BreTT Rundle

This has probably been covered before, but I would like to hear the pros and cons of dustless brake pads as seen here on the banner ads. I hate to have a clean car two days after washing, but the wheels look terrible! Do these pads affect braking performance or have a shorter life? It seems that there must be a drawback or they would be standard equipment. Thanks!<ul><li><a href="http://ourworld.cs.com/brettrun/">Southeast TT Rally</a></li></ul>

mne

I've tried Mintex redbox (just this week), Raybestos dust-free) before that and the "latest/greatest" carbon/metallic pads first. They ALL had drawbacks. Mintex and carbon fiber squealed incessantly after a few days in spite of following EVERY installation instructon given. They sounded terrible... like I was driving a 20 yr old "beater." The Mintex set up some kind of "tic-tic-tic-tic" noise as I was driving down the road... most apparent when cruising next to a high curb at 30-35mph with the windows down. I tried swapping the pads around, left to right... same thing. After spending over $400. and 6 weekends swapping pads around, I've given up. I'll clean the damn wheels... really easy anyway if you jus spray em with one of the commercial wheel cleaners before washing. I'm gonna allow someone else to pioneer this trail from this point. Oh... anyone up for a slightly used pair of Mintex, Raybestos or carbon fiber/metallic brake pads for a TT... "work great" (thats what the ads say) IF your Beltone needs batteries!! Or you can use them as those always popular TT-related souvenier paperweights. Or just do like I do... warehouse em in the garage... maybe someday they'll stop squeakin' or tickin... ya think? Grrrrr...

Matt Daniels

I have Rofren pads on my '93 90S and they stopped the break dust. But you will lose some breaking performance (takes a little more pedal pressure to stop). The stock pads may create a lot of dust, but they offer great performance. Also, I've experienced a little bit of brake squeal with these pads, but nothing major.

I think you can buy Rofren pads at TAP or at Clair Parts Express (both have banners on this site). I'm assuming that they have pads for the TT, but I'm not certain.

Matt

Lonnie

The SLK guys have tried Axxis semi metallic and they reported good results, less dust and almost as good braking. I'm not sure who manufactures these. Some of the BMW owners have used Pagid with good results also.

Brad Willis

I keep mentioning what a good job the California Duster does cleaning brake dust off of the wheels, but to the best of my knowledge, only one person (sTTeve R) has tried it. I can clean all 4 wheels and the exhaust tip in less than one minute . This thing is well under $20, and it works great. Don't use the same duster on the paint, buy a separate one. I keep 2 in the trunk at all times.

Speaking of cleaning and things that I keep in my trunk, I am never without a clean cloth, and a spray bottle of Meguiar's Qwik Detail. Today, I returned to my TT to find not one, not two or even three, but FOUR giant bird turds on my car. Must have been enemy homing pigeons hired by BMW. As most of you know, bird poop is VERY corrosive and mucho bad for your paint. The Meguiars took it off in short order.

Also, I occasionally do waterless car washes when the car's not too filthy. I start by removing all surface dust with the 2 California Dusters, then I spray the car with the Qwik Detail (available cheap at Wal-Mart as are the Dusters), and wipe it down with a clean terry cloth. The car looks as if it was just washed, and I can clean it in 3-5 minutes.

TToby

for the other stuff...but not for the wheels.

The tire dressing I use mixes with the brake dust and coats the wheels with black greasy slime. I figured that the duster wouldn't work well in this case.

Thanks for the duster and other tips. I keep quick detailer and clean cloth with me as well.

Could car manufacturers make the pads and wheels with like charges? Then the two would repel each other, keeping the dust to a minimum. Yea, I know it's a crazy idea.

STTeve R

One small duster, used just for the wheels, is a quick and easy solution. When I have the time, I go back to cleaning them with a throwaway cloth. It takes longer but I think my "blue moon" TT is worth it. I can think of many other things that I would not rather be doing than giving some "sweet attention" to my car.

Dave G

Best Heavy Brake Dust Remover is just Windex (nt)

Brad Willis

Regular Windex contains ammonia D. I think that the "D" stands for destruction of your wheels' clearcoat. I believe that the best cleaner for your wheels is a good stream of water, gentle soap, and a broad, soft brush. I also think that the aforementioned California Duster is by far the easiest and cleanest way of keeping your wheels clean inbetween washings.

There is a large Duster and a liTTle Duster (I think that sTTeve R used the small one on his wheels). You should probably use the larger one for the wheels. The width of the larger Duster's head fills the gap between the optional 17" TT wheel's spokes perfectly. You could not have designed the size any beTTer, so it makes it really easy to get inbetween those spokes (and works great on the exhaust tip too). Also, the bigger Duster's longer handle will make the cleaning easier and prevent you from doing as much stooping. Once again, don't use the same one on your paint, buy two (they're cheap, and no I don't own stock in the company).

Rob

Brad, thanks for the advice you gave on this subject a while ago. On my way home from picking up my TTQ two weeks ago, I stopped at K-Mart and picked up 2 large dusters and one small...I second your opinion that these things work great; just a quick wipe across the TTQ with one large, wheels with the other large, and inside with the little one, and in the space of about 10 minutes the TTQ is shining. Also picked up Meguiar's too, for those in between times. Total cost: maybe $20-25 for a nice, clean TT!

FYI, If you want some very good cleaning/waxing products and supplies, suggest you try Griot's Garage...always had great luck with them with my Porsches.<ul><li><a href="http://www.griotsgarage.com">http://www.griotsgarage.com</a</li></ul>