2011 135i brake dust?

[boostm3]

Over at the 3 forum, owners of '11 3 series cars are saying there is a lot less brake dust than they are used to seeing with bmw. They are hypothesizing that BMW is using different brake pads ... Any similar occurrences with the '11 135s?

[ES BMW]

I only drove the car for 4 days in Europe but it was about the same amount of dust as with my '07 335i. I already have Hawk HPS pads on order while I wait for the car to clear customs.

Others have reported really good results with a product from Armor All. There should be a few threads about it in the Detailing forum.

[DWRAT]

My 2011 seems the same as my old 2007.

[sb335is]

135i brakes are WAY bigger than the 335i's

[MarkR171]

I don't have experience with a previous BMW, but my 2011 135 isn't bad with brake dust. The wheels on my car are still clean a week after I washed it. I haven't even put a wheel wax/sealant on yet.

[MarkR171]

Originally Posted by twoturboz

135i brakes are WAY bigger than the 335i's

135i Brakes from bmwusa.com specs:
Diameter - Front/Rear
13.3/12.8 inch

335i Brakes from bmwusa.com specs:
Diameter - Front/Rear
13.7/13.2 inch

[tonmonde]

i get *slighty* less dust than the 335 with 19s i had before

[fancyfl1ght]

Originally Posted by boostm3

Over at the 3 forum, owners of '11 3 series cars are saying there is a lot less brake dust than they are used to seeing with bmw. They are hypothesizing that BMW is using different brake pads ... Any similar occurrences with the '11 135s?

my DCT to slow down. Other than that, I don't think there is too much dust.

[ErvGotti]

ARMOR ALL WHEEL PROTECTANT. I'll take some pics tomorrow and I haven't applied it in 4 weeks and I've washed my car every week since. It does such an awesome job of not allowing the dust to settle.

[sb335is]

Originally Posted by ErvGotti

ARMOR ALL WHEEL PROTECTANT. I'll take some pics tomorrow and I haven't applied it in 4 weeks and I've washed my car every week since. It does such an awesome job of not allowing the dust to settle.

thats some good stuff


aaggghhh 2011 got some beefier breaks on the 335i. about time. i stand corrected

[Hops128i]

I coat my wheels with rejex ever 3 or so months, only need to wipe the dust off with a damp cloth.

[UdubBadger]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

135i Brakes from bmwusa.com specs:
Diameter - Front/Rear
13.3/12.8 inch

335i Brakes from bmwusa.com specs:
Diameter - Front/Rear
13.7/13.2 inch

I'd think caliper size was more relevant to this than rotor size

[MarkR171]

Good point, the 335i has smaller calipers? That would be odd...

[miiipilot]

MY '11 135i has more brake dust than my old '99 E36 M3.

It's insane at how much dust there is, but i'll take it cause the stopping power is fantastic. Braking is almost as fun as the acceleration. I just wish the twisties matched the other two.

miiipilot

[GatorVert]

After a week my 128i's front wheels look like I've been driving in a coal mine!

[UdubBadger]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

Good point, the 335i has smaller calipers? That would be odd...

yep... 135s are m3 sized just not floating. 335i has smaller calipers which means smaller pads which means less dust.

[1SerieStud]

I feel the pain...I wash my car weekly and my front wheels look bad by the end of the week due to excessive brake dust...gotta try one of those wheel waxes/sealants!

[Bavarian MW]

I have less than 50 miles on the 2011, already seeing some! Funny because I noticed the brakes didn't work as well as the N54 for a few miles (new at 4 miles). Wore the brakes down a tad, got the wheels a bit spotty, and I stop well again! I expect in the end the brake dust will be similar to my 2008... --MW

[IMASINNER]

I get a ton of dust but I use the brakes A LOT!

I drive pretty spirited cause I have never had a car like this before

[HeyMoe53]

My 128 doesn't dust excessively, but it's a BMW, so I pay attention to the wheels (of course, the fronts dust more than rears). I probably wash the car a couple of times a week, including the wheels.

I had applied Poorboy's Wheel Sealant on the wheels, and I do think that it helped. Last weekend, I washed, clayed, and put on a new coat of my favorite sealant on the paint. I decided to try something on the wheels. I put a coat of Collinite 845 IW on the wheels, just to try something different.

I washed yesterday, and as a test, I sprayed Griot's Wheel Cleaner on the slightly dirty wheels. I waited a minute, for the wheel cleaner to dwell, and hosed it off.

I was surprised at the result--enough so that I did not touch the wheels further. For sure, with dirtier wheels, I would wash them thoroughly.

In short, any BMW owner who does not put some sort of wheel wax/sealant on their wheels should prepare for extra doses of wheel-cleaning work. If you drive really hard or do track days, there's no question about it.

Collinite 845 Insulator Wax was formulated to deal with lightning-induced issues on electrical insulators. I'm confident that it would hold up to the heat of track/autocross.

Just my couple of cents as I am watching the Steeler game!

[vwrefugee]

No experience with previous 135s but my 2011 has plenty o'dust. It's a bit of a pain but that's the price you pay for effective braking. I've never found "clean" pads that out-braked OEM "dusters" on any of my German cars (BMW, VW, Porsche).

[UdubBadger]

Cool Carbon pads + Prima Wheel Armour or some kind of wheel wax SHOULD help a great deal but you're still gonna need either P21S or Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner at least once a week or so.