Technical Brake dust

Is it a disc only problem or change in materials,years ago I do not remember having to clean the front wheels that much but maybe back then I did not care. If its just from disc brakes I am thinking about going back to drums since the wheels get very nasty real quick.

 

Maybe a different brand are higher quality of pad. I’m lucky and have a real auto parts store about 15 miles away. I buy what they recommend. No issues with any product I have bought in the last seven years.

 

What type of pads do you have now? If they're metallic, they probably make more dust than if you had organic (cheap) or ceramic (expensive) pads.

Trying a few different types of pads would be easier than going back to drums...

 

Pad material causes more / less dust.


There is also a spray you can buy for the wheels so the dust does not stick as bad .

 

Dont buy cheap pads !

 

I've been told organic pads create more dust? Is this incorrect? Ceramic have always created the least dust, but they can cause more wear on rotors. Usually not an issue with the kind of miles most drive their hotrods.
Switch to ceramic pads before you decide to dump the disc brakes completely.

https://www.buybrakes.com/help/which-pads-create-least-dust/

 

Iron dust rusts....which is probably why metallics are such a mess

 

I have no idea on what pads are on them,most likely the cheaper organic versions since the dust does not seem like its metallic. Do not put a bunch of miles on them but the front wheels get very dirty in a short time.

 

One thing I noticed when I was stationed "over there", all the cars had lots of brake dust on the rims, didn't matter, very high end Mercedes or BMW or Peugeot or el-cheapo cars, whatever. Was told they use metallic pads and also, a softer steel rotor than here in the states.

I also noticed the best brakes of any car I've ever owned before or since, and it wasn't even close, had a beater BMW 3 series to get around in, and that thing would stop on a dime, and saved my *** a time or two. Changed the way I think about brakes. "Heavy duty" or "Premium" pads may last a long time, but that comes at the cost of braking power. Maybe that's not as important, depending on how (or where) you drive.

 

I use only ceramic brake pads , there is no dust from them . They last longer than metallic pads .

 

I will look into ceramic pads.

 

This isn't true, ceramic will wear rotors less than semi-metallic. Much of that dust is material from the rotors. This comes straight from the engineers at Wagner.

 

One of the best pads out there especially for lack of dust along with long life and no squealing or noise is Wagner thermo quiets.

They might have a different name now but your parts guy should know them. Sold 100's of them and used them on all my and family cars.

You won't be disappointed...

 

I meant ceramic wears more on rotors than organic. Organic are pretty soft, thus the dust they shed often. Read my post again. I was talking organic and ceramic, never mentioned metallic.

 

To answer your first question, yes it is more of an issue with disc brakes. With drum brakes more of the dust simply stays inside the drum until the drums are removed for inspection or repair. The dust that does come out comes out at the edge of the backing plate, farther away from the wheel and usually clear inside of the tire so it has more of a chance of dissipating into the air or falling onto the road.