Has anyone one here use the brake dust sheilds on their trucks? If so how do they help? I saw a pair for the front, for $40, but was wondering if it's worth it.

Thanks for the help,
Matt

 

Can you wait a week? By then I can better answer.
I put them on Sunday. I also put some on the rear, just because I could do that for 10 bucks (some guy on e-bay dumping a bunch of Expy leftovers. The fronts run about 40, with shipping.
I stopped having a bad brake dust problem when I got used to the truck, and started taking my foot off the gas a lot earlier. Truck freewheels like you kicked a clutch in.
Still, there was a little dust, especially after quick stops. I got tired of cleaning the wheels thus the Kleen-Wheels went on.

I did take them out for a serious run on Monday. Lots of hard stops, etc. No dust.
Some are concerned that they might make the rotor run hotter. Nope, they have small air vents, and are far enough away that it's might small point. Lots of air space when they are on.
Chris
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=80288&.jpg

 

Looks good Chris. Let me know what you think, the more you use them. If they don't block 100% of the dust let use know the %, because if it's near 90% that's good anough.

Thanks for the pic and info,
Matt

 

I had them on my FX4 17" rims and have to say the DO work, very well in fact. I would say they block 95%. I didn't get them on my FX4 18" rims I installed because I don't think they look as good on them.

 

It's worth a try, because the break dust is horrible. Wash your truck and 2 days latter their covered in dust.

Thanks for the info guys,
Matt

 

I'm New with this site..I've just got the 2005 FX4, W/18" wheels /4 wheel disk brakes..hate brake dust!!! Tell me more about the brake dust shields..?? where do you get them.. How do you Install them...ect... Thanks, Doug

 

Many of us just cleaned the wheels and then waxed them ( I used Nu Finish) My brake dust just wipes off...or hoses off.

 

I bought some Porterfield brakes pads for the front of mine about 20k miles ago and it really decreased my brake dust problem. They were around $100, but have saved my chrome 20's.

I have heard that the dust shields mentioned above cause overheating of the rotors, but I wouldn't know that for sure first hand.

 

Yeah, I have heard it too, but never from anyone who had actually tested or ran them. I abused the brakes a lot today, and they ran about 240f. Which is the temp the rotors were last time I abused them. Heat gun says the experts are right, and the rumor starters are wrong. Again.

After a week full of hard braking, I tried the 'white glove' inspection. OK, I really just used a Kleenex. No visible brake dust, looking at the wheel, but on the white Kleenex there was the faintest of black powder. This is after abusing the brakes.
Without the Kleen-Wheels abuse like this would have made the wheels look dirty from a distance. Now there is more regular dust (windy week) on the wheels than brake dust.
I'm gonna keep them on it. They will save their cost in a few weeks of not spraying chemicals on it. The NXT wax on the wheels still looks crisp, something that washing the rims with any kind of chemical ruins.
Chris

 

Thanks for the info guys, I might try some wax on my rims till I get some sheilds in.

-Matt-

 

I would seriously consider avoiding these if you do a lot of urban driving. I have heard people getting more frequently warped rotors due to heat build up, on all types of cars. I hardly think it's that bad to clean a rim, particulary the 5 spoke deals that come on most of these trucks. Just make sure you switch to a low-dust pad when you have the brakes done, it makes a HUGE difference.

BTW..dish detergent is excellent at removing brakes dust. Just don't forget to re-wax the wheels (if this is something you do) and let the rims cool down a lot before washing them. No need for caustic chemicals.

 

ReForder, how about posting any link to this? I checked with the BBB and even CSU, and they said 0 evidence of this. I also took a little time to search for it on the net.
Before all makers started selling us 'mag' wheels, we used to use round disk rims, and on things like motor homes and large trucks they still primarily use round wheels. Many cars used to have something call hubcaps, that also cover the entire metal center. No one ever had heating problems from putting on hub caps, or steel wheels. The idea that wheels cool better because they have large holes in them is mostly because people do not understand the laws of thermodynamics.
Find ANY evidence of any problem with heating, and please post the link.
Also, dish detergent, etc is far to harsh for treating tires. It removes tire dressing, wax from the rims, etc. That is why we use dish detergent as a wax remover when detailing cars.

Thank you
Chris

 

not to split hairs chris, but washing the rims with dish detergent, NOT DISHWASHER DETERGENT, is not harsh on a wheel. No more so than the mag wheel cleaners available today, which are mostly based on an acid component. And more to the point, i don't wash the tire with the same sponge or brush i use on my rims. All that silicon crap contaminates the rims and makes the cleaning sponge almost unusable. Also, after applying the dressing to the tires, I wipe the entire surface of the rim down with a cloth that was formerly used to wax the rest of the car. I change this cloth every few month or so to keep it fresh. This will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce brake dust accumulation on the rim, as that tire gunk acts like honey on a rim, perfect for the dust to stick to. I had a small auto detailing business all through college and had very very good results with this method. Most of these cars came to me with baked on brake dust.

Now, as for the overheating. I said "urban" driving. and despite the prevalence of the internet, these conversations were with live people at various swap meets or shows i used to attend. Just because it's not on the internet doesn't mean it doesn't have some essence of truth. and it's not the large holes in the rims that allow cooling, it's more often the shape of the wheel that contributes to brake cooling, along with ducting or vents provided on the inside of the wheel well. As for hubcabs, I'm 35 years old, i know what they are. and who's to say they never contributed to brake problems? Only thing they were good for was hiding brake dust build up on steel wheels.

Moral of the story, don't rely on internet evidence to dispute something that is discussed among car enthusiasts. We all have our experiences and tips to share. I was not personally attacking the wheel guard thingies, just stating an opinion. Sorry if this sounded offensive, non was meant.

Tony P.

 

Sure Tony, no offense taken.

Now for the required 'old guy to young guy' rant;

Listin Up, Sonny, (thumping my cane and leaning forward in the rocking chair) I were a gol-dang service writer for Ford about the time you were coming out of diapers.

Thumping floor again for emphasis;
I have spent 30 of the years in betwixt working in the auto mo bile industry, dag-nab-it. Sold enough autoparts to sink a battleship, by cracky.

Dun been a furrin car guy, with a dozen or so of them thar Limey cars, and dun been a quarter milin race car kinda guy with a couple six wins.
Mu partner did most uh the drivin stuff, I just wrenched, cuz he was a spry young cracker of 30.

Even pit crewed on weekends for a little time for a well known lady driver.
I usta be able to take down a 426 Hemi fer the tech inspection, quickern you kin spit.
And I'sa gotta tell ya, if'in you all can't a document it, it aint spit.
Leaning back in rocking chair, and glaring.


sorta seriously, spend a little time at a shooting range, or gun club. There is no damn lie you won't hear. And pit side at the races, well, they make fishermen seem terribly honest.

I really do have the mentioned experiance, plus a few years owning a computer building firm, after I got sick and tired of Federal/State idiocy in the automotive fields.

I have over four hundred shop books here in the room I am typing from, plus the latest Michells CD,s The Ford F-150 Cd, etc. etc. and frankly, I get better info from the forums than from most of the books...

Proof furnished on demand on my books, manuals, etc any time you would like. Hell, you can even come over and look things up if you want. Half my neighborhood does now...

Oh, and the best soap for removing wax is Dawn. Look it up. Never heard of anyone using dishwasher soap for anything but dishwashers...
Chris, the old coot.

 

I just noticed you are posting from Mass.

I live on the outskirts of the LA basin. Heaviest, fastest city traffic in the world. I also live at in a very hot desert, at high altitude. We have the fastest, slowest hottest freeway driving in the world.
You may have heard of the LA freeways?
I drive there several times a week, and used to have to drive it every day. 80 to 0 to 80 to 0. Last time I went to the center of LA it was 95 degrees, and traffic was surging between 80 and about 5, for 50 of the 98 miles each way.
Brakes last about 1/2 normal life span here, and most drivers put between 15-30 k on their cars every year. My neigbor works in Torrence Thats 96 miles away. He commutes every day. Lots of people do here. That is urban driving.
Chris