[Rotzy]

Hi all.

I recently replaced the pads, rotors and sensors all around on my 2011 E93 335i Convertible. I used Zimmerman rotors and BMW pads. I generally stick with OEM pads on my vehicles as they tend to give me the least hassle in the long run.

The fronts are fine, but the rears are dusting WAY too much. We have owned the car for over 3 years and have put over 50,000 on what was left of the factory pads/rotors so we are well aware of what normal dusting is like for this vehicle. The rears are insane. After a week or so, the inside drum of the rims are completely charcoal in color, and if it's been raining, you can begin to see streaks of dust running out and over the lip of the rims. They produce 3 - 4 times more dust than the front, something I have never seen on any vehicle. At first, I figured this was just new pads working their way in, but after a thousand miles, it's not getting any better. The rear bumper is constantly filthy and with the summer months coming, I'm already dreading cleaning the dust off the leather. This is not sustainable.

I'm looking for a different pad for the rear. So far my reading has me leaning towards some type of Hawk pad, either HPS or Performance Ceramic. This is the wife's daily driver and we do not race or track the vehicle, although I do enjoy my spirited driving . We absolutely require a quiet pad (no chatter or squeaks) and OEM or close to OEM performance.

Thanks for any input.

[SpartaEvolution]

Originally Posted by Rotzy

Hi all.

I recently replaced the pads, rotors and sensors all around on my 2011 E93 335i Convertible. I used Zimmerman rotors and BMW pads. I generally stick with OEM pads on my vehicles as they tend to give me the least hassle in the long run.

The fronts are fine, but the rears are dusting WAY too much. We have owned the car for over 3 years and have put over 50,000 on what was left of the factory pads/rotors so we are well aware of what normal dusting is like for this vehicle. The rears are insane. After a week or so, the inside drum of the rims are completely charcoal in color, and if it's been raining, you can begin to see streaks of dust running out and over the lip of the rims. They produce 3 - 4 times more dust than the front, something I have never seen on any vehicle. At first, I figured this was just new pads working their way in, but after a thousand miles, it's not getting any better. The rear bumper is constantly filthy and with the summer months coming, I'm already dreading cleaning the dust off the leather. This is not sustainable.

I'm looking for a different pad for the rear. So far my reading has me leaning towards some type of Hawk pad, but I'm open to suggestions. This is the wife's daily driver and we do not race or track the vehicle, although I do enjoy my spirited driving . We absolutely require a quiet pad (no chatter or squeaks) and OEM or close to OEM performance.

Thanks.

If you are looking for low dust pads, the best recommendation I can give you is to go for a carbon ceramic pad. They will not have the same initial bite but, depending on the pad, the performance should be the same as OEM pads, and they have the benefits of reduced dust.

It is odd that you have the same front/rear rotor and pad set up but the rear pads are more dusty than the fronts.

There are many different pad manufacturers that offer low dust carbon ceramic pads that would be perfect for your car. They are also at varying price ranges so you can find whatever works best for you.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by SpartaEvolution

If you are looking for low dust pads, the best recommendation I can give you is to go for a carbon ceramic pad. They will not have the same initial bite but, depending on the pad, the performance should be the same as OEM pads, and they have the benefits of reduced dust.

It is odd that you have the same front/rear rotor and pad set up but the rear pads are more dusty than the fronts.

There are many different pad manufacturers that offer low dust carbon ceramic pads that would be perfect for your car. They are also at varying price ranges so you can find whatever works best for you.

Thanks for the reply. We have narrowed it down to Hawk HPS or Performance Ceramic. Anyone have a preference?

[gunnerxq]

Performance ceramic brake pretty well and they last a long time and are quiet. I'm more worried about the rotors then the pads.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

Performance ceramic brake pretty well and they last a long time and are quiet. I'm more worried about the rotors then the pads.

The rotors are new with only around 1000 miles on them. We don't plan on keeping the car more than another year or so.

Originally Posted by Rotzy

We don't plan on keeping the car more than another year or so.

Go with a cheap ceramic pad then.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

If your rears are dusting more then the fronts then there is likely an issue. The rear calipers are a pain on this car.

Make sure they are seated straight into the piston and make sure the caliper where the pad slides is clean. I had to sand mine down to bare metal and then apply a little anti seize to the area to get them to slide correctly (as I had uneven wear).

Otherwise, just clean the wheels and buy some brake dust repellent.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

If your rears are dusting more then the fronts then there is likely an issue. The rear calipers are a pain on this car.

Make sure they are seated straight into the piston and make sure the caliper where the pad slides is clean. I had to sand mine down to bare metal and then apply a little anti seize to the area to get them to slide correctly (as I had uneven wear).

Otherwise, just clean the wheels and buy some brake dust repellent.

Thanks for the replies.

It's not enough to just clean the wheels and apply repellent. The dust on the rear of the car and particularly on the interior is unbearable. While I can't directly see the filth on the seats, every time I wipe them down (which is frequent this time of year) my rags come away filthy.

I will make sure to pay extra attention to the areas you mentioned when I swap out the pads, but I have difficulty believing that I missed something on both sides when installing the rears (both rears are dusting about the same). Although I am far from perfect, this is certainly not my first time replacing brakes.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Rotzy

Thanks for the replies.

It's not enough to just clean the wheels and apply repellent. The dust on the rear of the car and particularly on the interior is unbearable. While I can't directly see the filth on the seats, every time I wipe them down (which is frequent this time of year) my rags come away filthy.

I will make sure to pay extra attention to the areas you mentioned when I swap out the pads, but I have difficulty believing that I missed something on both sides when installing the rears (both rears are dusting about the same). Although I am far from perfect, this is certainly not my first time replacing brakes.

Normally I'd agree but I had issues on both my rears and I had to do them over a few times before I got them right. (I've had plenty of experience installing brake pads on many different cars and platforms too).

Although nothing will appear obviously wrong, the cleaning is what helped my pads finally work correctly.

I have the same pads and although they do dust, I wouldn't consider it abnormal or excessive - which is why I really think you may want to do what I said and clean the caliper thoroughly.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Normally I'd agree but I had issues on both my rears and I had to do them over a few times before I got them right. (I've had plenty of experience installing brake pads on many different cars and platforms too).

Although nothing will appear obviously wrong, the cleaning is what helped my pads finally work correctly.

I have the same pads and although they do dust, I wouldn't consider it abnormal or excessive - which is why I really think you may want to do what I said and clean the caliper thoroughly.

I'll give it a try.