Cheesed off with brake dust

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:00 pm

Hi chaps, i'm getting a little peeved at the VERY heavy deposits of brake dust i'm experiencing. (front wheels are virtually black after 100 miles)

The old pads i replaced didn't display this irritating trait, but they were already fitted when i purchased the bongo, so i have no idea which brand they were.

I',m running RX8 alloys at the mo,and was wondering which brand/supplier of decent pads other bongo owners running these wheels (or any open spoke design wheel) would reccomend?

I'm happy (ish) with the performance of the brakes overall, but they dont seem to have quite the same bite as the pads fitted originally.

(forgive me posting this in chat and not techie,i didn't think it important enough to clog up the techie section)

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:43 pm

I find I don't get any brake dust problems, unless I use the brakes.

I would try and get some Ferodo (or other top brand) pads when you next renew them. In my experience, I've got more dust from budget items.

boyfrombrasil · Post by **boyfrombrasil** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:34 pm

Bigdaddy,

As you've replaced the pads then you will have pushed the pistons way back into the sleeve.

The problem is that the brake piston tends to rust a little as the pads wear because it stays out in the elements more and therefore it is likely that the piston now sticks a little more than it used to and creates more wear on the pads.

Did I explain that clearly

Hence it's probably unfair to put the blame on the poor downtrodden pads who through no fault of their own are working twice as hard as they used to without a pay rise and no holidays and and and...... Did the Romans invent brake pads?

pippin · Post by **pippin** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:31 pm

What a knowledgeable old chap you are - brasilboy!

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:32 pm

Hmm... you may be onto something there boyfrombrazil...

If only you could have imparted such wise technical appraisals when in the company of Zippy,george,and geoffrey!

Seriously, thanks for that

boyfrombrasil · Post by **boyfrombrasil** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:40 pm

knowledgeable old chap

Less of the knowledgeable please.....

boyfrombrasil · Post by **boyfrombrasil** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:44 pm

If only you could have imparted such wise technical appraisals when in the company of Zippy,george,and geoffrey!

Most people say I should be Zippy'd......

smartmonkey · Post by **smartmonkey** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:00 pm

I think it is most likely to be the pads. EBC greens and blacks have different properties and one produces loads more dust than the other. I find it does make a big difference which manufacturer you use and some actually advertise a low mess option. The cheaper aftermarket pads tend to be worse than the ferodo/mintex/dunlop/ebc/etc.

If you have sticky calipers/pistons then you will notice a heat build up in the hubs and wheels and you fuel consumption will increase. I wouldn't expect both caliper to sieze at the same time either - regardless of piston position. The sliding pins usually sieze more often than the pistons so if you do have a problem check both. The next time you have finished a run just feel the wheel centres and they should be no more than warm all round. Just don't touch the discs because they could be burn hot.

t might be worth a poll to see if a particular brand are causing any problems but check with the manufctures and see who comment on dust reduction.

paul9 · Post by **paul9** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:06 pm

i have this problem,blamed it on some cheap pads off ebay.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:28 pm

BigDaddy - where did you get your pads from and what make. I got some from Bongobits earlier this year and expect to be fitting them shortly - hence the interest

Veg_Ian · Post by **Veg_Ian** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:15 pm

I'm afraid it's the bane of the alloy wheel owner. EBC Greenstuff are supposed to reduce the amount of dust. I looked into them for my MR2 but couldn't justify paying twice the price. Mintex are a bit better than the cheapos but the crap build up is still a pain. I think you just have to accept it as a problem with alloys. On the other hand my Bongo has steel wheels so I don't give a stuff (think there's a pun in there somewhere)about the dust on them.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:21 pm

I must say Veg, that I've found the lack of brake dust - even compared with my other cars with steel wheels - very striking on the Bongo. Hope it continues with the new brake pads. Also, the gunmetal Halfrods wheel trims I got to go with the steels I put on actually good really god to me.

Sorry BDC

Veg_Ian · Post by **Veg_Ian** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:22 pm

Also, the gunmetal Halfrods wheel trims I got to go with the steels I put on actually good really god to me.

What would you say if you could speak?

Sorry Mike, couldn't resist

Yes I know what you mean. I've got Japanese pads in mine at the mo, (with a plastic coating on the backing?) and they generate very little dust.

Rog · Post by **Rog** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:24 pm

With regard to brake pad dust, whatever you do, do NOT fit Carbon metallic pads like the ones available for the old type Mini....

They may be very very good in the stopping department, with little warming up required, and the "blingists amongst us may well be tempted by the "Catherine wheel" spark effect they produce, but the downside is serious....the sparks burn into the paint and so that black crap we all get on our wheels will not come off this side of a complete wheel re spray!!! Oh and they also eat brake discs for a pastime..........so you have been warned.

I cured the problem on my Mini by polishing the wheels so the sparks just bounced off. That way I could keep the "Oi mate, there's summat wrong with your brakes" effect, which was even evident to passers by in daylight....and at night it was nothing short of spectacular......Think poor mans version of glowing carbon F1 discs..

Rog

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:14 am

Ive tried the "is one wheel discernably hotter than the other" method.

Of course the front wheels were quite a bit warmer than the rears, but equally so from side to (respective) side.

I sourced the pads through e-bay, (2005 ish?)... I ordered them before i checked the pads fitted at the time,when i did get round to checking them,they near enough new!

Thats why i've only just recently actually needed to fit em...

I dont recall which vendor on e-bay i used, but i do recall that they weren't the cheapest ones on offer (£80 ish for a full set front and rear)

And they squeal when warm now,whereas the old pads didn't.

The above annoyance may be down to me not being able to adapt the "anti squeal shim" to fit with the new pads... (anti squeal pad fitted on the rear of the pad made the use of the shim impossible)

I slapped on a fair amount of copper grease on the rear of the pads too!

With regards to E.B.C. pads, (not available for the bongo, i checked) The black versions are O.E. spec, greenstuff are fast road, redstuff for track use.

I prefer the green over the red,as they dont take as long to warm up, and both have low dust properties.

Mike, if you remove the wheeltrims, you will see what resembles the inside of a chimney on the inside of the trims

A closed pattern type trim actually act as "dust catchers"...on the inside at least.

I'll try bongobits pads next i think, (dunno why) The current pads are going straight into the bin,(been fitted for two months)....

I dont think the brakes on the bongo are shared with any other vehicle...would be nice if they were the same as a "sporty" mazda,that may have a sporty type aftermarket low dust pad option.