Brake dust on my tire rims?

BenchmadeBoy

BenchmadeBoy

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Sep 4, 2005
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Hi. I have a 2007 Ranger that I purchased used a couple months ago. Today someone at work said I had lots of brake dust on my front rims. Indeed my front rims are black with a thin film of dust. Is this something to be concerned about? There seem to be no abnormal sounds/sensations from my brakes and no issues with stopping or normal braking. Any help is appreciated.:confused:
 
From my experience excessive dust like that usually means the pads are or have been dragging. A little dust is normal. They might rub and still feel ok. You might want to pull a wheel and check them out, the inner and out pads should be wearing evenly. You could also put your hand near the wheel once you stop driving to see if they are running unusually hot. Do the pads or calipers look new? Perhaps the previous owner had a problem and replaced them before selling and forgot to clean up the rims (if you bought from a private owner, I doubt a dealer wouldn't miss that).
 
Now that you mention it, there has been some slight noise and sensation, a dragging as you describe. Not all the time though. I put it off as road noise from the tires (they are a more aggressive tread than my previous truck tires). Could the calipers be stuck or not releasing all the way? I appreciate the suggestion. Maybe I will pull a wheel and have a look. Anyone else?

edit: truck was purchased through a dealer and passed safety, if that means anything. Overall it is in excellent shape with low mileage.
 
some dust is normal and to be expected but there shouldnt be a lot unless ya really drive aggressively with a lotta heavy brake use.

if ya dont wash it much it can accumulate over a few weeks too.
 
Brake dust is normal and builds up rather fast, especially on a heavier vehicle. Not only that, but just plain dust from the tire rubber and road collect on the rims.
 
This is pretty normal for Fords. I have had several and all of them collect alot more crap on the front wheels than most vehivles. I have friends who live in very hilly areas and theirs always look that way.
 
If your rim is a honeycomb or some other complex pattern, brake dust will be more visible then a plain flat style. As noted, vehicle weight and driving style play a huge role in dust accumulation (and fuel milage).

I would take a front wheel off and look at the rotor for even wear and the pads to ease any concern you may have. If the rotor is uneven or grooved, one of the brake shops should be able to fix everything for less then $100 as long as you don't need a new rotor.

Also, some cheap pads really wear fast. If the old pads were worn out, it is possible the previous owner put some cheap bad quality pads on.
 
Brake dust is normal like everyone has mentioned. You do want to clean it off periodically, because the acts as a corrosive agent on the finish of your rims. Over time, if you seldom clean the brake dust, it will also be harder to remove.
 
The longer you let the dust sit on a rim, the harder it is to clean. If it were just one front rim with excessive dust, I would say a caliper is not sliding on the slides properly but if it's on both rims, seems normal for certain vehicles. Doesn't hurt to pull a rim and look.

Your rear brakes are probably the culprit. Rear pads or shoes (whatever you have) are much smaller than the fronts and only account for like 30% of your stopping power. If they are worn or not adjusted up, the fronts take up the slack causing them to wear fast. This could be why you have so much brake dust on the fronts.
 
The hardness and compound/composition of the pads will make a big difference in the amount of dust generated. Most factory and factory replacement pads are of a softer composition. One reason for this is they are more effective when cold. In my Cobra, I run Hawk HSP+ competition pads up front with Stillen multi piston calipers and Brembo rotors. They grab like crazy, with absolutely no fade once they're hot. Stone cold, they aren't as effective as the softer street pads, and care must be given until they reach proper operating temperatures.

One important step in installing new pads. Bed them in appropriately. You want a micro thin layer of pad to transfer and adhere to the rotor. A google search on bedding in pads will give you some good information, and it does make a difference in both performance and extending life of the pads regardless of the pad composition.
 
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Some high performance pads (not anything like carbon ceramic) also tend to produce a lot of dust.
 
65535 said:
Some high performance pads (not anything like carbon ceramic) also tend to produce a lot of dust.
Click to expand...

This is true, with exceptions. The HPS+ pads I run produce minimal dust (less than the pads on my other two trucks and car produce), even after a bout of spirited track time. They are a ferro-carbon composition. In educating myself about the best pad/caliper/rotor set ups, one thing kept coming back to the top: Bed your new pads properly. The process involves getting the fresh pads extremely hot, with cool down times in between with your foot off the brake. Leaving your foot on the brake when the rotors are hot will cause an additional layer of pad material to adhere to the rotor. This is a repetitive process, beginning with some hot stops, cool downs and followed up with additional stops and different pedal pressures. For track performance, you also want to change out all the rubber brake lines with stainless, and load the system with a high temp synthetic fluid.

For the daily driver, getting a good bed in your pads can consist of something as easy as finding a long interstate exit ramp, coming in hot, and doing a hard short-stop. Hard enough to get your ABS to notice. Then pull off to the side of the road and give your rotors time to cool down, cool enough to touch, before putting your foot on the brake pedal again.

To me, any little thing I can do to help increase performance and the life and effectiveness of the pads is worth my time. Kinda like knives...tinker with them until they're right where ya want them! :)
 
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