Anyone else try as much as possible to avoid touching the brakes?? I think I may be a bit obssessive.

 

Well, maybe not to the point of avoiding touching them. But I am constantly aware of each time I brake - trying to brake easily, in hopes that it creates less dust. I don't think it works.

I can't bring myself to buy better pads until I wear these ones out a bit more, so I guess I'll just deal with the dust for now and keep washing the wheels every week!

 

Keeping up with the brake dust build-up ....seems to be a full time job.
I always have a rag in the car...and find myself cleaning the wheels.....constantly....
minimum of 2 times /day.

Are there any aftermarket brake pad's ..that produce....minimul amounts of that ...horrible brake dust.

Peace,
D

 

Wax those wheels. Pull them off and do a good job.
It makes the daily cleaning much easier......

 

A little 303 protectant is somewhat helpful too to keep dust less adherent but your going to get it no matter what so....get on those brakes hard and enjoy!

Randy the last drive we did to Mt. Evans we had 4 or so Cooper S's burning up their brakepads through the twisties. It was an absolute blast except of course for that crazy SUV that tried to pull a u-turn infront of us (Dave and Anthony can attest to that)

Needless to say I spent a lot of time cleaning the wheels after that trip!

We'll have to do another S drive soon!

 

I just pretend I have silver rims... just think, if you don't clean them all the time, imagine how nice they look when you do get to cleaning them!

Rocketboy_X

 

I'm not aware of any pads that take the dust to "zero"; but MINTEX pads come close. They also SIGNIFICANTLY improve the "feel" of the brake pedal.

I haven't yet tried them on my MINI (to be delivered in Feb, March, April...?); but I HAVE used them on my 911, several Golf GTI's, and my wife's Honda. MUCH better than the stock pads, and very reasonably priced (seem to recall $20-$40 per "end" of the car...).

Mintex pads will be the first upgrade on my MCS...

 

I have had sucess with EBC Greenstuff kevlar compound pads on other cars. The dust is reduced by 90%. They work great for occasional autoX and have good feel. I haven't seen them for sale for MINI yet but keep close eye on the Tire Rack website. I would think they will have them soon. My MCS will get them asap. I want to drive my Cooper not clean the wheels.

 

Don't forget that JCW has their own break pad... i'll probally try these come next spring...

Rocketboy_X

 

[quote]Originally posted by ficcion:
Randy the last drive we did to Mt. Evans we had 4 or so Cooper S's burning up their brakepads through the twisties. It was an absolute blast except of course for that crazy SUV that tried to pull a u-turn infront of us Thankfully, everyone in our little group was attentive.

 

What are these brakes? I use the gearstick to slow down usually. Brakes mainly are for coming to a complete stop, or for emergencies.

 

I've had great success on the track and the street with Hawk pads - but they are pricey and I don't know if there is an application yet for the MINI.

 

>>Don't forget that JCW has their own break pad... i'll probally try these come next spring...
>>
check out their website...almost $300! yikes...maybe that brake dust ain't so bad

 

>>>>Don't forget that JCW has their own break pad... i'll probally try these come next spring...
>>>>
>>check out their website...almost $300! yikes...maybe that brake dust ain't so bad

Rocketboy_X

 

Just a friendly safety note here:

Avoiding using your brakes is a VERY dangerous habit. When brakes are babied too much, the friction surfaces can glaze and cause you to lose significant stopping power when you suddenly need it. Please refer to my signature quotation to find out how I know this

Brake dust is a terrible thing, but spending much time worrying about it might not be healthy for you or your MINI.

There are pads that claim to have less brake dust, but I always feel that brake dust means that my braking surfaces are working to their best ability.

Maybe the MINI community should just get together and decide that we are going to consider a nice layer of brake dust to be as charming and respectable as a pair of well worn hiking boots?

Think how much more time we could spend sitting comfortably behind the wheel rather than bent over on our hands and knees scrubbing one!

_________________
~Yucca Patrol~

"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement."

 

Nicely Put. I myself rarely wash the front wheels on any of my vehicles. The dusty look is sort of a right of passage. Been there, done that, and used the brakes, (hard).

Pick

 

My Land Rover Defender 90 which I am selling this week just got its first real bath in almost 2 years. Really a shame to have to do it to her, but I had to make her look good for sale.

Despite my unwillingness to lovingly polish car bodies and rub them with a chamois, I do maintain my vehicles in top mechanical condition. The d-90 has had its entire frame and underbody pressure washed ten times more than it has ever had its body washed. I'm the guy who shows up at the do it yourself pressure washer car-wash and spend a fortune in quarters making sure every important mechanical thing is clean and not being damaged by the elements.

I guess my basic philosophy is that it's ok to be a little grungy as long as you are wearing clean underwear.

_________________
~Yucca Patrol~

2003 MCS, BRG/W on the truck to my dealer!

"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement."

 

>>I guess my basic philosophy is that it's ok to be a little grungy as long as you are wearing clean underwear.
>>
>>_________________
>>~Yucca Patrol~
>>
>>2003 MCS, BRG/W on the truck to my dealer!
>>
>>"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement."

That is what I use to clean the brake dust off my wheels. Old..but clean...

 

I was running Brembos on a Saleen. Lots of dust. The new orange based cleaners from Fantastic and 409 do a great job of cutting the dust!

 

I'm sure glad I didn't go for the white wheels! That'd be a daily cleanup job. I've had no problem with removing any dust just using car detergent and a fake sheepskin mitten. Try to avoid harsh chemicals. There is a clearcoat onto of the wheel's paint and you will errode this away, alowing them to stain easier. Just go with a lite solution of car or dish detergent at least once a month.

Vince VinceAndJessica.com

 

I've been contemplating getting mine powdercoated black or a really dark silver. I wonder how much weight the process would add to the already heavy wheel?

X2