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Brake dust

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Can anyone comment on spending $5000 on FRONT only Carbon Ceramic brakes? Are they really that good and worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

Unless you doing some serious track driving, where heat soak is an issue, no - they aren't worth it. The limiting factor to your stopping distance currently is your tires, not your brakes.

That said, aesthetics matter, more to some than others. If it floats your boat and you've got the scratch, I say go for it.
 
Brake dust seems to be endemic to performance brake pads. I got introduced to frequent wheel cleaning by my BMW 3 series convertibles, a 2001 and now a 2008. You can get ceramic pads that don't generate as much dust but they won't feel as powerful and as well-controlled as the high carbon OEM pads. Or so I'm told. I haven't resorted to switching.
 
Typically ceramic brake pads don't work very well when cold, and they would always be cold in the Model S!

Yes, it's hard to optimize performance and optimize dust at the same time. That said, very aggressive pads are often less dusty simply because they wear more slowly. But you wouldn't want to run those on a street car; they're noisy, sensitive, and are also designed to operate optimally when they're hot.
 
Actually I have the grey wheels and haven't noticed any brake dust - and I wash the car weekly so I inspect it pretty carefully. Certainly about 10X less than the brake dust on my old BMW M5. I do have OptiCoat on the wheels though and I do think that makes a big difference.
 
The grey rims look like brake dust all the time.
Are you sure you don't have the dark grey rims? LOL?
Hiding brake dust is exactly the point of the grey wheels. On the Corvette they're called "Competition Grey."
Brake dust seems to be endemic to performance brake pads. I got introduced to frequent wheel cleaning by my BMW 3 series convertibles, a 2001 and now a 2008. You can get ceramic pads that don't generate as much dust but they won't feel as powerful and as well-controlled as the high carbon OEM pads. Or so I'm told. I haven't resorted to switching.
I'm guessing there are lots of different "ceramic" pads but the Carbotech 1521 pads I have on my Roadster bite hard, period. They work every bit as well as the Hawk Performance pads I had on my Corvette. Likewise on the Roadster that had "high performance pads" from the Elise the Carbotech pads work way better. Also the Carbotechs don't squeal.
+1 for the CarboTech group buy in
Cool. We ran into a slight delay - Tesla gave me rear Model S pads and front Roadster pads. When I returned them they said that front Model S pads are backordered. So I'll let you all know when I hear something.
 
If you were a shade tree mechanic.
And wanted to explore a different kind of break experience.

I have had an empty box with these part numbers rattling around in my car for 18,000 miles
in an early model S the dirt has been reduced substantially.
The pedal pressure went up and you need to warm them up a little.
But they don't squeak coming to a stop at every intersection like my car used to.
I hear a little squeak once in awhile in reverse.
Or perhaps this is what I dream about?

Here are some reference numbers it would be worth taking a look at.

Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic
Centric 105.10010 Front Brake Pad
Sold by Amazon.com LLC $39.89

Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic
Centric 105.10530 Rear Brake Pad
Sold by Amazon.com LLC $40.58

I believe these to be the part numbers
for the Brembo


Brembo ST04 Ceramic
ST04R780-18SCO
$334.95

Brembo OE ST04 Ceramic
ST04R592-15SCO
$299.95

This should only be used for the purposes of discussion.
We all know the manufacturer of this car has made
the best choices for all of us.

 
If our cars use so much regenerative braking why is there so much brake dust? Is my understanding incorrect in that when we lift off the accelerator the brakes are NOT applied but there is a braking action applied by the motor?

The only motor that applies friction braking is the parking brake.

The reason for the dust (from what I've gathered) is that the pads are soft so that they will brake effectively even with limited use. Go read the threads on the Roadster about brake pads. A lot of owners have replaced the Roadster OE pads because if you don't use them often, they don't stop so well. I believe there are some Model S owners looking for pads that work well with limited use but don't have the dust.
 
The reason for the dust (from what I've gathered) is that the pads are soft so that they will brake effectively even with limited use. Go read the threads on the Roadster about brake pads. A lot of owners have replaced the Roadster OE pads because if you don't use them often, they don't stop so well. I believe there are some Model S owners looking for pads that work well with limited use but don't have the dust.
This. In the Roadster they simply used the same pads Lotus was using for the Elise to save costs. Those are "high performance" pads meant to work at high temps but since we rarely use our brakes they made for some scary moments and a few low-speed rear-ends as the car just wouldn't stop (pedal firm, lots of force applied, speed just wouldn't bleed off). So my opinion they learned from this and spec'd softer pads on the Model S so they will work when cold and when seldom used. But the trade-off is more dust. That being said I see tons of Porsches and other performance sedans that have tons of brake dust (mostly) on the front wheels. So there could be some environmental or other regulatory reason for high-dust pads. Our problem is that we use our brakes so little they'll outlast the car.

I'm using Carbotech 1521's on my Roadster and love them. No squealing, no dust, and they bite hard every time. I will be installing a set on our Model S.

As an update to those following the thread Tesla did deliver the OEM pads and both sets have been sent to Carbotech. Will update everyone as I learn more.