Brake Calipers Replace Or Paint? - BMW Forum

BimmerDan · 12-21-2004, 08:15 AM

Right -on an EXTREMELY tight budget here - but this is what i would "like"...

Either uprating the discs and pads and calipers front and back on the car, or (more cheaply) just painting the calipers and nice shiny yellow or something liek that - only problem is i have the worst break dust issues EVER and im thinking that if i painted them then you'd only actually be able to see the colour for, probably, 2 weeks or so before they were BLACK, or just suffer the huge expense of replacign the lot and potentially opening up a can of worms (my local BMW dealership tends to frown upon an aftermarket alterations - they even tried to replace my K+N panel filter with one of there poxy paper ones - erm, NO!)

Please can you recommend any option open to me and if possible give an idea on price - car is as sig.

Many thanks all - oh, - and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[[DONT DRINK AND DRIVE]]

BlantonG13 · 12-21-2004, 08:43 AM

I'd go with upgrading your brakes. That would just improve the overall breaking performance anyway, while making it look good. You could paint the calipers, but like you said, dust is a bitch. If your rotors are in fine condition, just get some new pads, then paint the calipers. I would suggest EBC Greenstuff pads. They work really well and have very little brake dust, but maximum performance. Only downfall, they are a bright green, which might clash with yellow calipers.

Autotechnica · 12-21-2004, 08:59 AM

I painted my calipers myself with high heat engine paint. I've never had a problem where brake dust would cover it. All you have to do is wash it off with water. However, just like your alloy wheels, if you don't wash the brake dust off and let it sit there for weeks, it will get baked on.

My opinion, EBC's are way too expensive. Get HAWK HPS pads. They are very well known for their use in Motor Sports around the world. I swear by them.

Bry

uiuc240 · 12-21-2004, 01:31 PM

If you really want to do it right, get them powder coated. It's much more durable, it won't flake off, and it makes cleaning the dust off a snap. I had red painted calipers on my last car (300ZX brakes) and the chipped and got dirty really fast.

Oh, and EBC Greenstuff is crap. Get either Hawk HPS or Carbotech Bobcat or Axxis MetalMasters or something along those lines.

Eric

DesmoBob · 12-21-2004, 02:04 PM

brake dust will be an issue regardless of whether you repaint or get new calipers.

another paint alternative:
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/g2/caliper_paint.jsp

you could also try axxis ultimates pads. the compound is ceramic (not sintered metal). like all pads, they dust, but the dust is much lighter and not as obvious.

bitcore · 12-21-2004, 10:46 PM

Save up for some high preformance pads. Hawk HPS pads produce significantly less dust, AND they are preformance pads, so they stop you better. HPS+ ones are for track, you don't want those for the street. (designed for *HARDCORE* braking, like, repeditive 120mph to 60mph over and over again)

Fuck bling when you can have some sting!

Deloriant · 12-21-2004, 11:16 PM

I have my calipers painted...the brake dust issue isn't as bad as you might think. I wash my car every weekend, and it's pretty easy to get the dust off with a sponge and soap.

BimmerDan · 12-22-2004, 09:25 AM

if i just replace the pads with higher spec ones am i likely to greatly reduce the life of the disc?
Iv never heard of "hawk" pads - im in the UK and they certainly dont seem to be highly advertised over here (i dont think...)

If anyone could supply me with a link of where to buy or even just a price comparison it would be greatly appreciated - Many thanks

Bmw1990 · 12-22-2004, 09:36 AM

Yea if you replace your pads with dust free pads that aren't OEM they produce less brake dust but in turn they sacrifice teh life of the rotors. It probably won't cut the life down that much. I stick to OEM BMW pads because bmw knows whats best for your car. If you wash your car once a week it shouldn't be a problem.

Also if you are gonna paint your calipers, defintely get them powder coated.

BlantonG13 · 12-22-2004, 02:31 PM

I like my EBC greenstuff pads. I DO NOT think they are crap. Hawks definitely aren't cheaper so I don't know what you are talking about...they may be better than EBC's but I haven't used them so I can't compare. What I do know, is that my EBCs have great response and very little fade. They don't leave that much dust on my car and I am a pretty aggressive driver. I am VERY happy with their performance...and they were about 10-20 bucks cheaper than Hawks...

either way, you can find Hawk and EBC brakes as well as others at:

www.Tirerack.com

-good selection, easy to use, and fast shipping...

Autotechnica · 12-22-2004, 03:10 PM

Hawk's are cheaper. I sell them at my shop and I sell them for $230CDN for a full set front and rear. EBC's are like $250CDN just for the front!

Hawk is a US brand, so those of you in the UK may have never heard of them. They are official SCCA pads (Sports Car Club of America). They also make pads for airplanes and trucks, vehicles which experience a lot of brake fade.

Anyways, I have never used a better set of pads for the street.

Oh yeah, HP+ isn't a track pad, HAWK Blue is a track pad. HP+ is just a more aggressive street pad which is great for track use as well. For aggressive track driving, I'd use Ferrodo.

Bry

BlantonG13 · 12-22-2004, 03:17 PM

Interesting...check out Tirerack.com and the Hawks are more expensive than the EBCs. Thats where I was basing my information from. Where are EBCs manufactured? I have heard a lot of good things about Hawks anyway, but I had heard good things from other people about EBCs as well, and because I was on somewhat of a tight budget, I went for what I saw as the cheaper pads...Maybe I should do some more searching next time...