I am tired of cleaning my rims. The front rims get so black if I do not stay on top of them. Any suggestions as to whether I should invest in dust free brake pads would be appreciated. If you know where I could get them for a good price that would also be appreciated. I live north of D.C.

How much time would it take if I go this done on my way to SC?

Thanks,
Paula

 

There is antistatic or some such rim polish that lets the dust fall off.

 

Hawk ceramics are great....very little dust and it's white.

 

Absolutely agree with the Hawk pads. I have had them on my 2005 XKR Coupe for two years and they have been great. Excellent stopping performance, no noise and hardly any dust at all.

 

For sure ceramics solved the problem. No more wheel schmutz.

 

What kind of cost am I looking at?

 

Changing pads is pretty simple so you should be able to save labor costs. Pads run between $100 and $200 per set of four depending on what you buy.

 

My 2000 XK8 came with wheel inserts that block the brake dust from reaching the wheels. I've never heard anyone else comment on having them. They appear to be OEM...

If you have fancy calipers you wouldn't want them but for the garden variety brakes that are nothing to look at the Spats work very effectively.

 

You may have aftermarket dust shields. They cover the caliper and rotor disc and are designed to prevent pad dust from dirtying the wheels. Because they hide the rotor and caliper, IMO they also detract from the overall look of the wheel. Plus they limit the amount of circulating air available to cool the brakes.

Brake dust shields shown below are for a Mercedes.

 

Ha! That's them, right down to the little vents.

For what it's worth, they do an excellent job. Given the number of dirty wheels I see on Mercedes more people should have them!

 

Akebono Euro ceramics, about $75 each end for a set, try partsgeek. I've got these on my car, been great for me.

 

+1 for the akebonos. Great ceramics; car stops as great as ever and these are known as the least "dusting" ceramics out there. As a bonus, the little of the dust these have is light silver, so you can't even see it on the wheels if you go a few weeks without a wash.

Other than that, I also always wax my wheels which prevents brake dust buildup, and makes it easier to clean next time around.