WTF?!! severe brake dust

[Kaldar142]

i tracked my mustang over the weekend at summit and used race pads for the first time, while the pads were great (hawk DTC-70) i seem to have some not so great left overs of them on my very expensive Roush wheels....



its this orange crap that is hard and will not come off, i used soap/water, simple green and even a powerwasher. it doesnt come off, my wheel looks orange with this crap on it.



i take very good care of my car and wash my car every 2 days basically, clean the wheels inside and out and regularly wax them. prior to the track day they were sparkly clean, and now this crap.



what do you guys think? i can`t believe this... i have never heard of this or got any type of warning from the people i bought them.



some pictures;



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/JOSEPHZOMG/CIMG0037.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/JOSEPHZOMG/CIMG0041.jpg



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/JOSEPHZOMG/CIMG0035.jpg



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/JOSEPHZOMG/CIMG0039.jpg



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/JOSEPHZOMG/CIMG0036.jpg

[The Enforcer]

man thats aweful looking! you try some meguires APC on it yet? not sure how much you need to water it down, im sure someone more experienced could chime in, but thats what i always see the tough wheel stains comes out with.

[Jim D.]

Simple Green is pretty harsh and can tend to dull the finish while not actually affecting brake dust that much.



Hard to say since the pics are out of focus, but it looks like brake dust that has stuck to the finish (can you say heat?) and the ferrous particles have rusted, leaving an orange stain.



Try a wheel cleaner like Eagle 1 A to Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner, which you can buy at most auto parts stores. Test on one wheel, but it should be safe for the finish. Let it work for 30-60 seconds and you might use a gentle brush while it`s doing its job. Hose off with high pressure, rinse with sudsy rinse of car wash, rinse again and dry.



You might also try an old clay bar which should help remove the particles.



What are the wheels coated with, by the way?



My guess is you may have yourself a set of track wheels.



You might also check with the brake pad people.

[Kaldar142]

they are powder coated black



ill try the cleaner and a brush to get this crap off, any other tips?

[Jim D.]

I still say it looks simply like you have some severe buildup of brake dust and ferrous particles that rusted.



I`d plan on a thorough cleaning and polishing unless you`re headed to the track again soon.



Powder coated finishes can for the most part be treated like paint, unless you got other instructions from the wheel maker or coater.



Start with one wheel and see how the procedure goes..



I`d probably take the wheels off and clean them, just be sure you don`t lay the face on the ground so they get scratched (you can use a couple blocks of wood and lay the wheel/tire assembly on the sidewalls).



Wash with the wheel cleaner and scrub gently but thoroughly while keeping the surfaces wet. Flip the wheel over to do both sides. Rinse with strong pressure, and wash again with a sudsy car wash solution, rinse and dry. Wait a while and see if any rust blooms and clean again if necessary.



I`d clay with an old clay bar and wax with a good cleaner wax.



I`d also use a spray wax for extra gloss and protection, something like FX Spray Wax that you can buy off the shelf and it goes on like a detailer.



Hopefully that`ll work for you.



Tracking a car is hard on the wheels, and powdercoated finishes, though tougher than painted, are not immune to hot ferrous particles. For the track you might consider forged alloys or ceramic coated.

[Meghan P]

Those got nasty, guys are right you are going to end up having to clay them to say the least.

[gofastman]

thats what happens with [all] race pads! They contain a lot of iron. When racing, bits of white-hot pad material is flung onto the wheel at high speed.

you`re gonna need a good wheel cleaner and some elbow grease (and luck).

the E1 stuff is a good start.

Keep the Simple Green away from your wheels! Its not very effetive on brake dust and may stain your them.

A coat of quality wax or sealant does wonders in making your wheels easier to clean.

[silkstone]

those pads generate a great amount of heat-- they are track pads only...(Highest Friction coefficient of any Hawk racing compound.)



As a last resort I would use wd40 or a similar product to release the bond.

[AuAltima3.5]

Pretty sure they are toast, finish wise.



Looks like there is iron that has embedded into the finish. Can you get some clearer macro shots (maybe turn your cam on to macro mode)

[salty]

WOW thats terrible.



I would try a decon system and clay.

[spartacus_33]

The center of the rotor is rusting. When it rains, it drips down the wheel. For me, the answer was to wire brush, & chemically treat the rust areas of each rotor, and paint with KBS coatings Rust Seal.

[MuscleDetailer]

A few of my cars have brake dust issues so I wax my rims. Everything comes off 10 times easier when I use eagle 1 or beyond steel.

[Imatk]

Yeah it looks pretty bad man... I`m not sure if you`ll be able to get rid of it without damaging the wheels.

[gofastman]

I havn`t used this stuff, but it may be worth a shot to clean as much as you can off after your race to keep it from bonding on there.

Meguiar`s Direct Quik Wheel Detailer® Mist & Wipe (http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.asp?T1=MEG+G14616)

ONR mixed as a QD eats brake dust very well too.

Also, are you sure you need pads like that? idk what type of racing you do but something like Carbotech Panther Plus (AX6) or Hawk HP Plus pads may dust less.

[DM101]

Can you use some SOS pads on them or will that scratch them up to much? Just a thought.