Front Brake Dust?

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My new 2001 2500 ETH/DEE 4 x 4 Short Bed has the alloy front wheels pretty well coated with black dust after about 1500 miles.

I assume the dust is coming from front disc pad wear. My driving is about 50/50 city/highway. I am very easy on brakes.

Is this normal for a Dodge? No other truck I have has done this with as few miles. If it is not the pads, what might it be??

Thanks

Harry

 

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Mine gets a little but not very much. I've rotated tires twice in 13K miles and the pads look good and the dust is minimal. My driving is 60 hwy/40 city. You may want to check your pads for excessive wear.

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2001 HO 6 spd 2500, 4. 10 LSD, Towing Package, Electric Brakes, SPA EGT/Boost Gauges, Running Boards, Fog Lights, Real Backup Lights, Running Boards

 

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Wiley, the black dust is indeed pad material. The dynamics is this: the friction of the pads against the rotor creates heat, and slows the mass of the vehicle. The pad material is expendable as is the steel rotor, but at a much slower rate. The softer the pads, the better the stopping power, but more dust... . also more heat, which can warp/crack the rotors. If the dust really bothers you (I was mine 3 times/week) try changing pads! Performance Friction makes a nice product. Also, if your truck is an auto. , the brakes are doing 100% of the stopping work and is much harder on the brakes. As a driving tip to save your brakes, when slowing from a high speed, such as the bottom of an off-ramp, pop into neutral with your foot OFF the brake pedal. What happens is, you get the pads and rotors all hot, and with the pads clamping the rotors the heat is drawn to one spot and the rotors warp. This is a trick we teach at our racing and high-performance driving schools. Good luck!

 

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Wiley, Mine does the same thing. I purchased the Kleen wheel covers from Geno's. They work like a charm. They are also turbo vented to blow the dust inward so no dust on wheels.