I wipe off my wheels every morning with a microfiber rag, takes all of 10 seconds each and keeps them clean of brake dust. Start with clean and waxed wheels, and if done on a daily basis, the brake dust wipes off without any hard rubbing.
I guess the measurement you need to make is one of form over function. If looking 'cool' while operating HOT is important, then the dust guards are for you, as long as you are willing to replace the pads, rotors, drums and shoes long before normal.
If you care to maintain your smart and have maximum possible braking, the dust guards are NOT for you.
I'm not that cool. I like brakes that will consistently stop my car when needed.[/quote]
I've had dust shields on my MINI Cooper S white wheels for over 5 years and there has never been any problem with brake overheating and fade, rotor warp, excessive wear to pads due to heat and I can assure you that car is driven a lot harder than anyone would expect to drive the smart. Heat buildup from the shields is a non-issue on smart IMHO. Ordinary driving will not build up appreciable heat. That being said, the smart does not throw off near the amount of dust as the MINI and for that reason I think the appearance of them on my smart would not be good.
Someday, when enough of us demand it, ceramic pads will become available and that solves all issues.....
Russ the big buck ceramic brake upgrades that some companies provide are ceramic disks not pads, with carbon pads and they create dust like you read about. There are a number of aftermarket pads (including ceramic ones) for the obsessivly clean. Go for it. I prefer mine to stop and am willing to wash the car once in a while.
karl
Someday, when enough of us demand it, ceramic pads will become available and that solves all issues.....
A friend I do track days with has ceramic (factory option) brakes on a 911. They're filthy and cost about $1500 to replace the pads. And that's cheap.
There's a guy in the next town from me that has a collection of Ferraris. The ceramic brakes on his Enzo last about 2500 miles and cost seventeen thousand dollars to replace.
Kleen Wheels are a waste of money, particularly when you have to get your wheels rebalanced. Just wash your wheels, and use Rejex or that anti-dust treatment that Michelin sells.
I don't give a fig about "looks" as much as keeping the wheels from deteriorating into the dust-ridden mess. Wiping the wheel every day is reasonable but the dust in and around the spokes are what annoyed me the most with my previous car. Airflow is NOT completely blocked in the Kleen Wheels. You have the wheels going at a high RPM and effectively sheet metal "scoops" to grab air from the outside of the car and push it across the rotors toward the inside. There IS airflow here.
And besides, at 1800lbs (cabrio) how much is heat a sincere issue? As long as the airflow isn't stagnant, I don't have reason to believe I'll ever have a safety issue.
Gee I got a deal then, my Seville ceramics were less than $60 a pair and they really cut the dust down. Guys get real these pads aren't just for 911's and Ferraris, they are only a few bucks more than regular pads, and not racing pads.
Karl, it's carbon fiber rotors and ceramic pads and those are really big bucks, I have put them on several race cars I built...but the ceramics that you can buy from AutoZone are for plain old carbon steel discs....
I used aftermarket EBC low-dust brake pads. They grip great and produce less dust, but they wore out my rotors too fast for my liking, so I've gone back to OEM pads.
Niot worried about looks since I went with steel wheels powder-coated black.
I know that they won't have the proper bolt pattern. I seriously doubt that I will find any like that, usually I would just pick up a set of universal fit from Wal-Mart or Autozone, but it's been more than 10 years since I had a car that really needed them.
Anyway, has anyone used these? Do they fit? I know that some cars can have a problem with the brake calipers getting in the way.
For those who aren't familiar, heres a pic.
I love these things. Smart Center VA Beach offers them too - installed I think it was around $60 or so. After trying to keep these wheels clean for over 4 months now, I am investing in them when I get my first oil change...
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