So I replaced my rear rotors and pads for the first time last weekend. I decided to go with stock rotors, but used the Raybestos ceramic pads. The breaks seemed to be much stronger than before. Well, all seemed well until yesterday.

I drove down a very very steep road. It was about a mile long and really steap the whole way. By the time I got to the bottom, I noticed a burning smell. My first guess is that it has something to do with the breaks. After I hit flat ground and let off the breaks for a while, the burning smell seemed to go away.

Anyone know what this could be? Could it be that I installed the pads incorrectly, or is this normal? I've never had this problem before but then again I've never driven down such a steep road before, nor have I ever seen a road this steep in my entire life.

Any guesses? Thanks!

 

I'm not sure what kind of pads I have, but I know if i'm going fast (like 80-90ish) and I try to stop as fast as possible without locking up the pads I definatly get a burning smell. I woud imagine that if you rode the brakes all the way down such a long steep hill it would produce a similar effect of getting the brakes extreemly hot, and causing that burning smell.

 

That is normal. Typically they do that for a while when the brakes are new. Since you are talking about the rears it just isn't possible to get the smell in the car unless you are stoped or are going pretty slow and it has to be really strong. If you did the front brakes it would be more noticable.

I'm pretty sure that organic pads do this more, I haven't used them in a while.

 

i reccently redid all of my brake system minues metal lines here is what I ran into....

i swapped out front pads....and then went for a quick drive....and did basicaly the same as you did and smelt nothing but nastyness....got home (going low speeds) and looks and they were smoking....well there were a few issues...one is my master cylender was shot, and hte other was I didnt bleed the breaks...i changed pads, calipers, drum cylenders and shoes, front brake lines...and guess whats...no more problem at all....I would say if the problem doesnt go away after a week or 2, check into gettign a new master cylender...those are only like 30$ i think is what I paid....

 

a burning odor is normal for brakes that have been overheated. It is usually worse when the pads are new because your causing certain volitile chemicals to boil off or "outgas". once the pads have been bedded in and heat cycled a few times this should go away. If you overheat bedded in brakes they will also smell but once there broken in it should be much harder to get them to produce the burning smell. If however you smell this for more than a few hundred miles or when your not using the brakes you might have a stuck caliper or collpased brake line