Installing new rotors is only half the job - how you break them in determines whether your brakes are quiet, smooth, and long-lasting or noisy and prone to judder. Breaking in rotors is really about bedding the pads onto a clean new surface. Here is how to do it right.
First: clean the new rotors
New rotors ship with a protective oil or coating on the friction surface to prevent rust in the box. You must remove it before driving, or it causes noise and uneven bedding - see clean new rotors before install. Wipe the faces down with brake cleaner until a clean cloth comes away clean. Also make sure the hub face is spotless so the rotor sits true - see rotor runout.
Bed the pads onto the rotors
Breaking in rotors and pads is one combined process: a series of moderate-to-firm stops from speed that heat the brakes and lay down an even layer of pad material on the rotor - see how to bed in brake pads. Follow the pad maker's procedure - commonly several stops from about 35 to 5 mph, then a few from higher speed, without coming to a full hard stop that leaves a deposit.
Avoid the big mistakes
Do not park with hot brakes right after bedding - holding the pedal on a glowing rotor imprints a pad deposit that causes judder later; see what is brake judder. Do not skip bedding on fresh rotors, and do not drag the brakes. Let them cool between cycles.
The payoff
Properly broken-in rotors and pads give quiet, smooth, strong braking and resist warping and glazing. Pair new rotors with quality pads and fresh hardware, clean them, and bed them in - it takes ten minutes and prevents most brake complaints.