Is it best hard or soft

[ThePlotter]

About a week ago I was reading an article to do with car brakes(cant remember where I read it)written by one of supposed car experts and it said after replacing brake pads you should for the ? miles use the brakes hard to prevent the pads glazing which will happen if you only use them softly.I have always been under the impression that it should be soft and then hard,or have I got it wrong all these years.

 

[MikeP]

I always understood that you should drive and brake gently for the first 200 miles (assuming of course that this is not a single journey on motorway!) to (a) respect the fact that braking performance will be impaired for a bit and (b) allow the pads to settle and wear a little to make "all over" contact with the disc.

 

[gary]

Well I had new pads and discs a while ago and I threw the dog off the front seat three times before I got used to how sharp they were.

What I would say is I always brake gently and they don't seem as good now so maybe he's right?

 

[Val & Frank]

Sorry Val's not in right now, will ask her later but suspect hard is the answer.

Frank

 

[cooky1]

I am sure the instructions on the last set of pads I fitted said that they should be brought up to working temperature slowly a couple of times to bed the pads in. If they get too hot immediatelly then that is when they glaze over.

 

[ThePlotter]

Yep thats what I have always thought,soft to start with and then harder later.

 

[Val & Frank]

Val Agrees with Plotter

Val & Frank -----------)))))))))))))

 

[carl_5077229]

Hi

I own a independant garage and trust me, go light on the brakes for the first 200 miles or you can get disc and pad glazing or discs going out of true early in life

 

[Oldfogey]

Surely the correct procedure is to go soft on the brakes at all times (unless in an emergency of course).

Less wear on the pads & discs (or drums) and less use of fuel.