Brake Dust Shields?

[nscaler]

I got my dust guards from smartmadness after seeing them given away at the 1 year B-day party at their store. I was tired of the dust (even in "clean" San Diego) and they look nice.
Now after 3,000 miles, I have yet to clean the front rims. I did paint them flat black before installing so they would be less conspicuous. No break fading.
I will be driving up old highway 1 from San Luis Obispo up to Monterey on Friday and plan on a lot of fast curvy driving. So if you don't see anything from me next week, send the CHP looking for me!

[mvaldes]

Mine are due to arrive this week. Just wondering, has anyone has had any wheel balance problems after installing them?

[nscaler]

I made it to San Jose. Best mileage I ever had before was 41 mpg. Between San Luis Obispo and San Jose I got 45 mpg - on a twisty turny road - shifting up and down. Brakes worked when I needed them.
I know freeway speeds have too much air friction and slower speeds less. I just thought that all that shifting would of brought my mpg down.

[mightyss]

i would love to see some pics of a smart with four colored disks on them as im highly interested in the idea and would like the wheels to match front to back even though the rears dont need them......hmmmm, maybe front drums,,,,,hahahahhahah

[ca smartone]

Originally Posted by mightyss

i would love to see some pics of a smart with four colored disks on them as im highly interested in the idea and would like the wheels to match front to back even though the rears dont need them......hmmmm, maybe front drums,,,,,hahahahhahah

Do a search for "Kleen Wheels"

[BB Benz]

Originally Posted by ElementalDragon

Bit of a thread revival here.... but i for one am seriously considering a set of the turbo-vented Kleen Wheels for my Smart. I have to agree with others that heat generation probably isn't as much of an issue for such a small car, especially with it having disc brakes that seem to nearly match the diameter of the rim itself. And yes.... washing the car when it get's dirty isn't a bad thing.... but pretty much having to wipe down the rims on a daily basis to remove the dust? Sorry.... but i'd prefer that my Brabus's rims stay nice and shiny without having to go through daily cleaning. And it's not like i'm cleaning them after driving around on wet roads or anything like that..... or even that i'm doing a lot of city driving with a lot of brake use. The majority of driving i do is somewhat highway driving, without a lot of stop lights or stop signs. And it's not like it's a tiny bit of dust either. One swipe around the outside lip of the rim makes a quite easily noticable dark spot on a wet rag. Brought it home Monday, washed it Tuesday.... rims had a bit of dust. Took the car to work Wednesday, wiped the front rims down with a wet rag thursday morning. Seriously don't feel like making the act of washing my front rims a daily ritualistic process.

And i don't see how they'd really create a balance issue.... unless you wind up knocking a weight off. First off, it's aluminum, which we all know isn't very heavy. It's also the same radius on any side of the hub of the wheel, so it's not like there's a huge chunk missing here or there. And i doubt they're really thick, so i don't think the previously mentioned issue about the bolts being stressed more would be a huge cause for concern.

but,.......They don't make klean wheels to fit the Brabus Wheels. There is too little clearance between the wheel and the caliper. I called Klean Wheels, and they said no.

[klesmiley]

Originally Posted by nscaler

I got my dust guards from smartmadness...Now after 3,000 miles, I have yet to clean the front rims. I did paint them flat black before installing so they would be less conspicuous. No break fading.

No break [brake?] fading? Does that mean the brakes worked as before?

About the paint on the dust guards. What kind of paint did you use? Flat black RustOleum work OK? And were they glossy black? Why did they need painting at all?

I ordered mine just now so can probably install them next weekend.

Thanks,

Kathy