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Maybe it's about debris on the rotors, and maybe it's rotor heat on nearby components, and maybe it's about debris getting to the inner wheel bearing.

And maybe the debris in question is small or maybe it's large.
Maybe the debris is fluid or solid.
Maybe the fluid is water, or maybe the fluid is something petroleum-based that can contaminate the pads.

Automotive engineers put shields on these and the vast majority of other disc brake equipped cars for some or all of the reasons speculated on here and for other reasons overlooked.

But by all means, feel free to discard an integral part of your car's BRAKE SYSTEM based on the statistically insignificant anecdotal stories of a few keyboard jockeys who did so and didn't instantly die as a result.

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...I think maybe it's about common sense...which seems to be in short supply these days You must live life pretty carefully if removing disk brake "dust shields" keeps you up at night!

I ride and race motorcycles (you know, those motorized vehicles without crumple zones and air bags) both on and off road and have been doing so for over 30 years. These bikes have been exposed to the same roads as cars (gasp!) and so logic would suggest that their brake systems have been exposed to all the same potential contaminants....and I'm still here!

I routinely do 1000 things more dangerous than driving a car without dust shields that, but to each their own I guess. Do you wear a tinfoil hat too and stand 10' away from your microwave when it's on?



Dave