OK, it's silly I know, but I can't stand the brake dust accumulating on the wheels. I like shiny clean Jaguars for some reason.

So, the question is not how to clean the dust, I can do that just fine with any number of products out there, my question is how to prevent the dust in the first place? What brand of brake pad is better/worse- is there a coating or something I can use to prevent the build up from sticking?

 

Ceramic pads are what you want.

 

The bad things about ceramic pads, is that they take a bit longer to get to operating temperature, and they will wear out your expensive rotors about twice as fast......Now you know the whole story. I love clean wheels too, and use one level below ceramic pads called semi metalic pads, and wipe off my wheels every couple of days with some Honda motorcycle cleaner, and a soft rag. They also make covers for inside of your wheels, to keep out the dust, but I like being able to look through my nice wheels at my pretty red painted calipers. There aren't really any shortcuts to keeping a car clean......Mike

 

Ceramic pads are what you want. I will admit that there is additional rotor wear due to the harder material of the ceramic pads. But, in most cases, you are wearing down the rotors much faster by getting them turned than from the actual wear from the pad. You will find that with ceramic pads, you will be able to go through 2 sets of pads before needing to replace the rotors.

On the good side, the dust will be about next to none.

 

Most shops and manufacturers don't recommend turning the rotors anymore, because of the liability of diminished braking efficiency. The only way you stop a car is converting rotating energy to frictional energy, to heat. If you have less material on the rotors, they cannot get rid of the heat fast enough, causing brake fade, and warped rotors, sometimes leading to accidents and death. This has been the standard since before I got out of the car biz, in 95, especially at luxury car dealerships. I haven't even seen an old aamco brake lathe in a long time, except at an indy's shop.

 

I used EBC Reds on my car and was very happy with their performance and lack of dust. I then bought the Brakemotive slotted and cross drilled rotors and pads off E-Bay. Those pads worked really well too and had hardly any dust. Paid like $182 for all that including delivery and I received them in two days. Had them on my car for 3 years and was still going strong. Great deal. The box weighed 62 pounds, so the shipping couldn't have been cheap. They are only $159 for the rotors and pads on E-Bay right now.

 

Cleaning the dust off those wires ever other day is getting a little old. We go to 2 car nights a week, and my JNKYDKAT has to look perfect, since I am always sitting next to a black on black 100th anniversary XKR, drinking cinnamon whiskey with him, in our lawn chairs, eating Mexican food. I guess the jelloshots out of the bosoms of a friendly girl was a one time thing....Damn it.....Thanks Alfadude.......The set on Ebay is now mine, but they have more left......Mike

 

I would recommend a set of EBC redstuff pads, they have a ceramic coating on the pad and they warm up quickly enough on UK roads. I've got them on my X-Type and the lack of brake dust compared to my XKR's Pagid pads is great! I also polish my wheels, Auto Glym Super Resin polish is fine for this and seal with a couple of coats of Poorboys Wheel sealant to keep them looking shinier for longer.

 

Hey, thanks guys! That certainly gives me something to think about. It sounds to me like I might want to look more into the Brakemotive pads and slotted rotors.

I know that cleaning comes with the territory, but hey, you know the old saying- "work smarter, not harder"! If I can find a way to reduce the cleaning intervals then all is well, and if in exchange for that I also get a better brake, then more the better.

 

Just in case you all wanted to know what to do with rotors that have the small groove marks on them from normal wear. As long as there is no brake pulsation or warping, and the rotor is above minimum thickness, you are supposed to put the new pads in, and let them wear in. They will usually do this after a number of normal stops. When a shop wants to cut your rotors down, they are essentially making more initial profit for themselves, and know you will be back sooner, because of future warping problems....I am trying the new pads, that you told me about, on my XK8 with the wire wheels, and hoping they will really cut down on the brake dust problem......You can teach an old dog something new......Mike