Very persistant brake dust!

Anyone else have any experience with Carbotech brakes and the associated dust? I've got a set for my GTI for the track, XP10's for the front and XP8's for the rear. Since I'm going to the track in a week I installed them for the first time to get them bedded in and such. All I can say is wow...they work fantastic and I can't wait to get them out on the track for the first time. And of course my car also now sounds like a bus when I stop, they squeal like crazy. The only issue I've had with them though is the brake dust...it does NOT want to wash off wheels. I used CG Diablo 10:1 which did a pretty good job of getting months worth of baked on brake just off a Volvo's wheels, but didn't seem to work very well on only week's worth of Carbotech dust. I used the Raceglaze brushes and agitated every inch of my wheels. (TSW Nurburgring's, matte finish so at least you can't see the dust) Even so, when I went to dry them my microfiber came up filthy!

So now I'm confused...the brake dust buildup washed off my painted calipers just fine, but seemed to stick to the wheel finish like glue. Is it perhaps because the matte finish wheels don't feel as "smooth" as a painted/clear-coated wheel would be, therefore leaving a more "rough" surface for the dust to adhere to? Or is it just the nature of aggressive track brakes? Admittedly I hadn't applied any protection other than Eagle1 Keep Wheels Clean, and of course that didn't cover the entire wheel surface. This issue just intrigued me and I figured I'd ask. I've applied Collinite 845 to the wheels for now, just to be safe.

Thanks,

Clark

 

I would not say its the nature of all "track pads" , I have performance friction pads on my car and I get minimal dust and they are super aggressive pads, far more then anything I have ever used. My suggestion is this (and it requires some labor) run a street set up, and have a track set up, and the day before the track event swap them out, maybe even go as far as a second set of rotors, again just my suggestion; Sadly I am not too familiar with Carbotech, but they are very good pads.

 

Mix a stronger solution of Diablo and you should be fine. The racing pads are going to produce more dust than your stock ones so by the time you get to washing your car there is a heavier layer of it on the wheels.

 

That's what I've got, I have PBR front pads and Textar rear pads for the street, both ceramics. But since I already had the wheels off for brake bleeding and my OEM brakes were dead from the last track day I figured I'd just mount the track pads and get used to them a bit. Normally they won't be on the car for more than a week at a time.

And yes, next time I will be using a stronger dilution of Diablo, although hopefully the coat of 845 that is on them now will make maintaining them eaiser.

 

Hey Clark-

Have you tried any other cleaners on the wheels? AG CWC or Sonax FE or Opt PC? Those might work better for you.

Did you notice 845 putting a gloss on the wheels?

 

PBR (axxis pads) are great pads, which ones did you get?

 

I have not tried those...but next time I'll try a stronger dilution of Diablo and if that doesn't work I'll probably order some AG CWC or Sonax.

As far as the 845 putting a gloss on them...there may have been a slight gloss (I applied it at night in a poorly lit garage) but by the time I saw them in the daylight they already had a coat of brake dust on them so there's no telling haha.

I'm not sure, it just says "ceramic" on the box. They're street pads, I know that much. I would have got a full set of PBR's but they don't make a rear ceramic for the GTI, so I went with Textars in the rear instead.

 

I've used alot of different race pads including the carbotech xp, hawk dtc, cobalt xr series. The carbotechs actually have the most gentle brake dust in its class. This will strip any and all protection you have on the wheels, but I've found automotive brake and parts cleaner to work quite well. It's essentially an alcohol and solvent mixed together.

 

Sonax FE will not pull ceramic brake dust, its good for iron brake dust
maybe get p21s wheel cleaner if you need something hard hitting for ceramics

 

Honestly I have a set of matte black wheels and I put 2-3 layers of BF All Metal Sealant on the barrels and cleaning the brake dust out has never been easier. Sure it might leave a slight gloss at first but it goes away quick. And using a QD after each wash helps too. I usually end up just using soap and water to clean my wheels. Rarely do I ever reach for Sonax.