ok I have white wheels and the brake dust is uncanny.. I love the wheels , is there anythign I can do to cut down on the brake dust or eliminated all together.. is there such thing as a dust guard or are there thigns I can put on teh wheels so the brake dust doesn't stick to it.?! ps. unitl then anybody have suggestion on cleanign it off effectivly.

 

I just got a new set of white wheels and thoroughly waxed them inside and out. It helps a lot and makes cleaning them easy. If your MINI is new, you will have excessive amounts of brake dust for the first couple weeks.

 

<Rolling up sleeves>

Well, your only real option right now is to not motor. Right, like that's an option

In lieu of that, I would recommend getting Green Stuff or other aftermarket brake pads. They dust much much less than stock BMW pads do. There are dust guards that you can buy from a few aftermarket places, but I've heard negative things about them, especially because they don't allow your rotors to breathe as much as they should. Those suckers get hot!!

Onto cleaning: I would suggest using a good wheel cleaner. Eagle One A2Z is great stuff to use. Just follow the directions and lightly brush with a scratchless wheel brush after you apply it and let it soak. After rinsing the wheels, admire their beauty and WAX THEM. Waxing is the best thing you can do for your wheels; less dust will stick to them, and they'll be much easier to clean from here on out. Of course, remember to keep up on your waxing.

I know it's a lot of work, but what's worse, using elbow grease or looking at your nasty wheels every time you approach your baby?

-Troy

</ Rolling up sleeves>

 

Mine is also new. How long will the accelerated dust accumulation last?!

 

Your two options are brake dust shields, which have been much maligned due to suspected heat buildup at the discs (you're cutting down their ventilation substantially), and aftermarket brake pads. Do a search of the forums for either, and you'll get more info than you can possibly want to read!

 

>>Mine is also new. How long will the accelerated dust accumulation last?!

As long as you keep the current pads, unfortunately. I'm at 4500 miles and haven't noticed any decrease.

 

I originally installed the brake shields. They work very well but I was concerned with heat buildup. I never experienced any ill effects, but did read the disclaimer printed right on the car about installing brake shields. It says 'don't do it'. LOL.

One other note: the dust is still produced, it just gathers on the INSIDE of the wheel instead of all throughout the wheel. In addition, the open spoke deisng is severely compromised aestheticly by the shields. It looks like you have wheel covers. Ugh.

I removed them and installed Greenstuff brake pads. They are about $100 for front and $100 for rears. So far, they do cut down on dust quite a bit. I only have the fronts on now because the rears are on backorder nationwide.

My suggestion? Wax your wheels. As mentioned previously it helps remove the dust a bunch. Then, go get the EBC Greenstuff pads. Then have fun!

Hope that helps!

 

thanks a bunch didn't knwo you coudl wax em like that.. not to be lazy btu is there agood spray wax out there.. I only mention this becasue I saw oen that hooks to a hose the other day on tv adn looked rather nifty.. has anybody used this product.. can't rember the name thogugh. or maybe anther spray one as well?

 

I found that the dust comes right off with regular car wash soap but I thought maybe I was missing something and gave the Eagle One wheel cleaner a try. It's a little stronger but still requires thorough scrubbing and hosing. Plus it removes the wax. I don't get it? Seems easier to just use soap and not have to re-wax every week. Why do you guys like the wheel cleaner so much?

Also, every time this comes up, a dozen people chime in with the green pads. As far as I can tell they don't even exist yet? Are you guys just installing the front pads or is there some underground source for the complete set that I am unaware of?

 

>>I found that the dust comes right off with regular car wash soap but I thought maybe I was missing something and gave the Eagle One wheel cleaner a try. It's a little stronger but still requires thorough scrubbing and hosing. Plus it removes the wax. I don't get it? Seems easier to just use soap and not have to re-wax every week. Why do you guys like the wheel cleaner so much?
>>
>>Also, every time this comes up, a dozen people chime in with the green pads. As far as I can tell they don't even exist yet? Are you guys just installing the front pads or is there some underground source for the complete set that I am unaware of?

Moss Mini has them, front and rear:

http://www.mossmini.com/cgi-bin/db2w...t?PlateID=6714

 

what wax are you guys using on your wheels?

 

Thanks Nuvolari, I've seen them advertised at Moss and elsewhere but just assumed it was a trick. Besides, Moss charges nearly double the going rate. So they really do exist? Do you have them?

I just put the same wax on the wheels as I do on the car (Zaino). I can't really say that it helps -- the dust seems to come right off waxed or not.

 

>>what wax are you guys using on your wheels?

I use the cheap zymol from pep boys on the wheels since it is quick to apply--no need to use expensive wax, IMO. When I wash the car, simply blasting them with the hose (no soap) and a quick wipe keeps 'em looking good. I try to avoid soaps since they'll strip that wax in a few washes and waxing the inner surfaces isn't a quick job.