2 Responses to “What's the best DUSTLESS brake pad?”

1. admin says:

   January 31, 2010 at 8:28 am

   wa6…@sd.znet.com (Walter R. Quitt) wrote:

   >>I want to get my 82 A1 Convertible on the road.  I have  installed 9.4
   >>inch vented rotors in the front and discs in the back.  Since I am
   >>lazy about car washing, I would like to know what the best DUSTLESS
   >>brake pad is?  I have been using Repco MetalMasters for years and like
   >>them just fine.  I tried Mintex Silverline on my Pickup (Caddy) and do
   >>not really like them.  Time marches on and I keep hearing of wonderful
   >>pads (which make lotsa dust) and really want some that are clean.
   >>Walt…..

    Hi Walt,

    Having tried just about every type of pad for street, autocross,  
   and time trials,  it’s apparent that the amount of dust is directly
   proportionate to the amount of grip said pad has.  The least
   amount of dust came from the Metal Master,  which is the
   worst pad i ever tried,  next was the Mintex, then the Repco
   Deluxe (semi-metallic),  then a good jump in dustiness with
   the Performance Friction Carbon Metallic,   more still with
   the factory pads,  then the winner by a nose is the Ferodos.
   All these pads are also in order as to their stopping power
   with the Ferodos being the best of the bunch.

   There simply isn’t a good dustless pad IMVHO.

    There’s just no way to avoid the dreaded dust syndrome,
   if ya leave it on the wheels for more than a week it will start
   to corrode and pit the wheels,  especially if it gets wet.   I
   make it a point to clean my wheels every week anyway,  
   and every so often i’ll take em off the car and scrub the
   inside very thoroughly so i don’t get too much buildup
   inside.   The Ferodo dust is brownish and seems to be
   a little more caustic than the blackish factory dust,  and
   if left on it will pit the wheels over time.  

    A friend of mine said he always waxes his wheels,  then
   a blast of a good spray wheel cleaner will take all the
   dust away without wiping or scrubbing.   Dunno how
   long the wax would last with all the heat i’d generate,
   but it might work for a street car.

   Randy Walters
   85 Golf GTi DSP car
   86 Jetta GLi Street car
2. admin says:

   January 31, 2010 at 8:28 am

   Walter R. Quitt wrote:
   > I would like to know what the best DUSTLESS brake pad is?

   I’m sure you know this already, but there’s really no such thing.

   The friction of the rotor against the pad removes fine particles of pad
   and rotor.  Those particles have to go somewhere.  And they’re *hot* when
   they come off; some say around 1400 degrees Fahrenheit.  The natural airflow
   in that area for most cars is from inside the wheel to outside, and so you
   can figure out where the dust goes…  And it’s so hot that it sticks to
   just about anything, bonds with the surface, pits away the paint.

   Some are worse than others, of course, but there’s no such thing as a
   dustless brake pad.
   —
   Mark Sirota, Network Systems Engineer
   University of Pennsylvania, Data Communications and Computing Services
   msir…@isc.upenn.edu, 215/573-7214