August 3, 2007, Newsletter Issue #74: Seasoning Your Brake Rotors:

Tip of the Week

1. Use the car or truck for about a week and drive gently (Use your brakes for a couple of extra days if you have zinc plated rotors). Basically, use the brakes to the same extent that you used the stock brakes. Don't put a lot of stress on the brakes before you season them of you risk permanent damage and warping of your rotors.
2. Find a place where the brakes can be brought to the right temperature.
o You are going to want to increase the brake temp. Complete four 60 to 70 mph stops. Do this as if you were on a medium level highway – in other words you don't need to accelerate super fast and slam on the brakes.
o Next, complete four medium effort partial stops from around 60 mph down to about 30 mph. Then hop on the highway for 15 minutes to cool the rotors.
o Then complete four medium hard effort partial stops from around 60 mph down to 15 mph. Hop on the highway again for ten minutes to let the rotors cool again.
o Park the car and allow the brakes to cool overnight to ambient temperature.
3. Return to your “safe” brake seasoning location.
o Make sure the brakes are warmed up again using the procedure you used the day before. Then complete four medium effort stops from 60 mph down to 30 mph. Hop on the highway and let the rotors cool off.
o Complete four medium-hard effort partial stops from 60 mph down to 15 mph. Hop on the highway again to let them cool.
o Finally 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°
1. You can tell the temperature by checking out the color of the rotors if you paint them with temperature paint.
2. Try not to lock up the brakes when you complete the hard stops.
4. Let the rotors cool completely over night.

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