Too much brake dust on only one wheel

[AdvansCPAP]

Recently I noticed the drivers front wheel is getting alot more brake dust compared to all the others which are pretty dust free. I looked at the rotor on that wheel and it has dark rings/tint and I can feel they are not as smooth as the other 3 rotors. I did some research and think the caliper might be binding/dragging a little. I get the same dark /tint/ ridges on all 4 rotors after some hard braking, but it stood out this time because it's just on one rotor and I haven't braked hard for awhile. Any ideas? Thanks.

This is what all the good rotors look like

This is the one that has alot of brake dust. Don't mind the gold color of the photo. It was the lighting.

 

[goldNSX]

What pads are you running, OEM? It doesn't look so. The brake disc in question looks like having a more aggressive pad than the other.

 

[fifthearth]

I am not an expert but there are a few reason that might cause the situation you got.

1. Stuck Brake Pads - When installing brake pads, it should have a certain amount of flexibility to move (slide) in the calipers. A lot of aftermarket pads have bigger size arms which will make it hard to fit and move inside the calipers, it needs to be sanded down to appropriate size for it to work correctly, but a lot of careless installers will just jam it in place without resizing it.

I am guessing only one of your pads is making good contact, if you remove your pads you will probably see the one with a lot of dust be the only brake pad being worn... the other ones will probably look new.

2. Brake caliper bolts - make sure you take them out and lubricate them so the calipers can slide smoothly with little resistance during braking.

The rotors looks new because pads are not making contact with it during braking. Normal wear from the pads will create grooves on the rotors over time, but since you only have one good side that's making contact... only that side's rotor looks worn.......


If my guesses are right, I suggest you resurface your worn rotors, and put in a new set of brake pads that are sized right ( especially if it is aftermarket).


Good Luck :smile:

 

[AdvansCPAP]

I'm running Hawk HPS pads. I took the calipers apart and re-lubed the sliding pins, but the pads still make contact on the rotors. I would try to spin the wheel by hand and it'll go about a 3/4 turn before it stops on its own due to the pads slowing it down. I'm not sure if that's normal for our cars. I tried spinning a mercedes front wheel and it went about 2 times around, before stopping..the pads made contact on the rotor as well, but not as much as the NSX. I'll sand, clean and lube the pad arms to make sure they move freely. Thanks for the tips.

 

[jorligan]

Same thing happened on my M3. It was due to the piston seal being out. Rebuilt the calipers and good as new. My rotors turn freely on my NSX.