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Brake Dust Slurry on Rims after wash


TonyGSXR

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Hello All,

I have an '08 Corvette Z06. I have always had trouble with keeping the wheels clean right after washing. No matter how much wheel cleaner and water I rinse the discs and calipers I end up spraying brake dust slurry all over the rim upon driving the vehical the first time.

 

Any comments are welcome.

 

PS, I have only been using Adam's products for a couple of carwashes but am totally in love with them. The window cleaner and microfiber towels do an awesome job on the windows. I have tried other microfiber towels and they end up shedding all over the windows. Also, spritzing the just washed, still wet, vehical with the detail spray also works fantastic when drying.

 

Thanks,

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23 answers to this question

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The GM pads are terrible as stated previously. Not much to do except switch to an aftermarket pad. I have not done this yet, my pads are still good.

 

I have MSW'd my rims in an effort to help with cleanup and it works well. I spray them down with GWC and then wash the wheels. I also use air, I am using a metro blaster sidekick and it works well.

 

After I wipe and blow dry my wheels/rotors/calipers, I will move the car around a little very slowly in my driveway while applying the brakes...this will help get rid of the rust that will build up on your rotors after washing.

 

I then, pull back into the garage and wipe down the orange dust that will be on the rims.

 

Go out for a drive and then have to wipe all that d@mn brake dust off of them again...even after a short 2 mile drive.

 

It is a never ending battle...one day I will wise up and bite the bullet and just get a set of carbotech one piece pads and be done with it...

 

Hope this helps ya out fellow ZO6 owner and Adam's user!

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One thing I have found with crossed drilled rotors is to move the car forward or backwards enough to expose the holes that are covered by the calipers.

This may seem tedious but those little holes will hold brake dust and being able too clean them out with some GWC and water blast will help reduce the slurry.

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look into the Hawk HPS brake pads. they are a ferro-compound and produce very little brake dust. they will also give you better stopping power, not that you'll need it in a Z06...

 

GM puts semi-metallic pads on every car except the ZR-1 which are horrible brake dust generators!

 

ohh, and welcome to the site!

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Thanks everyone for all of the comments. :2thumbs:

 

Yes, the Z06 has HUGE cross drilled rotors up front and they put out a ton of dust. Even not considering the "slurry" after washing, there will typically be a noticeable dusting on the front rims after only 50 or so miles. floraneg, I agree, I want to wash it nearly every day to keep the wheels nice.

 

I'll definitely try a blower or compressed air. I have also tried just letting the vehicle sit for an hour or two after washing to allow the slurry to dry and it usually improves the situation. I prefer not to do this because it is nice to take it out for a quick spin to get rid of any pooled or collected water.

 

Thanks again for all of the great comments.

 

I have an 09 Vette convertible with the F55 suspension / cross drilled rotors.

 

The sludge is so bad sometimes I don't wash the wheels to avoid the sludge. I just hit them with DS. Yes, it's that crazy.

 

I use the Adams GWC and flush the rotors with tons of water, nothing works, nothing. I almost want to sell the car because of the brake rotor sludge.

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Thanks everyone for all of the comments. :2thumbs:

 

Yes, the Z06 has HUGE cross drilled rotors up front and they put out a ton of dust. Even not considering the "slurry" after washing, there will typically be a noticeable dusting on the front rims after only 50 or so miles. floraneg, I agree, I want to wash it nearly every day to keep the wheels nice.

 

I'll definitely try a blower or compressed air. I have also tried just letting the vehicle sit for an hour or two after washing to allow the slurry to dry and it usually improves the situation. I prefer not to do this because it is nice to take it out for a quick spin to get rid of any pooled or collected water.

 

Thanks again for all of the great comments.

 

Keep us updated Tony!:cheers:

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Thanks everyone for all of the comments. :2thumbs:

 

Yes, the Z06 has HUGE cross drilled rotors up front and they put out a ton of dust. Even not considering the "slurry" after washing, there will typically be a noticeable dusting on the front rims after only 50 or so miles. floraneg, I agree, I want to wash it nearly every day to keep the wheels nice.

 

I'll definitely try a blower or compressed air. I have also tried just letting the vehicle sit for an hour or two after washing to allow the slurry to dry and it usually improves the situation. I prefer not to do this because it is nice to take it out for a quick spin to get rid of any pooled or collected water.

 

Thanks again for all of the great comments.

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Your Vette probably has Brembos as does my SRT8. I would not use any other pad besides Brembo - yea the others my not be as dusty and more quiet - stay OEM. Would you use my Dodge coolant in you GM ?

I know the "slurry" you speak of ( brake dust on the rotors ) - hose the rotors when you do wheels - blow dry and give it a final wipe down with an old towel. I wax my wheels about 1x every 6 weeks; this makes for an easier clean.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Just to note, Corvette's do not use Brembo's, just good ol GM brakes and ridiculously dusty pads.

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One of my very first "Ah ha, this Adam guy knows what he's talking about" came after I watched one of his older videos and he made a point of washing the wheels FRIST, before doing the rest of the car. Before I would always do the wheels LAST, and I had that same wheel dirt slurry issue. But when you wash the wheels first (with a separate water/towels/brushes, etc that you won't cross contaminate the paint) you'll find that all the slurry gets washed away while you're washing and rinsing the rest of the car.

 

It's also double-effective if you do the wheels properly with Green Wheel Cleaner, rinse, and then -- in the course of the general car wash -- hit the wheels again with the foaming soap sprayer. that gets a second soapy solution in among all the spokes and all and helps clear away any hard-to-reach dirt/residue that may have pooled in the wheels.

 

I hope this helps. :thumbsup:

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Your Vette probably has Brembos as does my SRT8. I would not use any other pad besides Brembo - yea the others my not be as dusty and more quiet - stay OEM. Would you use my Dodge coolant in you GM ?

I know the "slurry" you speak of ( brake dust on the rotors ) - hose the rotors when you do wheels - blow dry and give it a final wipe down with an old towel. I wax my wheels about 1x every 6 weeks; this makes for an easier clean.

Just my 2 cents.

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I have a 2008 Z06 myself along with a new 2010 Camaro SS and the break pads GM uses are terrible. I replaced them with ceramic pads and layered wax on the wheels and have maybe 20% of the problem I had at first. You think your Z06 has a problem you should own a Mercedes. My wife has a GL450 and the break dust will have you thinking of taking your own life with a butter knife. Nothing seems to work with Mercedes other than washing DAILY!!! I pull my hair out every time I pull into the drive way and see the rims. It drives me CRAZY!!!:willy:

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I typically blow dry the wheels with a leaf blower and I haven't had the issue you describe, that may be the trick. More often then not I do miss a spot on the wheels though. grr...

:iagree:

 

You may be running into extra brake dust due to the Z06 having cross drilled rotors, the holes tent to shave the pads quicker creating more dust. Just my .02

 

I don't and have never had cross drilled rotors but i'm almost positive they are standard on Z06's.. Maybe someone else with cross drilled rotors can chime in on my thinking.

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