brake dust - Focaljet

**svt boost** · 03-10-2002, 09:15 PM

So, to any of you who have driven and/or have some serious contact time with an SVT, do they still have all of that annoying brake dust? I hope not, cause it will be 4 wheels this time.

**J-Rod** · 03-10-2002, 09:25 PM

I don't imagine it's going to be any different than any other vehicle. It might actually be worse due to the pads having more surface area to wear off.

I've got 4-wheel disc brakes on my Cougar and I don't have a problem with the rears. The front's are just like any other vehicle I've owned. If you drive it enough and really use the brakes, your going to get dust. The few I've seen in the SVT p/lot have dust on them. If you look carefully at P25's pict on the main page you can see a small amount forming on the front rim.

All that means to me is you've got an excuse to wash it more [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: J-Rod ]

**SeilerVT** · 03-10-2002, 09:40 PM

Have yet to see a FSVT in person yet but concur with J-Rod. Like his Cougar, my Contour is notorious for brake dust on the fronts. Not a big deal, if you are like most of us, your weekly wash (minimum) will take care of this.

**chuck-d** · 03-10-2002, 09:45 PM

the two replies are by non-ZX3 owners. What SVT Boost was getting at is that the ZX3 has TERRIBLE brake dust up front. Hard to wash off, produces alot. And I hardly ever use my brakes [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

It's the pedal on the right!

**keith k** · 03-10-2002, 09:48 PM

To a certain extent, brake dust is proportional to how aggressive the brake lining compound is. If you want dustless wheels, I'm sure you can find something at your local discount auto parts store. Just don't complain when you lose braking power and feel!

This is an enthusiast car after all, not a Taurus.
I applaud Ford for having the guts to put the good brake linings on it.

**svt boost** · 03-10-2002, 10:29 PM

keith,

Do you drive a Focus? If you do, you will know that the pads have an excessive amount of dust compared to other cars on the road. One good drive around town is all it takes to coat the front wheels.

I am wondering if the SVT will use the same pad, or a higher quality non-euro spec pad. If Z06's shed as much daily dust as a focus there would be a recall. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

**OmniFocus** · 03-10-2002, 10:36 PM

Like keith k said, Brake dust is GOOD! It means you don't have lame "Lifetime warranty" pads that can't actually stop the car more than twice before they refuse to grab.

Just do what I do and carry a small cloth in the back of the car to wipe the brake dust off between car washes.

This "My XXX car is notorious for brake dust" is silly anyway. EVERY car that I've seen produces lots of brake dust. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Chrysler.. They've ALL got it! This is NOT a Focus/Ford issue!

**Shogun** · 03-10-2002, 11:33 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr>This is an enthusiast car after all, not a Taurus.
I applaud Ford for having the guts to put the good brake linings on it.<hr></blockquote>

Excuse me? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] I realize ZX3's are really fun cars to drive, and I am thinking about getting an FSVT, but I assure you, Ford did not design the ZX3 as an "enthusiast" car. The FSVT on the other hand, that's a different story.

Besides, my SHO is a Taurus, so it would be just as much an enthusiast car as the ZX3! And yes, it gets TONS of brake dust, just like any other car with disc brakes... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: Shogun ]

**GioDiGreek** · 03-11-2002, 11:43 PM

If you have the brake dust in your rims is a good thing. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
First becuase indicates your brakes working good
Second because it reminds you to get your lazy ass up and wash the car [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Third is a good excuse to get some good aftermarkets pads
Fourth I don't know
Fifth it is better the pads than the disks.
_____
Gio

**nick** · 03-12-2002, 04:26 AM

I had that problem with my contour. So i put some Mintex A/F pads in from BAT, well can i say no dust! But awsome performance, plus they were paired up with the EBC slotted rotors.

**roll-splat** · 04-29-2002, 01:42 PM

Has anyone tried Porterfield R4S brakes to reduce dust? I hear they perform good and have little or no dust.

**OmniFocus** · 04-29-2002, 03:24 PM

Well, since we dug this back up... Since this thread started, I've installed EBC Greenstuffs (For performance, not to reduce the non-existant, easy to wipe off brake dust "problem".)

So far, they produce about 1/2 or less of the brake dust that the stock pads did.

**roll-splat** · 04-29-2002, 04:14 PM

Sounds like a winner to me - where did you purchase them? Cheers, Roll-splat.

**Qbert** · 04-29-2002, 04:26 PM

Seriously, brakes have to dust! Lets go back to drums, mmm big hungs of rusty iron behind the wheels!!! But they don't dust, yipee!!! My Contour has a lot of brake dust too, all I do is wipe it off.

If you do find brake pads with little or no dust then expect to buy new rotors and have a nice squaking noise every time you brake! Get real! If you use your brakes the way they should be used they are going to produce dust and lots of it.

**garyrich** · 04-29-2002, 04:43 PM

I can say that after ~550 miles my SVT certainly needed (and got) a clean up yesterday. All 4 about equally smutzig

**CHIBULLSAN** · 04-29-2002, 04:57 PM

My SVT has 800 miles in 2 weeks. I have washed it 4 times. I do not ride the brakes nor use them hard and still the brake dust is horrible. I am however waiting until the rotors and brake pads wear in to see if this continues. I hope not.

See you in Carlisle. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

**RoyLRedSVT** · 04-29-2002, 05:05 PM

If you've put 800 miles on your SVT's brakes, what you see is what you get. Dust is messy, but not a bad thing. Most OEM brake dust is safe for you and your car. A few, like the Hawk race pads, can be bad for paint over a period of time. If you want to keep the wheels looking good, give them a good coat of wax and just hose off the dust. If the dust REALLY bugs you, look for some aftermarket pads that claim to be low- or no-dust. EBC Green Stuff comes to mind, but I don't know if they make them for our cars yet.

**OmniFocus** · 04-29-2002, 05:34 PM

I got my EBC Greenstuffs from Tirerack of all places. Good stuff.. Although if they dusted twice as much as factory I'd still be happy.

Remember.. It ain't about lookin' purdy, it's about goin' fast!

**BigRed** · 04-29-2002, 05:49 PM

As dansmurf said on another thread... <blockquote>quote:<hr> Because this is a SVT we get "special" treatment at the dealership. Rental car, wash etc...<hr></blockquote>

Just take it to your SVT dealer and have them clean the dust off! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

**Mike-SVT** · 04-29-2002, 05:51 PM

two words for brake dust - Simple Green... It's your friend and will make it easier to clean..

My friends Audi A4 was the worst for brake dust.
MGM

**Peloton25** · 04-29-2002, 06:00 PM

Simple Green is very acidic - I depspise the stuff. There's a better product called Nature's Orange but I'm not sure it's available everywhere.

Nature's Orange is a TREWAX product available in a spray bottle and a 1 Gal refill. It rocks!

If you must use SG, make sure you rinse it off completely because it can etch the metal and will destroy the clearcoat on a wheel.

>8^)
ER

**roll-splat** · 04-29-2002, 06:04 PM

Here's an interesting write-up about brake pads, how to stop brakes from squeaking, and break dust:

http://www.mz3.net/articles/239.html

I've been getting more brake dust than I care for, so I'm going to try and test some after-market pads... Cheers, Roll-splat

**LoganMcLeod** · 04-29-2002, 08:20 PM

I had the Porterfield R4S's on my Lightning... They dusted just as bad if not worse than the stock pads...

**wmudavey** · 04-30-2002, 11:42 AM

I get a lot of dust on my rear wheels.

03-10-2002, 09:15 PM	#1
svt boost Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: San Diego, CA (Serra Mesa) Posts: 1,661	brake dust So, to any of you who have driven and/or have some serious contact time with an SVT, do they still have all of that annoying brake dust? I hope not, cause it will be 4 wheels this time.

03-10-2002, 09:25 PM	#2
J-Rod Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Warren, MI Posts: 3,803	Re: brake dust I don't imagine it's going to be any different than any other vehicle. It might actually be worse due to the pads having more surface area to wear off. I've got 4-wheel disc brakes on my Cougar and I don't have a problem with the rears. The front's are just like any other vehicle I've owned. If you drive it enough and really use the brakes, your going to get dust. The few I've seen in the SVT p/lot have dust on them. If you look carefully at P25's pict on the main page you can see a small amount forming on the front rim. All that means to me is you've got an excuse to wash it more [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: J-Rod ]</p>

03-10-2002, 09:40 PM	#3
SeilerVT Rookie Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Calgary - Alberta - Canada Posts: 18	Re: brake dust Have yet to see a FSVT in person yet but concur with J-Rod. Like his Cougar, my Contour is notorious for brake dust on the fronts. Not a big deal, if you are like most of us, your weekly wash (minimum) will take care of this.

03-10-2002, 09:45 PM	#4
chuck-d TEAM Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Georgetown TX Posts: 159	Re: brake dust the two replies are by non-ZX3 owners. What SVT Boost was getting at is that the ZX3 has TERRIBLE brake dust up front. Hard to wash off, produces alot. And I hardly ever use my brakes [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] It's the pedal on the right!

03-10-2002, 09:48 PM	#5
keith k Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Southeastern MI Posts: 70	Re: brake dust To a certain extent, brake dust is proportional to how aggressive the brake lining compound is. If you want dustless wheels, I'm sure you can find something at your local discount auto parts store. Just don't complain when you lose braking power and feel! This is an enthusiast car after all, not a Taurus. I applaud Ford for having the guts to put the good brake linings on it.

03-10-2002, 10:29 PM	#6
svt boost Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: San Diego, CA (Serra Mesa) Posts: 1,661	Re: brake dust keith, Do you drive a Focus? If you do, you will know that the pads have an excessive amount of dust compared to other cars on the road. One good drive around town is all it takes to coat the front wheels. I am wondering if the SVT will use the same pad, or a higher quality non-euro spec pad. If Z06's shed as much daily dust as a focus there would be a recall. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

03-10-2002, 10:36 PM	#7
OmniFocus Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Mowin' down the cones. (CA) Posts: 26,140	Re: brake dust Like keith k said, Brake dust is GOOD! It means you don't have lame "Lifetime warranty" pads that can't actually stop the car more than twice before they refuse to grab. Just do what I do and carry a small cloth in the back of the car to wipe the brake dust off between car washes. This "My XXX car is notorious for brake dust" is silly anyway. EVERY car that I've seen produces lots of brake dust. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Chrysler.. They've ALL got it! This is NOT a Focus/Ford issue!

03-10-2002, 11:33 PM	#8
Shogun Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Aloha (Portland), OR USA Posts: 64	Re: brake dust <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>This is an enthusiast car after all, not a Taurus. I applaud Ford for having the guts to put the good brake linings on it.<hr></blockquote> Excuse me? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] I realize ZX3's are really fun cars to drive, and I am thinking about getting an FSVT, but I assure you, Ford did not design the ZX3 as an "enthusiast" car. The FSVT on the other hand, that's a different story. Besides, my SHO is a Taurus, so it would be just as much an enthusiast car as the ZX3! And yes, it gets TONS of brake dust, just like any other car with disc brakes... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: Shogun ]</p>

03-11-2002, 11:43 PM	#9
GioDiGreek TEAM Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Clearwater/Florida Posts: 195	Re: brake dust If you have the brake dust in your rims is a good thing. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] First becuase indicates your brakes working good Second because it reminds you to get your lazy ass up and wash the car [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Third is a good excuse to get some good aftermarkets pads Fourth I don't know Fifth it is better the pads than the disks. _____ Gio

03-12-2002, 04:26 AM	#10
nick Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: orlando Posts: 3,613	Re: brake dust I had that problem with my contour. So i put some Mintex A/F pads in from BAT, well can i say no dust! But awsome performance, plus they were paired up with the EBC slotted rotors.

04-29-2002, 01:42 PM	#11
roll-splat Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 86	Re: brake dust Has anyone tried Porterfield R4S brakes to reduce dust? I hear they perform good and have little or no dust.

04-29-2002, 03:24 PM	#12
OmniFocus Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Mowin' down the cones. (CA) Posts: 26,140	Re: brake dust Well, since we dug this back up... Since this thread started, I've installed EBC Greenstuffs (For performance, not to reduce the non-existant, easy to wipe off brake dust "problem".) So far, they produce about 1/2 or less of the brake dust that the stock pads did.

04-29-2002, 04:14 PM	#13
roll-splat Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 86	Re: brake dust Sounds like a winner to me - where did you purchase them? Cheers, Roll-splat.

04-29-2002, 04:26 PM	#14
Qbert Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Hillsboro, OR Posts: 1,218	Re: brake dust Seriously, brakes have to dust! Lets go back to drums, mmm big hungs of rusty iron behind the wheels!!! But they don't dust, yipee!!! My Contour has a lot of brake dust too, all I do is wipe it off. If you do find brake pads with little or no dust then expect to buy new rotors and have a nice squaking noise every time you brake! Get real! If you use your brakes the way they should be used they are going to produce dust and lots of it.

04-29-2002, 04:43 PM	#15
garyrich Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Santa Clarita California Posts: 1,574	Re: brake dust I can say that after ~550 miles my SVT certainly needed (and got) a clean up yesterday. All 4 about equally smutzig

04-29-2002, 04:57 PM	#16
CHIBULLSAN Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: (Aaron) Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 1,677	Re: brake dust My SVT has 800 miles in 2 weeks. I have washed it 4 times. I do not ride the brakes nor use them hard and still the brake dust is horrible. I am however waiting until the rotors and brake pads wear in to see if this continues. I hope not. See you in Carlisle. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

04-29-2002, 05:05 PM	#17
RoyLRedSVT TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: near Poat-land, O-ree-gone Posts: 326	Re: brake dust If you've put 800 miles on your SVT's brakes, what you see is what you get. Dust is messy, but not a bad thing. Most OEM brake dust is safe for you and your car. A few, like the Hawk race pads, can be bad for paint over a period of time. If you want to keep the wheels looking good, give them a good coat of wax and just hose off the dust. If the dust REALLY bugs you, look for some aftermarket pads that claim to be low- or no-dust. EBC Green Stuff comes to mind, but I don't know if they make them for our cars yet.

04-29-2002, 05:34 PM	#18
OmniFocus Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Mowin' down the cones. (CA) Posts: 26,140	Re: brake dust I got my EBC Greenstuffs from Tirerack of all places. Good stuff.. Although if they dusted twice as much as factory I'd still be happy. Remember.. It ain't about lookin' purdy, it's about goin' fast!

04-29-2002, 05:49 PM	#19
BigRed TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Omaha, Nebraska USA Posts: 339	Re: brake dust As dansmurf said on another thread... <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Because this is a SVT we get "special" treatment at the dealership. Rental car, wash etc...<hr></blockquote> Just take it to your SVT dealer and have them clean the dust off! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

04-29-2002, 05:51 PM	#20
Mike-SVT Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Friendswood, Tx Posts: 1,231	Re: brake dust two words for brake dust - Simple Green... It's your friend and will make it easier to clean.. My friends Audi A4 was the worst for brake dust. MGM

04-29-2002, 06:00 PM	#21
Peloton25 Mr Know-It-All Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Moorpark, CA USA Posts: 21,779	Re: brake dust Simple Green is very acidic - I depspise the stuff. There's a better product called Nature's Orange but I'm not sure it's available everywhere. Nature's Orange is a TREWAX product available in a spray bottle and a 1 Gal refill. It rocks! If you must use SG, make sure you rinse it off completely because it can etch the metal and will destroy the clearcoat on a wheel. >8^) ER

04-29-2002, 06:04 PM	#22
roll-splat Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 86	Re: brake dust Here's an interesting write-up about brake pads, how to stop brakes from squeaking, and break dust: http://www.mz3.net/articles/239.html I've been getting more brake dust than I care for, so I'm going to try and test some after-market pads... Cheers, Roll-splat

04-29-2002, 08:20 PM	#23
LoganMcLeod Rookie Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 28	Re: brake dust I had the Porterfield R4S's on my Lightning... They dusted just as bad if not worse than the stock pads...

04-30-2002, 11:42 AM	#24
wmudavey Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 3,267	Re: brake dust I get a lot of dust on my rear wheels.

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