Brake bedding dilema

[DavidM]

The rear pads on the car need to be replaced before the SIC next weekend. They probably should've been done before the last race weekend, so they're pretty close to done. My dilema is that I won't be there for the practice day and I'll have to bed them in on Saturday. There's two 20 minute qualifying sessions and that's it. I don't want to waste the first session just going out for a couple laps and coming back in. Is it ok to run the pads the full session if I go easy the first few laps? These are Hawk blues if it matters.

David

[CCARVER]

I have run them out of the box with no issues. Then again I have never expected them to last all season anyway.
Just run them! After all you should be driving like you stole it anyway. No need to be all over the brakes.

[tnord]

if i was going to go out for a whole session without any bedding, and could pick a pad, hawk blues would be it.

if it were me, i would go out for the first session on the old stuff and try and put down a good lap. i assume the first session will be in the morning, and will be faster than the afternoon anyway. put your new pads on during lunch, run the new ones per hawk's bedding recommendation and you'll be fine.

if it rained recently and the track is green this might make the afternoon session the faster of the two and kinda throw a wrench in your plans.

either way, i know people who've gone out for a race on new hawk blues and been alright. that's on a lighter miata though.

[JeffYoung]

Roebling is usually (in my experience) significantly slower in the afternoon. David, I'd run the old pad in the morning, and then bed the new in that afternoon.

See you down there by the way. I think we are both in similar positions -- I'm 7th in ITS, but just 4 points out of 4th. A good run and I might net a top 5 for the year.

Are you 6th in A?

[Beran]

IMHO - no worries - these are rear pads... not a big deal if you get some brake fade which is what will happen... It will happen halfway through or near the end of your first session. They will be 100% fine for your second session.

[Conover]

Yeah, don't worry bout it too much rears plus hawk blues=NBD

[Gary L]

Since this is a rear drive car, why wouldn't you simply put some jackstands under the rear of the car and bed the pads before you go out for the first session?

[joeg]

I have never "bedded" new Blues. Just go easy the first couple of stops to abade the material to the (new) rotors.

Cheers.

[cmaclean]

I've bedded Hawk Blues all round during qualifying at Roebling before. What I did was spend the first 2 laps getting heat into the brake pads. Once they starting going soft and stinking, I drove around trying not to touch the brakes for another 2 laps. By that point they had cooled down enough to be just fine for the rest of the session. Roebling is extremely easy on brakes.

[DavidM]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll figure something out. Just wanted to make sure I wouldn't see any major issues if I went out on the new pads. Looks like I should be ok.

Jeff, I'm 7th in ITA. 4 or 5 points out of 6th.

David

[RacerBowie]

Non issue.

Hell, we started the 24 hour on fresh, non-bedded Hawk Blues on the FRONT of the Golf. They were fine by the end of the 2 pace laps.

[leawil]

Had an occasion like this once. There's a fairly open stretch of road near my house, I live out in the country and the deputies don't hang around too much...