What is the correct brake bedding in procedure for an M3P+?

[asherwood]

Hi

So I understand that I need to do a series of hardish breaking to bed the breaks in and prevent issues later on. Is there a correct procedure for the M3P+ breaks?

Or should I just do around 5 hardish breaking from 40-10mph and then drift around for 10 minutes to cool them?

Thanks
Scott

 

[Rustybkts]

Drive it like you stole it!

 

[Adopado]

Hi

So I understand that I need to do a series of hardish breaking to bed the breaks in and prevent issues later on. Is there a correct procedure for the M3P+ breaks?

Or should I just do around 5 hardish breaking from 40-10mph and then drift around for 10 minutes to cool them?

Thanks
Scott

It's no different to any other car other than that the brakes are generally used less. In my opinion it's best to use them normally. If you find that you have some squeaks at some point in the future then it could be that you want to give them a firm workout but I can't believe that's what you need to do from new. It might be different if you were taking the car to a track day with new brakes ....

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Hi

So I understand that I need to do a series of hardish breaking to bed the breaks in and prevent issues later on. Is there a correct procedure for the M3P+ breaks?

Or should I just do around 5 hardish breaking from 40-10mph and then drift around for 10 minutes to cool them?

Thanks
Scott

That's not too far off the mark to get them started.
After that you could do a few at 60-10 and then a few at 70+ to 10 if you really want to bed them properly, but as long as you can see the change in appearance on the discs across their full width, you're probably OK for road use.

The main thing to avoid when you get them nice and hot is stopping. At the end, drive around for 10-15mins without using the brakes at all so they are cool enough when you park up.

 

[NorfolkMustard]

If they squeal, just set regen to low for a day or so.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

It's no different to any other car other than that the brakes are generally used less. In my opinion it's best to use them normally. If you find that you have some squeaks at some point in the future then it could be that you want to give them a firm workout but I can't believe that's what you need to do from new. It might be different if you were taking the car to a track day with new brakes ....

Unfortunately we've seen the Model 3s being delivered without any bedding having taken place at the factory, so if you are a new owner it's a good idea to bed them yourself to help prevent corrosion and make sure they are working efficiently.

New owners have complained about the brake feel not being great and I felt the same. Once properly bedded, the brakes feel (and work) a lot better and even if you don't use them much innormal driving you really want them to work the first time you have to stop in an emergency.

 

[Adopado]

Unfortunately we've seen the Model 3s being delivered without any bedding having taken place at the factory, so if you are a new owner it's a good idea to bed them yourself to help prevent corrosion and make sure they are working efficiently.

New owners have complained about the brake feel not being great and I felt the same. Once properly bedded, the brakes feel (and work) a lot better and even if you don't use them much innormal driving you really want them to work the first time you have to stop in an emergency.

This is generally true of all new vehicles and is the case when you get replacement brakes and discs. It's similar for new tyres. There's no Tesla magic required ... you just need to drive the car, whilst being aware that they are new brakes. If it gives confidence then yes, go for a drive building up brake pressure over a series of stops and then try a couple of emergency stops ... but this isn't a requirement and your car won't be doomed to have poor brakes for the rest of its life if you don't do it.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

This is generally true of all new vehicles and is the case when you get replacement brakes and discs. It's similar for new tyres. There's no Tesla magic required ... you just need to drive the car, whilst being aware that they are new brakes. If it gives confidence then yes, go for a drive building up brake pressure over a series of stops and then try a couple of emergency stops ... but this isn't a requirement and your car won't be doomed to have poor brakes for the rest of its life if you don't do it.

It's not the same with an EV using regen though as you have to drive the car for many more miles to get the pads contacting the discs fully than you would an ICE car.

The fact is brakes on any car work and feel a lot better once bedded and there are plenty of drivers on our roads who don't press the brake pedal hard enough in an emergency situation, so they need all the help they can get.

And as I said above, do not use stops to bed brakes.

 

[destructure00]

My method for street pads is 4-6 medium brakes from 45 mph to probably 15 mph or so then another 4-6 hard brakes from 65 to 15 mph, then drive around without stopping for 10-15 mins to let everything cool.

 

[Durzel]

I didn't even realise this was a thing. Is this something printed in the manual or is it more of a apocryphal thing like Italian tuneups?

 

[Smog]

I was so excited I forgot to upload these on the 28th (Saturday) no obvious panel issues I can see but anyone know where I should be double checking? I tried the checklist but wasn’t sure on measurements as it all looked good!

 

[Durzel]

Looks spot on to me, at least the doors & chrome trim.

If I was to make a very minor observation, the bonnet looks very slightly higher at the front right (looking from the front). There is a rubber "thing" on the bottom of it that you can twist to adjust the height.

 

[Adopado]

I didn't even realise this was a thing. Is this something printed in the manual or is it more of a apocryphal thing like Italian tuneups?

It's come from a track perspective. If you have brand new pads and/or discs and you are about to race then you want them bedded in to give the best performance. In a track car you don't generally do mixed multi-speed driving so you go from non-bedded directly to full performance. In normal road use the mix of braking that you do is normally quite sufficient to bed in the brakes over a short time. If you have just got your performance vehicle and you intend to wring its neck on the road first time out then yes, it would be a good idea to do some thought out bedding in of the brakes first, ... but most drivers are not going to do that. By the time you've got to know your car well enough to seriously put it through its paces the brakes are likely to be bedded in. The Tesla uses its brakes less than ICE cars so the thinking is that the bedding in process will take a bit longer ... otherwise it's no different to any other car/braking issue. If you never bedded in brakes in your life before you probably don't need to start now ... just don't expect top braking performance in any car with brand new brakes when you reach your first tight corner at 100mph.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I've seen Model 3s with 5000+ miles on them and the pads haven't yet contacted the discs across the full width.

That's not good and will lead to uneven wear, brake dust build up and noise in the long run. This is why so many Model 3 owners complain about squeal.

Which is why I'm suggesting bedding them when you get the car.

But each to his own. It's not just for track driving.