Hi all!
Had front brakes' pads replaced this morning. You never expect the car to behave so differently after such a replacement, but it does! The brake pedal 'bites' so high now (comparatively) that I kept stopping meters before where I intended to!!
Anyway, having to travel this weekend, I wanted to know if I have to run-in the brakes before I can safely 'step on it', without causing damage. In that case I could drive the first part of my journey 'conservatively' (low speeds - light braking) to give a chance to the pads to 'bed-in'.
It's not my first set of pads, but the thought just popped up.
Vagelis.
PS: First pad replacement for Clio after 46000km (28,583.0748429 miles - thanks www.onlineconversion.com )!! The garage-guys couldn't believe it! Got mad when they told me 'you must be a slow driver' :-O
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That mileage seems fairly normal to me. But about the changed behaviour - if your new pads have an abrasive coating to help them bed in, perhaps that is the reason. Did the garage say anything about that?
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"Did the garage say anything about that?"
No, just a car-freak-ish thought of mine!
"That mileage seems fairly normal to me."
Really? Well some people here show much respect, to have gone so far on the original pads. Don't know, maybe we Greeks are all slow drivers :-(
Vagelis.
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V - I only said 'fairly normal'. I don't think 20K on a set of pads is at all unusual.
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The brake pads fitted to brand new cars don't need running-in, or bedding-in, so in theory replacements shouldn't need it either.
I don't know what is "normal" for a set of brake pads, I've just had mine replaced, for the first time, on my Astra at 40k miles as they won't last until the next service at 50k. It's an auto which is normally heavier on brakes than a manual.
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Au-contraire, ALL new brakes should be run in. This means no harsh braking for the first couple of hundred miles, and not sitting on the pedal when the brakes are hot. This allows any manufacturing stresses in the discs to be gently eased out without them warping, and the discs and pads to take on the same profile. This is particularly important where new pads are fitted to old discs and where braking effort can be reduced until the pads have bedded in.
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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Cheers all!
I tend to agree with you RichardW. No matter how uniformly worn the discs may be, and flat shaped the surface of the pads, they won't be in contact 100%. This will cause hot spots on the pads and 'circles' on the discs, that could possibly damage both. So I was thinking that lighter use of the brakes could help wear-down the various 'humps' without creating hot spots.
BTW, searching this forum on the subject, I learnt that modern pads are made without asbestos, which makes them harder. This means that any humps on their surface will also be harder and cause damage to discs - which are in turn softer to compensate for the harder pads.
Thanks for your responses, mates!
Vagelis.
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