e30 brake pad "LO~NO DUST" suggestion

[911 tweaks]

Hi all, I am wondering what is the best pad brand & type for a 92' 325ic that will produce very lo or no dust brake pads?

I see on the pelican site the "Cool Carbon" S/T (street/track) pads that claim very lo to no dust, quiet,... BUT they are $118 front & similar for the rear!!! OUCH!!!

The opposite extreme are the oe pads @ $35-55 for front & rear!! Is it worth this to spend ( i.e. DO THEY LIVE UP TO THEIR CLAIM ?? ) ~4x more $$ to achieve lo dust OR do they not live up to the claim??

(I am tired of cleaning the basket weave rims every weekend after only ~300 miles of commuting = little breaking as it is 90% highway)

I hope I can get the real users input here as that is a big difference in pad prices to "try" them out AND NOT BE MUCH OF DIFFERENCE FROM OE PADS.

Thanks all !
Bob

[Yurick]

I had recently installed a set of Akebono ceramic pads on my Nissan pick-up and I am now considering doing the same on my E30. They are not completely dust-less (I don't think any of them will be), however, after two months and 1500 miles, the front wheels are starting to turn grey, but not black as before. Essentially, the wheels used to get just as dirty with regular pads, but only after about two weeks instead of two months. So I think there is a definite advantage.
As far as brands go, a lot of people speak highly about EBC redstuff, but they are not cheap either.

[911 tweaks]

thanks Yurick... I will keep searching to get more info... any one else have an opinion on pads??
Thx, Bob

[Jeron]

Pretty much any decent pad should dust less than stock.

I recommend Hawk HPS. Even Oreilly, Wagner lifetimes work pretty well and dust less.

[911 tweaks]

Jeron,
Thx for your input... do you see any benefit going with the EBC Red Stuff pads?? I just priced them up online and the best I can get a set of 4 for is $140 shipped (pelican does not carry these, right??).
What do the Hawk HPS go for a set? Are they ceramic... lo /no dust... no noise... don't kill rotors... what in you mind is the best pad recomendation from pelican that meets the above??
Thx for your input!!
Bob

[Jeron]

I don't work for Pelican and I am not familiar with most of the pads they sell.

Hawk HPS are low noise, 80% less dust and easy on rotors. On my wifes car her HPS's are near the end of their life and have started making noise but it isn't a pad material problem. I plan to replace them with EBC Reds.

I use EBC Yellow and Blue on the track and some street. They are track pads. I haven't used Red but I expect them to be as good as Hawk HPS.

I've been using O'reilly Wagner lifetime on my M3 for street pads and they could use a little more initial bite but other than that they are great.

[911 tweaks]

thx Jeron... could I say that you are all in all happy with the EBC pads from the varied applications you have used them on??
I just ordered the EBC Reds... so here is to them working well

**** How has the dust, wear life, any noise, rotors eaten up by the EBC pads you have used to date...?

Thanks again,
Bob

[Jeron]

I've only used Yellow and Blue. Blue is a track only pad.

Yellow is a street legal track pad. On the street in mild to hot weather Yellow works very well, easy on rotors, great cold bite and overall torque. But it dusts nearly as much as stock and eventually deposits pad material giving the "warp" sensation. All of that fits its design as a streetable track pad.

Red is an aggressive street pad. It should be low dust, low noise, easy on rotors. I haven't driven it yet but it is my next pad for my 330i.

[911 tweaks]

thanks! I will post back how the reds work out after install.
Do you have any bed-in suggestions for the pads in case no info in the box??
Bob

[Jeron]

The EBC pads come with "Bed In" material on the surface that is designed to prepare the rotor for the new pad. I would follow EBC instructions that should come with the pad or be on their website.

The Bed In coating can make it a very tight fit with new pads AND new rotors at the same time.

Make sure you check your piston dust boots.

[911 tweaks]

Hi Jeron,
About time to report back to you since you were very helpful to me when I was in need of info on the bmw brakes...
To date, ~3500 miles and still dust on rims but about 50-60% as much as before... so a great improvement to say the least. So, thanks a lot for the tip !!
The "Reds" are wearing well and honestly not seeing hard use... mostly highway
Also, the brake dust seems to easier to remove... it may be me wishing such since the car has the basket weave wheels that seem to get dirty quite easily and are a PTA to clean as those who clean these wheels will understand...
Thanks again and I hope all is well with you and your car stuff :-)
Bob

[Jeron]

I'm glad you like them. I am still a little way off from the my next pad change but I an happy to hear your report on the Reds, not many people in the US use EBC so reports are rare.