars still use high grade semi-metallic pads. Same goes with police cars, they often use the same pad shape and size as their civilian counterparts, but are metallic instead.

Think of brake pads like tires. You can get a very long lasting (80k miles), harder rubber compound tire that performs ok, but drag race and autocross tires are very soft, and will "perform" much better but wear out quickly, some in less than 1000 miles, and of course you have a ton of options in between.