How To Paint Your Calipers

Painted calipers and/or rotors can look quite cool. They can be a good fashion to personalize your machine.

Painting is besides a popular style to reduce the chance of rust on these parts. The correct kind of paint tin foreclose dirt from building upwards on the calipers and rotors. If you're planning on painting your calipers and/or rotors, it'south important to know how to do information technology the right way.

The Advantages Of Painting Your Calipers

paint caliper — *Image Credit: TuningBlog*

If done right, painted calipers tin look quite prissy. A pop of color through the wheels can look pretty appealing. And then that's a large reward of painting your calipers. Many people believe that painted calipers are only a cosmetic upgrade. That's actually not true. There are some functional benefits to painting your calipers:

Painting calipers helps to forbid rust.
Painted calipers shed dirt more hands, so they are easier to clean.
Clean calipers will cool somewhat meliorate than dirty calipers.

Your painted calipers tin can be rust resistant every bit long as:

You make clean off the existing grime and rust deposits during the painting procedure
You use the right kind of paint (more than on this later on)

The Advantages Of Painting Your Rotors

*Y'all can paint your rotors, but non similar this (at to the lowest degree not unless you mask the rotor surface first). Image Credit:* *AliMECH*

Painted rotors are less common than painted calipers. We want to take the opportunity to mention that painted rotors are only painted in certain areas, such every bit:

The rotor lid
The edge of the rotor (not where the restriction pads come in contact with the rotor)
Anywhere else that'southward not the disc surface (where the restriction pads come in contact with the rotor)

Information technology'southward very important to not paint the disc surface. Doing so will interfere with the restriction pads' ability to grip the rotor and create enough heat dissipation to stop the vehicle. Keep in mind that there's a thing called rotor coating, and that's not the aforementioned every bit rotor pigment. When brakes are brand new, rotor coating has been applied to the disc surface to prevent rust. For the sake of clarity, when we talk over painting rotors in this post, nosotros mean painting the rotor hat and/or other areas for corrective purposes.

Like painted calipers, painted rotors tin make your vehicle look nicer. The pigment can as well prevent corrosion in these areas.

The Importance Of Using The Right Paint

The rotors and calipers are amid the most of import parts of your vehicle's braking organization. For example, the calipers singlehandedly press the restriction pads against the rotors. It's of import that you don't jeopardize the effectiveness of your brakes by incorrectly painting these parts.

Nosotros recommend simply using a paint made specifically for automotive brake system applications. If you use the wrong kind of paint, information technology will chop-chop flake or fire off. That'south not what yous want happening after you've put in the effort to paint the parts.

Every bit we mentioned before, information technology'due south also very important that you clean off the existing grime and rust deposits during the painting process. You lot don't want to trap whatsoever clay under layers of paint.

When looking for pigment to utilize on your calipers and/or rotors, get only high-temperature paint. Be sure to get paint that tin can withstand at to the lowest degree 500 degrees F. Brake calipers and rotors can become hotter than the engine. And then these parts demand paint that can withstand the high temperatures. If you're using primer besides, make sure the primer is also resistant to high heat. You don't want the paint to flake off and contaminate the disc surface, restriction pads, or any other component that play a big role in stopping your vehicle.

Tips On Painting Your Calipers The Right Mode

Before painting any calipers or rotors, y'all demand to make sure they are in good status and that y'all know how to properly paint them. Here are some important tips on painting your calipers the right mode.

The near important thing to recollect is to not paint the entire caliper. Just paint on the surfaces that don't come in contact with the brake pads. Paint that comes in contact with whatsoever moving office will quickly exist worn off.

Be certain to remove the caliper from the vehicle before painting it. Remove all the hardware (such every bit the caliper guide pin commodities and the caliper bracket bolts). Apply tape to mask off the piston and safety seal. Cover the holes with record, besides.

With brake cleaner, requite the caliper and components a good wash down. Yous want to remove all the dirt, grime, and rust before painting information technology. Use a wire brush if y'all need. Instead of cleaning the shims and/or spring retainers, you can buy new ones. It'll help ensure that your painted calipers will perform reliably.

When painting the calipers, apply multiple coats. Be sure to let the paint dry betwixt coats.

Tips On Painting Your Rotors The Right Way

Before painting the rotors, remove them from the vehicle. Y'all don't want to paint them while they're notwithstanding on the vehicle. Clean the rotors earlier y'all paint them. If at that place's whatsoever dirt, crud, or rust on the rotor hat, for example, clean it off starting time.

Employ masking tape to tape off the remainder of the rotor. When y'all remove the tape after the job'south done, exist sure that there's no sticky residual on the disc surface. If there is, clean it off with brake cleaner.

This bears repeating: do not paint the surface area where the brake pads make contact with the rotor. It will seriously affect your vehicle's braking power.

Go along in mind that practiced prep work is key to a successful paint job. Don't rush through the preparation phase.

We hope these tips will help you. Happy painting!