Low Dust Brake Pads

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Paul97
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Post by Paul97 »

Hi

I'm thinking of replacing the front pads on my CX-3 shortly and would like a set of Low dust pads, has anyone got recommendations?

Thanks
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HouseSpider
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Post by HouseSpider »

What's wrong with the standard pads? How much wear have you got left on the current ones?
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Paul97
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Post by Paul97 »

They produce a lot of brake dust and after having the alloys replaced under warranty, I would like a low dust pad. I'll be having the car serviced (4th) by my local independent garage and will ask him to replace the pads as part of the service
My car is over 3 years old now and I would assume the existing pads must be coming to the end of their life.
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jtonline
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Post by jtonline »

I can't give you any recommendations from personal use as I use Mazda ones.

As I understand it, low dust means using a composition that may not have as good a bite when cold, but I could be wrong.

Anchorman is probably the best member to comment, with his wealth of experience in the braking industry. I'll bring his attention to this thread.
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Paul97
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Post by Paul97 »

Thanks jtonline :D
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anchorman
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Post by anchorman »

Really sorry for the delay in coming back to you.

How quick a pad wears out depends on mileage and duty (temperature) so they may not be worn out at all. They usually “guesstimate” the life on a service but some mechanics are better than others at doing it.

Personally, if I wanted to reduce the amount of dust on the wheel I would just wash the wheels regularly rather than change tac but that’s up to you. The low dust pads tend to be these “Green Stuff” ceramic based pads that are sold on the internet. Some swear by them but I swear that any difference in performance is a placebo. They may well reduce the amount of dust produced. The ceramic base is nothing to do with the actual pad but the fibres that go to hold the pad together. It used to be asbestos but that has long gone. Your original Mazda pads will have a steel fibre framework that holds all the other stuff in place including the resin system that binds it all together. The friction element is usually an abrasive such as silica (sand) but on its own, abrasives are unstable and you could get very fierce braking at certain temperatures. They add lubricants to stabilise friction and that is often carbon. So now you have both steel fibre and carbon which are the main ingredients of that black dust which forms within a few days of washing. Ceramic based pads have fibres that are extruded from ceramics, not a vitrified pad as you might expect. The fibres have a certain level of friction just like steel and inherently need less lubricant to stabilise the friction. So why don’t Mazda or any other car manufacturer use ceramic based pads? Despite the claims they are nowhere near good enough for OE (original equipment) use. If they were they would be selling them to car makers, trust me. OE pads have to meet a huge range of specifications and although these aftermarket pads will pass a basic “Regulation 90” test, they won’t meet all of the requirements of the vehicle builders which are tied by legislation on performance.

You could try some and it might be better for you but honestly, just keep washing the wheels. Any of the big name brands like Ferodo (I spent 17 years in R&D tech sales there), Mintex, Pagid, Textar will be much cheaper and serve you well as well as meeting many more of the stringent requirements. As I say, its up to you but I wouldn’t use them any more than I would put cooking oil in my engine ;-)
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Paul97
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Post by Paul97 »

No need to apologise anchorman, really appreciate your input. Many thanks for the in-depth information. I'll stick to your brand recommendations like Ferodo.

Many Thanks again :)
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Stagman
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Post by Stagman »

Thank you anchorman for your interesting information. I had the same problem with brake dust on my Triumph Stag. Greenstuff pads reduced this and normal braking was ok. However the occasional hard braking was buttock clenching. Changed to Mintex 1144 pads which are great in all conditions.
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Paul97
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Post by Paul97 »

Thanks Stagman 👍
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