Is It Normal for Brake Pads to Produce a Lot of Black Dust?
2 Answers
Generally speaking, it is normal for brake pads to produce black dust, as this is a result of normal wear and tear. Below are detailed information about brake pads: Brake Pad Materials: There are six types of brake pads: asbestos, semi-metallic, low-metallic, ceramic, ceramic composite, and high-carbon composite. Advantages and Disadvantages of Brake Pad Materials: Asbestos has good heat resistance but is hazardous to health and has been replaced. Semi-metallic pads have good heat dissipation but produce more noise. Low-metallic pads reduce noise while improving vehicle stability. Ceramic materials provide smooth and comfortable braking, excellent wear resistance, and produce no dust.
I've encountered this situation recently too, where black dust keeps accumulating on the wheel rims. Actually, it's powder from the brake pads wearing down. Generally speaking, a bit of black dust is quite normal, especially when driving aggressively or frequently applying the brakes. But if there's so much black dust that it looks like charcoal powder was sprinkled, then there might be an issue. For example, the brake pads could be of poor quality, or the brake disc surface might be uneven, causing uneven friction. Also, if the caliper is stuck and can't retract, the brake pads will keep rubbing against the disc, and the powder will definitely fall off in large amounts. It's recommended to check how much thickness is left on the brake pads. If there's still more than half left, it might be a material issue, and switching to ceramic pads could improve the situation significantly.
