What You Dont Know About Brake Dust on Your Rims Can Cost You a Bundle

Fancy chrome and alloy automobile rims have become more and more popular among car owners. In particular, chrome rims have proliferated in recent years on new and used vehicles to improve appearance.

But that annoying brake dust that builds up and blackens the rims is ever present and costly and time consuming to remove. As a result, many auto owners just ignore the brake dust, which is a big mistake.

How To Replace Brake Pads

With the reduction of asbestos in brake pad composition, new materials were developed to replace asbestos. These new materials are the cause of the build up of black grime on your rims as they are sticky and adhere to your rim. To add insult to injury the metallic ingredients in the pad build up an electrostatic charge that is opposite to your rims and creates an electrical bond between the brake dust and your rims.

What You Dont Know About Brake Dust on Your Rims Can Cost You a Bundle

No wonder, just going through a car was without asking and paying for your rims to be cleaned will leave you with a nice shiny car but gray or black rims.

Walk down any street and you will notice a number of cars with virtually jet black rims, particularly the front rims as thats where the most braking occurs. What the owner is not aware of is the damage that is caused to their rims due to the caustic nature of brake dust. When brake dust is left too long on a rim it eats away at the surface causing pits that can house additional brake dust. Eventually, the rim will also become discolored if it is an alloy rim. What is worse is those beautiful chrome rims will become worthless as small bubbles will begin to appear and will eventually burst leaving bare metal that will rust.

Thats the problem, but what about solutions?

First, there are an ever growing number of products on the market to help consumers deal with the brake dust problem. In general, these products can be broken down into the following categories:

1. Spray on and hose off -

Many people reading this article can relate to the spray on and hose off products that have dominated the market for years. However, they also know that the superlative claims of the manufacturer about how easy and complete the process is often falls short in reality and the consumer still has to get out the brush and bucket of another cleaner to get the job completely done. Some of these products also boast that they leave a shine so the extra step of having to polish your rims is not needed.

2. Spray on and wipe off -

A new development in brake dust cleaners are spray on a wipe off cleaners. These cleaners are convenient in that the consumer does not need water to get the job done. Some provide triple action in that they clean, shine and retard brake dust buildup. These products are the product of choice when a water hose is not available, such as for city dwellers, people traveling, truck drivers, and when it is just too much trouble to get the car in the driveway, get the hose out and then clean up the mess. Spray on and wipe off products also allows you to just pull the car into the garage when it is too hot or too cold outside as there is no watery or chemical run off.

3. Wipes -

A new development on the market are wipes which claim to clean shine and protect, but the jury is still out on the performance of this new product. Given the nature of brake dust one can imagine how many wipes will be needed you only have two sides of a wipe to use before it is full contaminated with brake dust and a new one is needed to ensure that you are not just leaving some brake dust on your rims. An advantage with wipes is that you do not need water to get the job done which has the same benefits of spray on and wipe off products.

4. Brush on and hose off -

Some spray on and wipe off products can also be used as a brush on and hose off product by adding some of the solution to a bucket of water. Using the product this way helps those who have a problem bending down and would rather just use a big auto cleaning brush on a pole and the solution to clean their rims.

In choosing a brake dust cleaning product, consider the following:

1. Does the product have the potential of damaging your rims if left on too long, usually no longer than 20 to 30 seconds?

2. Will the product damage any brake parts or paint if it comes into contact with such parts?

3. Will the product cause physical harm to skin, eyes, lungs or if ingested?

4. Does the product clean, shine and protect?

5. Is the product convenient under all circumstances?

6. Is the product environmentally friendly?

7. Last but not least does it live up to its superlative claims?

In summary, it is important to protect your investment in your rims and your vehicles resale value. Remember to keep your rims clean and dont ignore that brake dust, it will cost you eventually if you do.

What You Dont Know About Brake Dust on Your Rims Can Cost You a Bundle
Cycling Maintenance for Mountain Bikes : What are Hydraulic Calipers? Video Clips. Duration : 1.33 Mins.

Watch a mountain bike repair expert explain what hydraulic calipers onmountain bikes are in this free online video on cycling maintenance. Expert: Mickey Denoncourt Contact: www.spookybikes.com Bio: Mickey Denoncourt owns Spooky Bikes, at www.spookybikes.com. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Keywords: mountain, bike, biker, brake, pads, riding, bicycle, free, video, expertvillage, howto

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Are Your Brembo Discs Genuine

I asked Brembo how to identify if the discs are genuine. I was informed that Genuine Brembo Discs should...

• be either blanks, cross-drilled, or slotted. No combination of cross-drilled and slotted. The drilled or slotted discs are coated in a zinc/cadmium plating to help prevent rust and ensure disc longevity.

• have identification number starting with "09" or "08" such as 09.xxxx.xx. The Brembo discs also have a Brembo Logo and stamp on the disc lip.

• came in a thick brown cardboard box. The fakes came in a thin white cardboard box.

• be machined all surfaces including inside hat except on the ventilation vanes. Fake discs have rough cast hat, with a wide gap between the rotor vanes and the braking surface - not machined at all.

• weigh heavier than the fake discs. Brembo brake rotors are high carbon discs, and have the ability to better dampen vibration and noise

• have two equal and identical braking surfaces. Both sides have exactly the same thickness [10mm?]. Fakes Brembo discs have one side thicker than the other.

• have Ventilation Vanes extend out to the very outer edge of the braking surface (both inside and outside). Fake Vanes are sunken into the disc surface around 6mm (on the inside and outside), meaning there is less material connecting the two disc surfaces.

Fake Brembo Discs...

Both discs are fake!

The Genuine "Brembo"stamping c/w logo are clean and more easily distinguishable...

... whereas the disc shown below with not-so-sharp "Brembo MAX" stamping and w/o logo is questionable. You judge it for yourself. Im doubtful and I will not buy this one...

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How to Prepare Your Motorcycle to Ride on the Racetrack

Clean your motorcycle. This allows you to double check all key areas to make sure nothing is loose (which will be relevant in step 10.) It also makes it easier to check the motorcycle at technical inspection (the day of the event.)

Remove your center stand. This is for safety on the track. Almost all organizations require center stand removal. This is especially true for the more advanced (and therefore faster) groups. Some organizations and tracks may ask you to also remove your kickstand (side stand.)

Remove or tape up your mirrors. Sometimes removal is not an option, since it may be the only way your fairing is supported. In that case, tape up the mirrors so that if they contact the ground, the glass does not fall out on to the track surface.

Tape up your headlight(s)and signals. This includes the tail light and license plate light. If you can, remove the fuse for the headlight. With the headlight off, it reduces that chance of tape residue sticking to your headlight. Make sure to put the fuse back in before riding on the street again.

Check all of your controls, meaning clutch cable, throttle cable, brake lever, clutch lever, rear brake lever, and kill switch for proper operation. If they fail tech, you will have to get them fixed before you are allowed on the track. Doing it before you get to the track saves you stress if you have to do it while you are at the track. You are anticipating getting on the track and now you have to work on the motorcycle. Very stressful.

When you check your brakes, make sure you have enough brake pads to make it through the event. Riding hard on the racetrack will also cause you to use your brakes even harder. If you have new brakes pads installed before the event, try to get them seated and bedded in before the event.

Check your tires, both for tread wear and depth. Usually new or nearly new tires are required in order to pass tech. Badly worn tires will not pass tech and you may also be able to notice any unusual wear patterns on your tires, which might save you some aggravation early. An example of unusual wear would be bald sides on your front tire with tread in the center. This would indicate low front tire pressure, with the tire (tread) smoothing out while leaned over (turning) but keeping its shape while riding straight up and down.

Check your tire pressures and inspect your rims for damage (see step above.) You will probably have to adjust tire pressures before you get on the track, depending on various factors: your weight, the brand, the temperature, and the track surface. Check with your owners manual, the track day organization, and your local tire representative for the best pressures for those conditions.

Clean and check your chain for proper slack and lubrication. You should not have a chain that is too loose or too tight. Check your owners manual for proper slack. Also make sure your chain is lubricated to prevent binding.

Make sure all your bodywork is properly supported and fastened. Do not have loose or flapping bodywork, it will fail tech inspection. Try not to have fur or other loose, flapping objects on your motorcycle. You will be asked to have those items removed before you can pass tech inspection and are allowed on the track.

Check your oil level. Try to change the oil if it has been a while to ensure that you have the best engine protection possible. The engine will be working especially hard on the track and dirty oil makes the job harder.

Drain your radiator and replace the glycol based coolant with water and a coolant substitute, such as Water Wetter or Engine Ice. Glycol based coolants are not allowed on the racetrack since they do not evaporate and leave the track surface slick (like oil.)

Secure your wheel weights (taped) on the rims. It prevents them from flying off while you are at high speed.

Make sure you have good valve stems and valve caps on your wheels.

If you have hard point saddle bags, remove the bags. The mounts can usually stay.

If you have auxiliary lights, it is a good idea to remove them. If they are fork mounted, they adversely affect handling and if they are frame mounted, they may become damaged in the event of a dropped bike. If you leave the lights on, tape them up. (If you have an on/off switch, leave them off. If you cannot turn them off, remove the fuse.)

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Selling your 308 to buy the 408

Think a second...
Will you kick out your French babe for a China doll? Think about it again... BTW, Im not in mood to write anything about the 408 after seing the car last Sunday at a nearby showroom.

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How to Bleed Your Brakes Traditional Method

If you had to replace a caliper or brake line then chances are you introduced air into the brake system which causes the "mushy" or soft feeling in the brake pedal. This is not only an inconvenience but a safety issue also. There are many ways to bleed your brakes; the traditional method will be demonstrated in this article. It is by far the cheapest alternative but also the most difficult. It requires two people to work together in unison. This is a great opportunity to work with a loved one or a best buddy. Other methods will be illustrated in other articles. To bleed your brakes, follow the steps outlined below.

1. Loosen the wheel lug nuts and raise the vehicle with a jack as outlined in our article titled "How to Replace Disc Brake Pads and Rotors" and place jack stands underneath.

2. Completely loosen the lug nuts and remove the wheels.

3. Locate the bleeders on the 4 calipers. We will start with the caliper or brake cylinder if you have drum brakes in the back that is farthest from the master cylinder.

4. We will have to loosen the bleeder ensuring that we dont break it. To do this, spray rust penetrant very liberally onto the 4 bleeders letting them soak for as long as possible. Then lightly tap the bleeder with a hammer to jolt the rust loose. Now grab your 8mm wrench or deep well socket/ratchet and loosen the bleeder. You dont need to take the bleeder off, simply loosen it about half a turn.

5. Obtain a clear rubber hose that will fit snugly over the bleeder and route it to a drain pan as brake fluid will be dripping down into it.

6. Now find a helper who will sit inside the car to assist you in the brake bleeding process.

7. Now close the brake bleeder

8. Open the cap on the master cylinder and monitor the brake fluid during the bleeding process. Ensure that you keep it full while bleeding because if you let it go down too low it will cause more air to get into the system, thus forcing you to start over.

9. The person inside the vehicle will press the brake pedal firmly 3 times and will count every time. However, on the 3rd time he/she will keep the brake pedal depressed. So when your helper is between counting 2 and 3 you will want to open the bleeder, thus allowing brake fluid to escape the system. The reason why we wait till the 3rd time is to allow brake pressure to build up in the system.

10. Tell your helper to hold the pedal down on the 3rd count giving you time to close the bleeder so that air doesnt get into the system.

11. Simply repeat steps 9-10 at that caliper/wheel cylinder until you see clear fluid (no air bubbles) escaping the clear vinyl/rubber tubing.

12. That was the right rear (RR) wheel. Now continue on to the left rear (LR) wheel. Then to the right front (RF) wheel. Then to the left front (LF) wheel.

You have now successfully bled all 4 corners of the car and your brake pedal should be much firmer then it was previously. If not, you could have improperly bled the brakes, a leak may be in the system, or the master cylinder could be damaged internally. If these steps seem a bit too much for you, look out for future articles demonstrating simpler ways to bleed your brakes, but will require you to spend money on supplies and tools.

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