seating the Brakes

I have often heard this term used. What exactly does it mean?
How long does it take to "seat" brakes.
And how does one go about it?
Perhaps after a pad and rotor job I should use the brakes more mild?

Thanks in advance.

The only "seating the brakes" I am familiar with consists of the necessity to pump the brakes a few times after removing the calipers for any type of work. It gets the pads back up next to the rotors.

Ask RangerRick about it. We swapped his front axle after finishing Cliffhanger and he didn't do it. A few miles later, I stopped at a stop sign and watched him swerve to miss me and blow through a stop sign and through traffic. When he finally got stopped after a dozen or so paniced pumps of brakes, his face and not to mention his knuckles were stark white.

There is no particular breakin proceedure for new brake shoes.

You may also want to search on "bedding brakes." This is distinctly different than what Tom is describing.

I've done it on a couple of front pad changes, and ain't convinced it's necessary either.