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Season Your Rotors

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Occasionally I read (or speak to folks at the track) about people complaining of warped or cracked rotors after a track day or few and then find out they didn't take the steps to "season" the rotors properly. I have baer slotted/drilled rotors and spent 1 week doing this painful, but necessary process. After 10 track days of fast and hard driving and multiple sets of Hawk pads, the rotors are in fine shape (pics forthcoming).

Here's the process I used, taken from here[1]. YMMV.
And this process DID make me nauseous. lol :-\

[1] http://www.baer.com/tech-center/season-your-rotors


Season your rotors

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 BRAKINGto 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 (602) 233-1411
 
Justin said:
cryo rotors sounds like the best bet and buy bads pre bedded in.

drag racing is so much easier. lol
You're right but then again the fun only lasts somewhere between 3 and 14 seconds :D Track sessions or races are anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours 8) Lots more time to break stuff ;D
 

Justin

Save the dawn for your dishes!!!
cloud9 said:
You're right but then again the fun only lasts somewhere between 3 and 14 seconds :D Track sessions or races are anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours 8) Lots more time to break stuff ;D
yeah I know. this is why I am sticking to drag racing for now. I am not rich enough for track sessions lol
 
I prefer Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper when seasoning mine.
 
Justin said:
yeah I know. this is why I am sticking to drag racing for now. I am not rich enough for track sessions lol

I'm not ether, that's why I'm wondering what to do with the new pads and roters. I understand you need to bed the pads and the roters need to be seasoned, but it doesn't sound like it can be done properly together. I'll call the manufacture and see they say. I'm not a fan of tech support, working in the service sector I've been throw to many bones over the years, I know I have trust issues.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
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racered302 said:
I'm not ether, that's why I'm wondering what to do with the new pads and roters. I understand you need to bed the pads and the roters need to be seasoned, but it doesn't sound like it can be done properly together. I'll call the manufacture and see they say. I'm not a fan of tech support, working in the service sector I've been throw to many bones over the years, I know I have trust issues.

You can do them together - in fact it's recommended.

Guys, don't be worried that this is more important or difficult than it really is. There have been some posts in this thread eluding to that. I have slapped new pads and new pads/rotors on in the paddock and ran out there and did hot laps after 3-4 laps of bedding and cooling. That's not recommended, but it is reality sometimes. My risk was I could have warped the rotors. I did not. Very high quality rotors probably won't warp. I could have glazed the rotors. I did a little sometimes, but it wears off.

-Pete


86305aee-252d-4124-928e-5f37a6bdb910_zpsd189a619.jpg
 
I did not know that about Cyro rotors, good info. Like Pete I do not always get a chance to do proper bed-in's or season rotors. I have slapped in pads or change rotors at the track ran a few laps easy then drive like a maniac. Some day I will do like Gary and have them bedding in before I go to the track.

DGRacing said:
Which of the major rotor brands offer cryo treated rotors? Or is there a place you send them? If so, how much and how long?

Powerslots (Centric) can be bought already Cryo treated and I have had great luck with them. Search
126.61089CSL and CSR fronts
126.61087CSL and CSR rears

C=cyro S=slotted L & R =left right
 
DGRacing said:
Racered. I will PM you.
It's usually not a good idea to tell someone they should never do something. Well it never is. ;)

Nobody ever said you should bed pads and rotors at the track. If you need to change pads or rotors at the track go for it and don't let it end your day. I highly doubt every race car that needed pads or rotors changed during a race over the past 60 years had pre bedded pads and rotors. From what Gary, Pete and Scott have told me over the past two years ideally you want to bed pads and rotors in separately and before going to the track. But not doing so isn't the end of the world. This thread is closed.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
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NFSBOSS said:
There's nothing wrong with drilled rotors, most race cars use them, as long as they fit in your budget. ;D

Nothing wrong with them except they don't last. For those with unlimited budgets its probably fine. I don't suggest them. Either does Ken at KNS.
 
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