What is the consensus on removing dust shields?

I have OEM Brembos (blackened from track days) and have tried ducting air into the back of the shields with limited results.

Everyone talks about trimming them for BBK's.. can they be completely removed without problems? any opinions on the benefits, or lack thereof?

 

for non-Brembo, I just cut the whole dust shield off. If you want a clean removal, IIRC you have to remove part of the rotor assembly, then pop off the dust shield. I assume it's similar to the Brembos.

 

I believe there are 4 bolts behind the hub, after you remove the rotor, that have to be unbolted to remove the entire shield. I almost did it once, but wasn't sure if the hub bearings were sealed or not so I didn't take the chance. Instead, I made handy work of them with a pair of tin shears.

 

Just use a strong metal trimmer and trim it off bro.

 

Has anyone who tracks their car noticed much improvement in cooling with dust shields removed?

 

Val, I agree with you about the hub bearings but also add that the shield looked like it acted as a spacer as well so I didn't take chances and just did the trimming.

Steve, usually when you upgrade to bbk, the dust shields will have to be cut/removed since the rotor would not clear the top of the dust shield that protrudes outward so comparing with or without shields cannot be done.

All I know is that I had to clean my wheels every other day cuz brake dust accumulates on the wheel.

I had no issue with cooling or brake fade, if you are concerned you could rig a brake vent that some ppl have done on this forum.

 

Thanks for comments.

My main issue is to improve cooling while sticking with the OEM Brembo's. Ducting air to the inside of the rotor is tough given the shape of the hubs. I have these vents (pics below) with some improvement in fade resistance, but am wondering if taking the shield off all together will yield a better result?

 

Wow, you are serious about cooling your rotors down! I'd just cut the entire shield off if I were you. Cutting it out totally will never give you any negative effects, in regards to cooling, so you have really have nothing to lose.