Those are the brakes...

[voyageur]

Facts:

1999 Discovery II

Brand new R1 slotted drilled rotors and kevlar composition pads, (Bought on eBay) just installed this afternoon.

I thought I would just touch the brakes and WHAM<<<<< skid to a fast stop - much better than my stockers...

Wrong! :oops:


Problem:

I can tell no improvement over old, scored, OEM rotors and pads plus .... now I have brake pedal suring, as if the rotors were warped.

Has any one else installed these brakes? Similar experience? Does it get better as pads are worn in?

What a bummer lots of money = no improvement + surge problem.

What have I done?????

David

[Desertoutpost]

David, the only thing I have heard was from the guy at stealership, who used to be a rep for a LR aftermarket break company. He told me to stay away from most of the aftermarket rotor because they have not been made to withstand the drilling and venting so they get all jacked up? I know this does not help your problem but it is food for thought, maybe lead you down a road to explore??

Sorry for you issues hope they work out soon.

[Andrew Walcker]

Man David, sorry to hear about your negative experience. I installed a set of DBA Golds with OEM pads on the front of the Defender last month and am pretty happy with the set-up. It's tough and sometimes risky to vary from stock.

[Dmarchand]

I've only had good luck with OEM, DBA and EBC. I have DBA on my d-90 and the EBC stuff on my DII and both are solid performers.

[voyageur]

Thank all of you, for the responses. I am too new to the LR stuff to recognize the initials, but I bought mine from R1 Concepts.

According to my spouse - who is the daily driver of the D II - they are working better each time she drives it. The rotors were all zinc cozted (entire surfaces including braking surfaces) manufacturer says the zinc will remain on all parts but the contact surface, sooooo.... maybe as the zinc coating, wears off the B.S. the brakes will work better.

We will see...

Voyageur

[overlander]

Land Rover seems to be the only brand I have heard of where case after case, there's few examples of aftermarket being better than OEM when it comes to service maintenance items.

[ZooJunkie]

Did you follow the instructions to bed the pads correctly?

[voyageur]

Point of fact, I had them installed. Very reliable, local mechanic. I don't know about the bedding part. I know he uses an "Anti noise compound" behind the pads. I think some kind of shims too. I am guessing at both of these answers but I will ask him.

Pray tell; what is the proper bedding techinique?

Voyageur

[ZooJunkie]

Here's a well written article about bedding pads. It may or may not pertain to your specific pads, I would check the mfg of those pads to see if they have any recommended bedding procedure. However, the general idea and procedure usually works for most pads.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

[Ruffin' It]

All pads/rotors will need some bedding where some of the brake pad material will fill in many of the little microscopic divits and pours in the rotor. This is why old rotors should be sanded a bit if not being changed out along with the brake pads.
There is a common misconception that, because a brake pad and/or rotor is better at the race track, that it must be better on the street too. This is usually not true. In the case of the brake pads, a "High performence" pad will likely need to be brought up to temp. before working properly (read: stop well). With the real Hi-Po pads, the required operating temps are almost never acheived on the street. If they are not sufficently hot they will not work as well as the stock brakes.
Drilled rotors are similar. They are drilled for two reasons: Primarily, they are drilled to give the hot, expanding gases created under race-condition braking a place to go so as to avoid the "cushion O gas" that can develop under extreme stress between the pad and rotor. The second reason is that it provides moderate gains in cooling. The problem is that drilling a rotor A) weakens it and promotes warping/cracking and B) lets it cool very rapidly. The second doesn't seem like a bad thing until you remember that part of the rotor will always be covered by the caliper. This covered section of the rotor will NOT cool as quickly as the rest of the rotor. Now you get unequal cooling which, with metal, means warping.
I have used drilled rotors and race brake pads in my race car. However, the brakes hardly worked the first lap (while cold) and I replaced my brake rotors every couple weekends.
It is too bad that people who sell this stuff aren't more upfront about the product.

[voyageur]

Zoo Junkie. BIG THANK YOU! I will do this tomorrow morning (in light traffic). I am sure it will make a BIG difference.

Ruffin'it... What can I say? I already bought them and had them installed. I should have asked the forum before I bought them. I just wanted my wife to have the most effective brakes on her Land Rover... I will keep your information in mind when I buy new brakes for my 1996 D-1 :safari-rig:

Oh well, live and learn.

Thanks,

Voyageur

[Ruffin' It]

I hope I didn't sound like I was coming down on you for buying them. That really wasn't my intention at all. I completely understand why people buy things like that. God knows I've done it enough (still do sometimes). Truth is that once they are properly bedded they will probably work just fine. And, if you ever need to do some serious braking, you will be well prepared.

[voyageur]

Hey Ruffin'it... You sounded "perfect"... I appreciate that you told me, so I won't screw up again (at least on brakes). Gosh, if we worry about offending someone for telling the truth.. Un-truth will rule...

Man-O-man that was heavy...

Voyageur

[ZooJunkie]

:arabia:

[flyingwil]

So was that it, the bedding? I was going to say the same thing...:Mechanic:

[voyageur]

I am in Evergreen Co for two weeks. Spoke to my spouse she said since she ran the "Bedding" procedure it stops like a racing car. She has always been great in the bedding procedure...:clapsmile

Howdy from Colorado. Had a great visit with the crew at Slee Off Road. Very friendly knowledgeable folks...

[bigreen505]

Here's a well written article about bedding pads. It may or may not pertain to your specific pads, I would check the mfg of those pads to see if they have any recommended bedding procedure. However, the general idea and procedure usually works for most pads.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

Those are great instructions. I would add that step 7 is probably necessary with ceramic pads.