Installing new Centric rotors and Akebono ceramic brake pads.
2006 Miata - the pads will be OEM type. Normal to slightly sport street driving, no track or x-cross.

Reading up on how to bed in but I'm able to ask questions here. From what I've read, is this a good plan?

- Moderately apply brakes six to ten times decelerating from 40 mph to 10 mph
- Allowing for 1/4 to 1/2 mile cool down between brake applications
- Allow brakes to cool for 15 minutes minimum by either parking (it's cool outside) or driving with minimal brake applications

- also read where some will do two to three hard stops after the above is done (no ABS but aggressive) from 40 mph to 5 mph

Appreciate the help

Edit: brakes are not breaks...

Ceramic or organic, I've always done three 50mph to 20mph presses, followed by a quick cool down. Turn around and to 50 to 5mph three times.

I sand the pads with 220 grit before installing, that seems to help as well.

YMMV

This has worked well for me. I do it all at once, in a huge parking lot or empty freeway.

Step 1- Do a series of 5 back to back normal to moderately aggressive stops from 40mph to a rolling stop. Do not come to a complete stop, but almost.  Do not ride the brakes during the break in process.

Step 2- After the first 5 stops; drive around at normal speeds for approximately 10-15 minutes to cool down the pads. During this time, try to use the brakes as little as possible. If you have to stop, do so moderately and then use the parking brake to hold yourself in place until such a time that you can proceed with the cool down. The object is to keep from imprinting a layer of friction material onto the hot rotor.

Step 3- Repeat Step 1 and 2 again.

Step 4- By this time, the brakes should be safe enough to drive normally and should be left to cool down overnight if possible.

Step 5- After an overnight cool down, repeat Step 1 and 2 again.

After Step 5, drive and use the brakes normally. The stopping performance should continue to improve steadily until it finally levels off.

Almost my exact same method.  All I can add is if I come to a red light, I leave plenty of room between me and the car in front of me or the intersection and tap the brakes and do my best to not let the pads sit in one spot too long.  Throw it in neutral if you have to.

If you don't get em hot enough to fade, you're wasting your time.
80 to 10 as hard as fast as you can, back to 80 and back to 10 as fast as you can, repeat until fade sets in, at which point keep moving 50mph+

The fade is the pads outgassing.

You'll be shocked at how good they'll be after they cool, and the continuous movement keeps the rotors in even, cool air.

I think you mean BRAKE pads, not break pads.

You break a bone
You brake to slow down

Just dont stop the vehicle until they cool way down after all the steps. I learned the hard way and ruined my pads and rotor on my s10 way back. Had a hardened spot on the rotor the size of the pad that make the truck shake at moderate to hard stopping, until I changed them all out 2 years later.

I wouldnt park the car after all that even if it's cold. I remember the pads I have gotten in the past specifically say do NOT stop at any stop sign or whatever until cooled down. I live out in the country so I just go to the back roads and then get on a local highway for 15 minutes on the way home.

Appreciate the input...

80 to 10 HARD stops sounds like fun

I have an industrial park near me I use to "brake in" new motorcycle tires. I can do the speed and braking with little to no traffic.

thanks again

or you can follow the manufacture recommendations.

From the mfg. website: •No break-in required
https://akebonobrakes.com/pro-act

I use akebono almost exclusively.  I don't bed in brakes.

But I only do a 20-30 brake jobs a year so take that with a grain of salt.

There's as many theories about breaking in brakes as there are engines.

As long as the surfaces get worn together without fucking anything up you're GTG.

I follow the manufacturer's instructions since they made them and know what works best.
Go to their website and see what they say.

with the millions of new cars made and sold, i doubt if the average person even knows about bedding brakes.  they just drive on with few issues.

Yep.  One of the main reasons why I like Akebono pads.

Binding compounds these days do not outgas very much, if at all. and by the time you get street compounds hot enough to fade you have likely started boiling the cheap ass DOT3 fluid in standard OEM calipers that don't have much thermal capacity anyway.

I installed the rotors and pads without issue. Went down to an industrial park about a mile away and did eight runs of 40mph to 5mph with 1/4+mile run in-between.

The brakes worked the same with every run.

Went home, took a shower, then took the wife out on a date.