Kleen Wheel Shields

garo1 · 09-20-2004, 07:09 PM

I know brake dust shields have been discussed before (maybe causing brakes to get hot) so I thought I'd let everyone know how they work. I've had them on for 3 days and all seems well so far. I can't believe that after 3 days my wheels are still clean!

I'll continue to monitor and let everyone know if there are any problems.

Mike H. · 09-20-2004, 07:15 PM

Pics, pics!!!

SmokenTitan · 09-20-2004, 09:36 PM

^^ What he said...

Will have had the truck for 3 weeks tomorrow, thought maybe it was just a break-in thing...

My Honda's never dusted so bad...

If I cant find a solution, I'll change to a different pad...

pciley · 09-20-2004, 10:32 PM

After 7 months (bought 2-13-04) the brake dust is just as bad.... Most of the time I am washing the truck because all the wheels are so dirty, not so much because the rest of the truck is.

BTW, I am not hard on brakes, but do go about 5-10 mph over the speed limit on a regular basis so that does contribute, I know. I stop early and don't ride them and the dust just seems to stick real bad as its flying off. I tried waxing the wheels and that only made them easier to clean, but still just as dirty.

spitan_titan · 09-20-2004, 10:46 PM

I have found this to be a pain as well. I use Maguires wheel cleaner, let it sit for a minute of so and most of it rinses right off. You can do it without doing an entire wash if you're carefull with the water...

While on the subject of dirt... I have found that the Mr. Clean auto wash is ALL it is cracked up to be. Had a black car I used it on and didn't dry it by hand. Not a water spot on the car and water in San Antonio, TX is very hard! Cuts washing time at least in half.

pciley · 09-20-2004, 11:46 PM

There was a thread on the Mr. Clean auto dry, I bought it and didn't like it. Gave it a second try and still didn't like it. I think it would be better in certain climates. Its very hot where I live and the soap that's in the kit gets sticky and VERY VERY Hard to get off the car (had to use a light solvent afterwards). Before I even have time to rinse it off, the soap dries on the car like no other soap I have used.
I tried the kit with a different soap with horrible results. Went back to hand washing with shammy dry, no problems. I guess I can say "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it."

richardminco · 09-21-2004, 07:34 AM

I use a product called wheel wax on my BMW and the results are great. Less dust sticks to the wheels and what's left rinses off easily. It takes about the same amount of time to apply this as it does to scrub the wheels and I do it about every 3rd time I clean the car. Give it a try if you like.

No affiliation on my part.... http://www.wheelwax.com

Also, I've been told that kleen wheel shields can cause your brakes to heat up excessively (which makes sense when you look at how they restrict air flow out) so I'd be careful using this product. Clean wheels at the expense of braking distances is not a good trade off IMO. I'd love to see a scientific test to prove or disprove this of course. That failing, my semi-scientific opinion says beware.

greg w · 09-21-2004, 07:57 AM

Has anyone gotten the ceramics yet and how do you like them. I've got 11k and not much dust less than day one. Wash it and within less than a mile of stop and go driving you can't tell youv'e washed it. I drove the Maxima loaner 1500 mi and the wheels still looked clean! I too usually am washing because of the wheels not the truck.

jkeith72 · 09-22-2004, 05:02 AM

wouldnt a good quality cleaner wax followed up by a polish or carnuba wax accomplish the same as the "wheelwax"? after all, arent the rims painted and clearcoated in the same fashion as the truck? just curious...

garo1 · 09-22-2004, 06:11 AM

Hey guys, somethings went awry with my digital camera. As soon as I get it fixed I'll post the pic's. Pretty simple install, remove the wheel, insert the Kleen Wheel shield (make sure it's going in the right direction, they are directional) and re-install the wheel. They have stickers on the shields that indicate direction and I took a scribe and drew arrows in the aluminum (face against the rotors) so when the stickers wear off, I'll still know their direction. They work great! My wheels are still spotless (at least from brake dust) and she's braking fine!!

tnbowhunter · 09-22-2004, 06:47 AM

I would love to see some pics. I would like to have somthing to help keep the brake dust off, it takes almost as much time cleaning wheels as it does washing and drying the whole truck.
It must be the temp. pciley, my Mr. Clean thingy works great if it's not really hot and the suns not beating down on the truck.

4THE1 · 09-22-2004, 05:38 PM

I've owned Kleen wheel dust covers on my previous trucks and never had a problem with the brakes. They work great. Now that they are available for the Titan, I ordered them.

Should be here is a few days.

Tom Roper · 09-22-2004, 05:58 PM

I would rather have the ceramic brake pads. The Kleen wheel shield is a good idea, except that instead of that brake dust dispersing, it's getting concentrated on the calipers, pads and disc instead. Everyone has a theory, mine is that the brake warpage is caused by the pads not retracting away from the disc. It just seems intuitive that excessive brake dust on the pads and pins can't help but make it more unlikely that the pads will withdraw away from the disc.

jkeith72 · 09-23-2004, 05:35 AM

do ceramic pads hurt the rotor? are they more prone to squealing? i agree that they might be a better option if they dont squeal like pigs.

Tom Roper · 09-23-2004, 10:17 AM

The oem ceramic pads in my Silverado didn't squeal. The pads in some of those trucks were said to go 100,000 miles. I had 46,000 on mine when I traded it, and they appeared to have plenty of pad life left.

It was also said that by the time you do need to change the pads on them, you may need new rotors as well, so it's probably a fair assumption that ceramic extends pad life at the expense of disc life.