Brake dust, track pads!

[trackdao]

I'm trying to keep my PP2 wheels clean. Searched but no latest ways, compounds, sprays, protectants, to easily clean these wheels from track pad dust! I'm on G-LOC 12/10 and I swap track tires/wheels on location. But of course other times just coats my stock wheels. I really don't want to switch pads, too much hassle. Suggestions?

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

Some guys I run with ceramic coat their wheels and say brake dust doesn’t stick to it, washes off easily. Haven’t tried it myself.

 

[JDee]

Just part of the game, I pull them off, wash and thoroughly inspect wheels within a day of doing a track day. That stuff turns to concrete pretty quick and then it's a bear to get off. I've tried just about everything and there's no substitute for a collection of brushes, small tools for nooks and crannies and arm power. Just don't let it sit more than a day, gets far worse to remove quickly.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

As JDee said, brake dust is part of the racing game, but I have to admit I am not as fastidious as the Canadian Flash! He notes he is the " Ancient Racer " whereas I am the Old Ford Automotive Racing Terror ( F.A.R.T. ) and I think I have a few months of experience over him, so I must interject this, as one lazy old geezer. After a track event, the bones and muscles ache, it is time for a straight up shot of Pendleton ( heh, JDee that is a Canadian Whisky ) and the easy chair. My assortment of brushes, scrubbers , cleaners, etc. will get a good nights sleep along with me, and I might decide to go clean my wheels in a day, or a week , or ....... Part of the reason I am a bit more cavalier is because I have been amazed at how easy it is to clean my Apex rims with a little soap and water, and I also believe it might be the type of dust I get from my G-Loc pads. Who knows, but that was another reason I did not like Hawks , they left nasty residue in my estimation. Anyway, just throwing this out there since cleanup is always necessary, but if you are more akin to the Nodding Nebraskan than the Clean Canadian after a race , buy some Apex wheels, use a set of G-Locs or maybe our new site sponsors EBCs ( they have been known for years to be a bit lower on the dust scale than others ) and you may not have dust set like concrete on those aluminum racing tire holders!

 

[302BOB]

Brake dust.........never even knew about brake dust back in my hubcap days.......But then I had to go and buy that brand new 2001 Crown Vic with those fancy alloy wheels.........That's when my brake dust experience began..........keeping those alloy wheels free of brake dust became a never ending obsession which was a no win battle........do they even make cars with hubcaps anymore??................

 

[trackdao]

As JDee said, brake dust is part of the racing game, but I have to admit I am not as fastidious as the Canadian Flash! He notes he is the " Ancient Racer " whereas I am the Old Ford Automotive Racing Terror ( F.A.R.T. ) and I think I have a few months of experience over him, so I must interject this as one lazy old geezer. After a track event, the bones and muscles ache, it is time for a straight up shot of Pendleton ( heh, JDee that is a Canadian Whisky ) and the easy chair. My assortment of brushes, scrubbers , cleaners, etc. will get a good nights sleep along with me, and I might decide to go clean my wheels in a day, or a week , or ....... Part of the reason I am a bit more cavalier is because I have been amazed at how easy it is to clean my Apex rims with a little soap and water, and I also believe it might be the type of dust I get from my G-Loc pads. Who knows, but that was another reason I did not like Hawks , they left a nasty residue in my estimation. Anyway, just throwing this out there since cleanup is always necessary, but if you are more akin to the Nodding Nebraskan than the Clean Canadian after a race , buy some Apex wheels, use a set of G-Locs or maybe our new site sponsors EBCs ( they have been known for years to be a bit lower on the dust scale than others ) and you may not have concrete set in on those aluminum racing tire holders!

Good to know G-LOCs are easier to clean, ran Hawks before and they were a pain in the arse to remove. Good suggestion by @JDee though to clean after each track use. I might try Simple Green first, that stuff does wonders on chain grime, dirt, on my mtn bikes.

 

[302BOB]

Brake dust..............that's proof they're working and wearing out...............no body said this would be pleasant.......see the manager at the Continental if you have issues....John Wick may help you out.............yeah...........................

 

[mwjscn]

I've used this stuff for a couple years now and it seems to work pretty well. Rinse, spray on, agitate with a wheel brush, wait for it to turn pink/purple (it reacts with metal brake compound dust, so ceramic dust won't make it turn a color), rinse off. If you want a show-finish, doing a pass after the final rinse with a 'wheel duty' (read: cheap) microfiber towel leaves them spotless. This brand is starting to become more widely available on your popular online retailer websites and physical auto stores, so it should be easy to find. They have a regular version (green) and a heavy duty version, which is the flavor I find I like. I'm sure there are also other wheel cleaners from the other popular brands that react and lift off metallic brake dust particles as well.

 

[k98dave]

Just need to wash wheels as soon as your done with track day. Wax or ceramic coat will make cleaning easier. BTW EBC's are pretty much dust free on street but not when used hard on the track, I ran them on Miata and other cars and they worked great but dust just a bad as Hawks.

 

[mikeD4V]

Forced air (battery powered leaf blower or compressed air) between sessions can help with dust management.

+1 on the apex wheels finish, they are easy to clean. GLoc and Ferodo dust does not stick well to them.

 

[KazarS197]

This stuff has me curious. It's supposed to be heat resistant. If I can find a can locally I'll try in the wheel barrel first just to see what it does.

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Teflon-Non-Stick/dp/B003UTX0R8?th=1

The track was wet off and on over my last track weekend which just made everything cake on. I literally had to pressure was off the brake dust and rubber then wash. Something will be going on the wheels before memorial day weekend...

 

[mwjscn]

This stuff has me curious.

I've used high temperature teflon spray, but for vacuum form bucks. If you do use it, make sure you're wearing a legit respirator mask (3M with canisters) while you spray even if you're outdoors and keep it off your skin. Stuff will mess you up if you get it in your system.

 

[JAL racing]

Some guys I run with ceramic coat their wheels and say brake dust doesn’t stick to it, washes off easily. Haven’t tried it myself.

I've put two coats of ceramic coating on freshly refinished wheels. No change. HAWK DTC-70 dust caked on nooks and crannies took so much work to clean I actually damaged the finish.
Now I accept that track wheels will not stay really nice with the aggressive pad compounds that send super hot particles fuse into the clear coat. I keep reminding myself it's a track car, not a show car. But it is such a good looking car!

 

[Cornerz]

I forgot to get the wheels washed after a recent track day running DTC-60 pads. After it rained, my fronts were completely out of balance! I ended up using a 4 to 1 solution of water to muriatic acid to clean them off. There were flakes of material stuck to the lower spokes. Not going to make that mistake again.

 

[JDee]

No matter what you're using for pads, the day after a track day the car should be put up on the lift and the wheels removed. Then do a thorough inspection of the brake system and the wheels.
I like to dry wipe my wheels down, especially in the nooks and crannies, to get most of the brake dust off before I wash them. Then after washing I go over them again to check for anything abnormal. Dry wiping the dust off seems to prevent the cement like build up of brake dust.
Prolly I should wear a respirator, but usually it's hot so that gets forgotten.

 

[stevbd]

I’ve found good old fashioned Bar Keepers Friend works better than any of the specialty brake dust removal products I’ve tried. It’s generally benign but do be careful to use it within reason, if you really go at it you can damage the finish. Test first. I also use gloc and really like them but like others have said they create plenty of dust also, which cakes on worse with moisture. I also buy my track wheels in black lol. Good luck.

 

[Vettel-ish]

AMMO Gelee Pro Wheel & Metal Coat

Strong heat resistant protection (5x more solids) Simple wipe-on formula Makes cleaning your wheels easier Excellent for any metal trim (cars & boats) Great on exhaust tips * INCLUDES 1 MF APPLICATOR Gelee Pro Wheel & Metal Coat is designed for wheels (painted and non-painted), calipers, exhaust...

ammonyc.com

Highly recommend this. Works perfect and its easy to apply. When I come back from a track weekend the wheels are bronze in color from all the brake dust.
Just hit them with a little wheel cleaner and a brush. Stuff comes right off.

 

[Hobdul]

Forced air (battery powered leaf blower or compressed air) between sessions can help with dust management.

+1 on the apex wheels finish, they are easy to clean. GLoc and Ferodo dust does not stick well to them.

My mechanic recommended this as well: let the brakes cool a bit after a session, and then use a leaf blower to blow off the brake dust, moving the car slightly to also get the dust under the calipers.

 

[KazarS197]

Turtle Wax Flex Graphene is good stuff!
After track day dirty. G-loc 12 pads.

Rinsed.

Washed. Literally 5 minutes with a cloth. Some heavy stuff in the corners - either rubbed with finger or fingernail.

 

[KazarS197]

Right has Graphene - I will use gloves the next time. Hard to get the stuff off your hands. I almost dropped a wheel. Left just washed. Definitely a difference. My new used 18x11 FlowOne F2's for slicks.