A bit ago, I put on new pads and bled the lines. Great feel at the lever, and for a while, the brakes rocked. Then I noticed a slight squeak, which I didn't think too much of, as the Honda brakes of the time just seem to do that every once in a while. Well, the other day, I replaced the wheel bearings for my front wheel, and wow, what a difference that made. After I got it all put together, I hopped on, and over the horizon I went, taking the scoot out to test the new bearings. Everything was great...well, up until the second stop I made. Applying that front caused a howl so fierce I nearly shat myself. The squeal was worse than ever, and now it won't stop, unless I mash on the front brake so hard that I nearly lock it up. I have read numerous posts on this and other boards about rotor resurfacing and pad scruffing and scoring, applying a variety of goops and goodies to the back or sides of the pads, rotor drilling, etc...etc...and while I am interested in doing whatever it takes to eliminate my squeal, I had a thought that uses only a couple of the methods, along with a technique told me by a friend who does autocrossing.
The way I figure, apart from purchasing a new rotor with every set of pads, the only way to make them to seat in sync with one another is to give them the same surface to begin with. For most of us replacing pads, continued use of the "old" rotor is pretty much a given, so I say rough up that surface a bit. Some will have the rotor turned, others will choose to simply "brillo" or "scotchbrite" the surface. However you choose to do it, the surface, I feel, cannot remain glossy (read 'polished, shiny, or otherwise reflective'.) Likewise with the pads, scour the surface of both pads slightly, not so much to remove material, but more to remove the semi-gloss surface most of the kevlar/organic pads come with. Once both rotor and pads surfaces have been likened to a "matte" quality, the meshing of the surfacing can begin.
SBS and EBC pads (the only brands I have have ever had experience with) both recommend that the initial x number of miles be spent in more "urban" environs, were frequent braking is common, and the pads will have more of an opportunity to mate to one another. My auto-xing friend told me of something that he does with his pads on his car, and granted, the two vehicles and their mechanics are very different, I thought I might give this a try. He said that after mounting pads and rotors, he does 3 sets of stops at 10mph, 3 sets of 20mph stops, and 3 of 30mph, all of which are done gradually, and none of which are taken all the way to 0 mph, but rather just crawling pace. Occasionally, he said he'll add a touch of a squeak stop to the back of the pads, but usually only if the pads are of a lower quality.
I figured since I can't use my front brake without going deaf, I better try anything. I'll post updates once I get going on this all, but in the meantime, does this plan sound legit? comments/concerns?
-chris gerber
