Beat Break Dust with Ceramic Brake pads

I got tired of my co-workers making fun of the rims on my car being coated with brake dust. It is usually easy to pull off not washing a black car for a while, but the rims are often a dead giveaway of how dirty the car really is. I admit I do not have much time to even run to a car wash, and the brutal winter made any self washing a bad idea.

My car has OEM semi-metalic brake pads, which though effective generate tons of brake dust. The rims can get coated with dust after just about 3 - 4 days of a regular commute. I begun to think of options to limit the amount of brake dust that accumulates on the wheels. One option is chroming my rims; I did not even give this a second thought. I hate the look of chrome on wheels - Not my style at all. From reading several car forums and magazines, ceramic brake pads are said to offer better performance plus depending on the brand and intended use of the brake pads, they also offer reduced brake noise and brake dust. These brake pads are however often more expensive. I figured it would be worth trying out ceramic pads just for the reduced brake dust.



I picked up a set of front and rear Akebono Brake pads from Tirerack.com. I went with the brand based on reviews and price. The entire set cost about $165 for my car (before shipping). Installing the brake pads was not too difficult. It turned out to be a 3 hour job, with about an hour spent running to the parts store for tools and such. I used a DIY from a car enthusiast site as well as the Technical Service Bulletin steps for the vehicle make and model. I did not replace my rotors because they were relatively new on the vehicle. Also the existing pads were barely worn - wasted money I know, but getting rid of brake dust is worth the sunk cost.

This was my first brake job, so naturally I was nervous during my first drive. I was pretty sure of the work I did though and after carefully following the brake break-in procedures specified by Akebono, all seemed to be well.

I immediately noticed that the brakes felt "softer" than the normal OEM, however they seem to function ok. I made a few emergency stops and once I got used to the brake responsiveness change, I was able to drive accordingly.

After about a week of driving I was impressed, no brake dust on my rims!

Fast forward about a month later. Very little brake dust is generated or settles on the car rims. The car can be dirty, but the rims often still look very clean. The stopping power and responsiveness of the brakes has not decreased over time either. I did notice some faint squealing from the front right brake pad. During some free time I took apart the brake caliper and re-sat the brake pads with a fresh layer of anti-squeal compound and that got rid of the noise.

I am quite impressed with the overall performance of the ceramic brake pads. Here are some key take aways;

* Ceramic pads are often more expensive than OEMs
* Review the features of the pads you intend to buy. Some are focused on performance, others low noise and some on reducing brake dust.
* Obtain professional installation whenever possible. This may reduce chances of incorrect installations or brake noise after weeks of usage.
* Get used to the change (if any) in brake responsiveness before driving on the road with the new brakes


I will post some pictures based on about a week and change of daily driving since my last car wash.