When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
What are you talking about?
This is a thread about caliber covers. Are you asking if cleaning them is a problem? cleaning them would take less than five minutes for all four..
If you are talking painted calipers
Mine rarely get dirty.
If you are talking cleaning a whole corner which include the tire, wheel, rotor, caliper, wheel well, that's a different story. I detail 4 corners once a year, about 4 hours. total most of that time keeping my polished aluminum CCW's looking New. With a 20 minute touch up once a month.. I usually break up that four hour detail into 2 sessions Only because I am old. I enjoy it very much its like therapy..
Bill aka ET
I was thinking about how a P.I.A. it would be getting behind the spokes of the wheels. You say you don't get any brake dust on the painted calipers?
I painted (also in the not a fan of covers) last winter. I used a G2 kit as previously mentioned, however I wasn't that happy with the results. Granted, I didn't remove the calipers, and had them "hanging". Meaning, I replaced the pads and rotors and while the caliper was off the rotor, I painted them, but they were still connected to the brake lines. Anyway, after they dried, I then took a rattle can to them and was much happier. I just didn't like MY application using the G2 kit and didn't think I had good coverage. Using a rattle can, I was able to get into tighter area's. Once it was all dry, I used a block/sponge sander and cleaned the letters off. After all that, I hit them with a couple light coats of clear.
First pic was right after I was done (and seeing what it looked like with a set of chrome wheels). Second pic is a few months after, with a set of black wheels I ended up going with.
Hi
I found a place the specialize in painting calipers. $100 to $150 for the set of 4 . Depends what I want done on them
So I will probably go with them.
I painted (also in the not a fan of covers) last winter. I used a G2 kit as previously mentioned, however I wasn't that happy with the results. Granted, I didn't remove the calipers, and had them "hanging". Meaning, I replaced the pads and rotors and while the caliper was off the rotor, I painted them, but they were still connected to the brake lines. Anyway, after they dried, I then took a rattle can to them and was much happier. I just didn't like MY application using the G2 kit and didn't think I had good coverage. Using a rattle can, I was able to get into tighter area's. Once it was all dry, I used a block/sponge sander and cleaned the letters off. After all that, I hit them with a couple light coats of clear.
First pic was right after I was done (and seeing what it looked like with a set of chrome wheels). Second pic is a few months after, with a set of black wheels I ended up going with.
Hi
I found a place the specialize in painting calipers. $100 to $150 for the set of 4 . Depends what I want done on them
So I will probably go with them.
that’s cheaper then the covers , right ? Good asking forum . Nobody hating , just giving opinion on your question
I was thinking about how a P.I.A. it would be getting behind the spokes of the wheels. You say you don't get any brake dust on the painted calipers?
I dont get any brake dust on my calipers. Also what might be considered a P.I.A. to some is considered fun to others. But five spoke 19 inch wheels are easy access
from the outside to inner wheel barrels which are always spotless on my car
I've put about 1000 miles a year on my car, but in the last three years its been about 500. since Ive been sick. Every time I take my car out, its a ten minute therapy session to wipe down my wheels, wheels wells. No one has ever seen my car dirty, unless I got caught in a storm.
I'm the first to admit that I'M O C D.
OCD can be fun. I can also read every single label in our cupboards, our refrigerators and spice racks.. its what I do.
I put caliper covers on my car when I first got it. They were on for a year and I just wasn't happy with them so I replaced my calipers with powder coated calipers.
I agree. Painted them myself. I had them off for new steel braided brake lines and fluid replacement, so it wasn't that much more work. I also added some flat black rotor hub covers to complete the look. Besides, the covers look like.... well, covers. Really meh.
FWIW, in opposition to the person above who said they do not like red calipers with an electron blue car, I would say that red-under-blue is a very good contrasting color scheme and works fine. Bright blue and bright red are opposites that play well together.
Mine is rather dirty from driving through a lot of dust, as you can see.
Honestly I much prefer black or silver (nickel-plated) calipers, I bought the red ones from a forum member due to a deal I could not pass up, but you can judge style for yourself.
(For reference, these are Aero6/4 calipers on a 14.25"/14.00" rotor setup from Wilwood.)
I used the G2 kit mentioned above in 2011 on my RSX. Spent a lot of time on the cleaning/prep part and the finish has held up very well- to a LOT of abuse and heat. That car goes through about 2 sets of front pads/year. PittRace especially is very hard on brakes. A good wipe down and the finish still looks pretty good after all of that abuse. It's a bit faded red now, but not very noticeable. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on my C5 in the future.
I for one think they are fine. I have them on my car and think they look great. I didn’t put them on myself as they where already on there but yea I think they look great. I would not pay the two hundred bucks for them but i have know intention of changing them until I can afford a set of willwood but that’s 3+ so I am fine with what I have now. Not everyone can afford to spend that kind of money so I think the covers are fine and if anyone gives you a hard time tell them to go f+#” them selves. Faster5 out��
Go Duplicolor and spend about $15 - $20 for sharp looking calipers
I took the calipers off when doing a brake job about a decade ago. Cleaned them up with brake cleaner and a brush then got a Duplicolor brush on caliper painting kit for about $15.
Painted the caliper without the brake hardware but still connected to the brake lines. Have to use several coats and no more than about a half hour between coats. Let them dry overnight before putting them back on the car. I touched up the Corvette logo on the front calipers with white paint, Ten years later they still look good. When I put the brake pads on I did scuff up a small area on the calipers. I toufhed up the scuff marks with the caliper paint and all looked good. Taking a day to do this yourself is hundreds of dollars cheaper then powder coating and standing next to the car looks almost the same.
My first reaction to seeing caliper covers when they first came out was what kind of damage or problems would be created if one fell off while you were driving at highway speeds. The other problem is wouldn't they create more problems by keeping the heat in. On my first C5 I painted my calipers red. That was in 1998, long before GM did it on the Z06. I now have a Z so I didn't have to paint mine red. In my business I use One-Shot brand lettering enamels, which have a huge variety of colors. I have used One-Shot in high temp automotive situations and it holds up quite well.BTW, caliper covers, No!
Take the time and paint them yourself. It took me 2 days to do all 4 (prep, painting and drying)...well worth it in the end... Paint on the bracket didnt match 100% but no one can tell with the wheel on:
