Brake Buying advice

[Sasquatch]

I just put my second set of R-1 drilled and slotted rotors on but for the first time i used scorched pads and when i took it out to bed the brakes per their instructions it didn`t stop for shit, It was so bad i thought i left a lot of air in the lines when i bled them and i almost turned around to go re bleed but i stuck with it. After i pulled over to let them cool off they worked incredibly well so in my case there was absolutely a need to bed them. I doubt the manufacturers would tell you to do it as a joke.

And my fancy drilled and slotted parts cost no more than oem and have saved my ass letting me stop well short in an emergency situation where if i had oem parts i would have met the car in front of me in a bad way.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Wagner has been in the brake business longer than the 63 years I’ve been on this earth.
They believe in bedding ceramic as do I.
https://www.wagnerbrake.com/technical/technical-tips/break-in.html

Did you read the page you linked?
I encourage you to look up the definition of conformed and burnish. They have nothing to do with transferring pad material to the rotors. As a matter of fact, the only place that is even mentioned was the opening line but none of the resources and data they gave had anything to do with transferring pad material. And from their own references 200 stops are required to effectively perform burnishing and conformity, both happen more effectively with gentle stops more typically associated with normal driving. The end of that page even says technicians should caution customers to brake gently for the next several days. So that entire article is stating that your brakes won't be up to their best performance immediately but normal stops will do the job... sounds like the perfect time to go out and push your brakes hard to "bed them"...

If you didn't catch the sarcasm no, I won't be going out and doing hard stops to "bed my brakes" when it does nothing above what regular driving does.

Do you have any evidence that hard stops actually transfer pad material to the rotor?

I just put my second set of R-1 drilled and slotted rotors on but for the first time i used scorched pads and when i took it out to bed the brakes per their instructions it didn`t stop for shit, It was so bad i thought i left a lot of air in the lines when i bled them and i almost turned around to go re bleed but i stuck with it. After i pulled over to let them cool off they worked incredibly well so in my case there was absolutely a need to bed them. I doubt the manufacturers would tell you to do it as a joke.

And my fancy drilled and slotted parts cost no more than oem and have saved my ass letting me stop well short in an emergency situation where if i had oem parts i would have met the car in front of me in a bad way.

Something tells me that you're unaware that drilled and slotted rotors (all other aspects of the brake system being equal) don't stop as quickly as solid rotors...

 

[Scottydoggs]

im willing to bet countryboy19 has never seen or held a R1 hand personally. they are not all smooth like other brands, its almost like they got sandpaper granular's on them. you actually feel them grind if your light on them. so theres something put on them to help bed them or something along them lines. R1 also directs you to drive the car as nice as you can over the next 500 miles where you will feel them become even better working over that time.

so lets all agree to disagree on this, everyone do as you damn well like.

every time ive used cheap pads, i dont bed them, just drive on em nice for a few days. always found if you over heat the cheap crap they are flat out trashed from that point on.

 

[SnowDrifter]

I buy coated rotors. If I don't beat em up a bit then the costing just turns into a mess of deposits on the pad and rotor lmao

 

[KVacek]

After going through way too many "premium" aftermarket rotors and pads, I've standardized on Delco OES stuff - what the Yukon came with. Ditto my Mustang Cobra, though I can't get those factory rotors and use the higher grades of Centric rotors, not slotted or drilled. Mountain driving, frequent heavy towing, and track days might call for something else, but I get excellent performance and life from factory pads. No noise, minimal dust as well. I've been disappointed far too many times with the highly recommended stuff.

 

[cam3439]

these R1 brakes tend to like the heat. never felt em fade out. only during the bed in procedure. and r1 has you beat the tar out of them poor pads and rotors, says if you see and smell smoke,,,, your doing it right lol im ad-libbing, but it does say its normal.

Have you seen any issues or cracking with the drilled/slotted rotors? I too am considering an upgrade to the nnbs front calipers with brakes and rotors all the way around.

 

[Scottydoggs]

Have you seen any issues or cracking with the drilled/slotted rotors? I too am considering an upgrade to the nnbs front calipers with brakes and rotors all the way around.

not at all. the drilled holes are chamfered so they dont tend to crack like the older brands used to make.

 

[RST Dana]

I put a set on my wife’s CTS and my 13 Tahoe. The only issue I had was getting thrown into the seatbelt when I forgot how great they stopped!

 

[ladorn45]

So I ordered the R1 with Ceramic pads. Quick question I have been searching the web and keep getting different numbers what are the torque specs for the front and rear bolts, and what type of locktite do you guys use?

 

[Scottydoggs]

ive never tq ed a brake part, or put new loctite on them. slider caliper bolts get grease on the pins so they move like they should, all i ever do.

bracket bolts, make is as tight as you can, you aint breaking that one. the calipers snugged up good then a 1/2 turn more tops. tight, but not aped on tight.

ive heard of caliper and brackets bolts coming out after a brake job, i have to think they never made em tight at all if it fell out a day later.

my self, ive never had one fall out or come loose. and ive done countless brake jobs since the 80's.