Brake dust

[Skilly73]

Does anyone else suffer loads of brake dust? I have a 53 plate E85 3.0 and every time I’ve given it a good clean I can go out for a quick spin and the wheels are filthy again? Could it be caused by the previous owner using cheap brake pads? It’s like it’s been fitted with 2 lumps of charcoal on each wheel

 

[MrPT]

Not unusual, although it might be worth checking how worn the pads are vs the mileage you've done. I'd also be concerned if the rears were throwing out more dust than the fronts.

You could switched to low dust pads (e.g. Textar epad) and started waxing the wheels. Should reduce the effort required to keep them clean.

 

[skelters]

Does anyone else suffer loads of brake dust? I have a 53 plate E85 3.0 and every time I’ve given it a good clean I can go out for a quick spin and the wheels are filthy again? Could it be caused by the previous owner using cheap brake pads? It’s like it’s been fitted with 2 lumps of charcoal on each wheel

As MrpT said, try different pads or wax the wheels?

It's a feature of the E85 although I've found less dust is generated with the Brembo pads I have on mine.

I've had good results removing the dust with Wonder Wheels purple stuff (not the Super Alloy Cleaner), Bilt Hamber is ok, Gyeon Iron worked and Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller was great. I keep going back to the Wonder Wheels stuff from Halfrauds though as it works for me.

What are you using to clean the wheels? There are various brushes available that get into the hard to reach places.

Best option is to clean the wheels regularly and they're easier to clean.

Which wheels are on the car?

 

[thanatu55]

I've got Brembo discs and pads and my wheels are always full of dust. Doesn't help that they're deep dish polished rims, they always seem to look dirtier and pile up the dust :thumbsdown:

 

[Skilly73]

I use an alloy wheel cleaner from halfrauds and hot water with a sponge, the wheels are the 5 spoke bbs wheels, I clean them every few days otherwise they would look black

 

[skelters]

It's 108 Split Rim Alloys. Pretty sure that's the BMW ones and not BBS.

Wonder Wheels Colour Active Super Wheel Cleaner 600ml
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/c...heels-colour-active-super-wheel-cleaner-600ml


Forget about a sponge and get yourself a brush or two!.....

Detailing Brush Set
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing-brush-set

Wheel Woolies - Wheel Brush Kit
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheel-woolies-wheel-brush-kit


This is the best brush I've ever used for wheels....

EZ Detail Brush
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/ez-detail-brush


You might want to get that scuff on the front bumper polished out too!

 

[buzyg]

Mine need a clean to get the brake dust off after each and every drive. I just use car shampoo and cold water comes off easy takes less than 5 minutes. :wink:

 

[mjennings23]

I'm using EBC Yellowstuff which they claim are a "low dust" pad, what a load of crap!

I found the best thing was to apply a proper coating to the wheels. I used a DIY ceramic coating kit and most of the dust gets blown off by the jetwash alone. The rest very easily comes away with just regular shampoo.

 

[ph001]

Pad choice is key. Performance Friction carbon metallics are 'genuine' low dust, and offer amazing performance for the price. I've been banging on about them for years but they still seem relatively unknown on the forums. There's no way on earth you would ever go back to the likes of EBC after trying them.

 

[Jl-c]

It's 108 Split Rim Alloys. Pretty sure that's the BMW ones and not BBS.

Wonder Wheels Colour Active Super Wheel Cleaner 600ml
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/c...heels-colour-active-super-wheel-cleaner-600ml




Forget about a sponge and get yourself a brush or two!.....

Detailing Brush Set
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing-brush-set

Wheel Woolies - Wheel Brush Kit
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheel-woolies-wheel-brush-kit


This is the best brush I've ever used for wheels....

EZ Detail Brush
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/ez-detail-brush


You might want to get that scuff on the front bumper polished out too!

+1 on the EZ brush, it gets used on all my cars.

 

[Skilly73]

It's 108 Split Rim Alloys. Pretty sure that's the BMW ones and not BBS.

Wonder Wheels Colour Active Super Wheel Cleaner 600ml
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/c...heels-colour-active-super-wheel-cleaner-600ml


Forget about a sponge and get yourself a brush or two!.....

Detailing Brush Set
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing-brush-set

Wheel Woolies - Wheel Brush Kit
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheel-woolies-wheel-brush-kit


This is the best brush I've ever used for wheels....

EZ Detail Brush
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/ez-detail-brush


You might want to get that scuff on the front bumper polished out too!

Been quoted £80 to get the scuff removed, it’s not that notaceble so not in a rush to do it

 

[skelters]

The scuff doesn't look that bad based on that picture.

Get a DA and some pads and polish it out yourself.


Jl-c ..... Best brush I've ever had for cleaning the wheels. I use it on the other two cars too.

 

[Ewazix]

Pad choice is key. Performance Friction carbon metallics are 'genuine' low dust, and offer amazing performance for the price. I've been banging on about them for years but they still seem relatively unknown on the forums. There's no way on earth you would ever go back to the likes of EBC after trying them.

I was interested to see the recommendation for the PFC Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads, but saw they are 'Race' rated. I emailed PFC UK they have replied that no PFC pads are approved for road use and are not R90 rated, hence not road legal in Europe they also mentioned that no 'Race' rated pads are R90 legal.

Technically it's an MOT fail and deemed 'unroadworthy' for the purposes of the Old Bill and insurance, but is probably only going to come to light after a serious prang TBH, but is certainly worth mentioning when recommended on a forum.

I'm currently using Textar Pads high ceramic low iron, low dust pads which are pricey but perform well and produce less dust and what there is doesn't stick so badly because it's low iron (its the burn iron particles that bake on) Textar make pads for BMW and there are R90 road legal.

 

[ph001]

Seems a little odd since one of their main markets is fleet vehicles! I think you will find the .11 compound Z-rated pad completely road legal with a little research.

 

[Ewazix]

Seems a little odd since one of their main markets is fleet vehicles! I think you will find the .11 compound Z-rated pad completely road legal with a little research.

I'm sure you are right and I'm sure they are a great pad as they are used by many factory race teams, The PFC Z rated pads apparently would meet R90 but are not R90 approved or marked.. If they are not R90 approved AND marked, and not sold in tamper-proof R90 marked packaging they are not road legal in Europe any amount of debate about quality, performance, use in vehicles other than cars or non-euro markets does not alter that so PFC do not sell or recommend them for road use.

R90 Regs: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R090r3e_01.pdf

To quote the info direct from the Sales Engineer of Performance Friction Europe,

"Thanks for the enquiry.
The simple answer is that no PFC brake pads for cars are R90 approved.
No race pad materials would be R90 approved.
The PFC Z rate sports pads did in fact pass the R90 test procedures in terms of performance. However the packaging requirements for R90 is where we do not comply."

I had done my research :wink:

 

[idej_z4]

The scuff doesn't look that bad based on that picture.

Get a DA and some pads and polish it out yourself.


Jl-c ..... Best brush I've ever had for cleaning the wheels. I use it on the other two cars too.

Not sure a DA would get it out...think it would be a rotary job.

 

[stupot1]

I'll be going for better pads when mine need changing, even waxing the wheels will only stop a little bit of dust, easier to wash off though

 

[ph001]

The .11 compound is not classed as a race pad. In any case you can find many references around the web that .11 is completely road legal. As to what that is based on is perhaps a moot point. The argument is somewhat pedantic anyway. Trust me when I say thay are the best performance pad /£ on the market today.

 

[Chris_D]

Textar pads FTW

 

[Ewazix]

The .11 compound is not classed as a race pad. In any case you can find many references around the web that .11 is completely road legal. As to what that is based on is perhaps a moot point. The argument is somewhat pedantic anyway. Trust me when I say thay are the best performance pad /£ on the market today.

Whatever :idunno: I'm only passing on directly quoted information from the European Sales Engineer for the company that makes them saying that their car pads are not R90 road legal.