i know it sounds trivial. Just got done putting new calipers, rotors, bearings, ball joints ect.... on my '97 F-350 and i forgot to put the dust shield back on(i think thats what its called). Sooo........... that means i gotta take the rotors/calipers back off and then reset the bearing pre-load once again if i wanna put the shields back on.

Are they really Necessary? im fairly lazy but if they are needed, i will put them back on. i was just thinking i could leave em off until my next brake job, when i got the rotors off again, and then putem back on at that time?

 

You will get arguments from both sides. I keep them on mine, but a friend of mine has never had them on his & he has never had any problems with anything through the years. I think if mine were rotted out I wouldn't replace them.

 

Well, considering the fact that the car companies are always trying to reduce their costs and that for some reason, they have decided the shield is important, I would put the shields on.

 

I'm not sure about yours, but on my older trucks they have scoop to push air across the rotor, so unless I'm missing something, I think they are more about cooling than keeping junk in or out (although they certainly do that also). If you are dragging around some loaded trailer like I guess you are, the last thing you want is overheated brakes. It all depends on how hard you are working the brakes, you can work em harder and longer before heat failure with the plates.

 

yep, they got a little vent opening on them. i gave in and put them back on. it just kept eating away at me every time a saw them sitting there in the garage lol. at least i got some more practice setting bearing preload.

 

dont run them if you use the truck offroad alot, rocks and mud like to build up in there, especially rocks

 

They are there to keep normal road debris off the pad and rotor, including oil trhown up from teh road. Especially helpful keeping things from wedging between the rotor and caliper. You should keep them on unless you are into off roading a lot.

One of the worse things, imo, is to drive through newly laid hot top and getting the small stones stuck between the shield and rotor. That has happened more then once with me.

 

The dust brake shield help to keep the dust and mud and debri off your rotors. I would leave them on.