I just installed new wheels on my MINI, making the calipers and rotor hats very visible. It's still very new, so they still look clean and nice. I know from experience that their appearance can become much less appealing if care is not taken to maintain it.

So, my questions are:

1. Do I need to treat/paint the rotor hats to preserve their appearance? If so, how?

2. What type of caliper paint is best?

Thanks!

 

I have never seen a do-it-yourself caliper paint job that looked really fantastic. The bumpy texture of the stock calipers makes for an uneven and unpolished look, nothing like the really fantastic glossy and smooth look of high end big brake kits. They look good from a distance though. . .

But to keep them looking great as they are, you can use some brake parts cleaner and a bristle brush to keep them shiny and new looking. . .

 

Thanks. Will the same treatment work for the rotor hats? My concern is that they may rust as they do on some other cars.

 

OK, after 900 miles, much of it in rainy weather, the rotor hats still look fine. So my worries were unfounded I guess. Anybody had any problems keeping the appearance up on them?

 

Haven't done the MINI yet, but I used some hi-temp red on the calipers on my old Eclipse GS-T Spyder (looked nice on the black/black w/polished rims) and they still looked good after 40,000+ pretty hard miles. You DO need to use brake cleaner and a deep bristle brush on 'em every now and then, but I noticed that the painted surface was easier to keep clean than the bare metal. Just make sure you prep well.

Might do the MINI if the weather ever improves here. . .

 

If you paint the caliper and hats silver the look is much more natural -unpretentious.

 

meb,

I'm thinking the same thing. I wouldn't even mind finding high-temp clear to keep the completely stock look in an easier to maintain finish.

 

For the rotor hats-
Do nothing except keep them clean-
Use soap and water to wash off dirt and salt that collects.
Use brake cleaner if needed to remove brake dust/grime.
Don't let brake dust sit and wear into the metal surfaces.
Consider changing brake pads to something that creates less dust like EBC green or Mintex Redbox.
Don't do anything to mar or wear the finish which is usually a silver or grey finish on the stock hats. No scrubbing with a hard material.
While you can paint them with caliper paint, you don't need to.
Once you loose the finish on the rotors they will rust.

For the calipers-
I sanded my calipers down completely smooth before I hand painted with caliper paint. Looked fine to me and they would have done fine for street use only and probably with autocross as well. But when I went to driving school (1-2 days) and to the track there is so much heat that formed it darkened and cracked my 3 layers of paint in the fronts only. The rears are OK still.

So get the best quality caliper paint and put 4 coats, watch out for excessive heat. Expect some chipping of the paint over time, discoloration is common with heat. For street use the color and appearance was fine for me. You do have to keep cleaning off the brake dust- it will mar the finish.

I used Duplicolor caliper paint I got from walmart for $15. It came in a can and was only one part- just stir. More than enough to do front and rear x 3 coats. I have some left so I was going to repaint my fronts.

Search for threads on caliper paint-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=12140
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=10776

 

I follow pretty much the same routine as above except that I am a stickler for detail and I DO paint the rotor hats. The attached is picture of my Carrera rotor since I don't have a good one of my Mini handy. If you use a good enough high heat paint it will stay there just fine. The hats don't get the heat the rotor surface does. Mine (on the Carrera and the Mini) have seen numerous track days and still look great.

A lot obviously depends what brand of paint you use. I have never used Duplicolor but have had good luck with VHT and G2 brands. They are both relatively inexpensive and available at Pep Boys/Auto Zone.

 

I used G2 two-part ($40/kit from Tire Rack) on my M3 track car and it's survived that kind of intense heat use. I painted them gloss black, so can't vouch for the bling colours (lime green anyone?).

The more coats of paint you put on the more the paint is likely to crack under thermal stress. You're better off with something like the G2 which will cover in a single coat.

There are some issues with the two-part paints. They need to be applied within a defined temperature range. It was kind of a warm day when I did mine, and the paint started to set up before I was finished. If I were to do it over again I might divide the paint and hardener into two batches and/or refrigerate it before mixing. Converesly, if it's a cold day, the paint may not want to harden.

Neil

 

Thanks Neil!


That's great info. Between what you and minihune, I think I have enough info to move forward. And until then, I can just keep it all clean.