My uncle told me about them, since I have white wheels, the brake dust shows more than normal. Also, my wheels are Plastidipped, which I think makes the dust harder to wash off. I found these Brake Dust Shields - Auto Parts Warehouse and wondered what people thought of them.
If you don't drive the car they are fine. They hold in heat. Wax your wheels, they will be easier to clean. Don't use brake shields unless its for your Camry that you drive down the block to the grocery store.
A very good way to overheat our brakes. Yes plastidip on wheels makes it hard to clean them. Maybe change to a lower dust pad, peal the plastidip & use paint on the wheels.
DON'T do it! Opti-cote on the wheels makes the dust blow off. Not sure how it will work on wheels that have been painted with plasti-dip though
Mistake #1 is plasti-dipping your wheels. That crap grabs onto the small particles of brake dust like no other. Do it the right way, save your money and powdercoat the wheels. It's more durable than a painted finish and it will last for years. +1 for waxing your wheels for less adhesion of brake dust.
We purposely changed brake pads in my wife's Jaguar XF specifically because of the brake dust issue. Incredible investment. I would never use shields. I'll check out alternate pads for my Roadster S if I encounter the same issue.
I guess I haven't been paying attention in all the right places because I haven't heard of this stuff. Good stuff, eh?
Hmmmm. Neither had I. Interesting. Looks like it's spelled Opti-Coat. Amazon.com: Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 - 20 CC: Automotive
It better work for that price!!! does claim to last forever though, just buy it apply and done, for life!!! I'd like to hear from more people that have used it.. Does it truely work great and just blow/rinse off, or like all the other wheel products out there just-a, kind-a, sort-a help some...
I wouldn't call it a mistake.. The exact reason I decided to use plastidip was for the fact that they won't last forever and removal is easy. I'm a college student, so the $25 paint job is the way to go. Plus I can change the color of my wheels as I please.
You can rattle can your wheels cheaply & they will look good to. More work than using the tool handle spray, but they will be loads easier to keep clean. Powder coat is the best but is a pricey option.
I have white wheels on my MC and have never waxed them. they are still white, with exception of normal roadwear. the only thing I use to clean them with is wheel wipes and a rag to wipe off the crud. The wheel wipes can be had at any auto parts store and the wipes have a chemical in them that helps to keep the wheels clean and free of brakedust. I think I paid around $3 for the wipes.
Brake dust shields are great at helping you warp your brake rotors as they will hold the heat in the rotor for you. Seen it several times before. Opti Coat on the wheels can really help. and to clean them you can use the Sonax as it works best for brake dust and no scrubbing.
I completely cover my Summer and a Winter rims in Rain-X and only clean them with Sonax. Rain-X works great and you don't have to buff it out like you would on a window. Brake dust and road tar crude does not stick to the rims and makes cleaning them with Sonax simple just like me. :aureola::lol: People at work think I clean my rims every day after work.