Brake Calipers: Paint, Powder Coat or leave alone?

[SUV55]

My X5 will be built next week. I have ordered a Space Gray M-Sport with 20's and 469 rims. I really am liking the BMW Ms blue color calipers, as well as the Porsche red or yellow.

1) What do you all think of the look?

2) If I do it, will paint look almost as good and hold up nearly as good as powder coating? If powder coated I would be without my vehicle for a good 5 days and this would be very inconvenient.

3) What is an estimate of cost on painting vs powder coating?

4) With a Space Gray M-Sport with 469 wheels, what color do you all think would look the best?

Light or dark Blue, Red, or Yellow?

5) If I paint, can high heat paint be a custom color or am I stuck with preset colors? If so what are these premixed colors?

If anyone has done this and has photos please post.

Thanks for your opinions!

[brownan]

IMO "homemade" painted calipers are a bad look but just my opinion. Porsche calipers are color-coded to their functionality. Yellow for PCCB, Red for large steel, Acid Green for hybrids, Silver for S models and Black for base models.

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by SUV55

My X5 will be built next week. I have ordered a Space Gray M-Sport with 20's and 469 rims. I really am liking the BMW Ms blue color calipers, as well as the Porsche red or yellow.

1) What do you all think of the look?

2) If I do it, will paint look almost as good and hold up nearly as good as powder coating? If powder coated I would be without my vehicle for a good 5 days and this would be very inconvenient.

3) What is an estimate of cost on painting vs powder coating?


4) With a Space Gray M-Sport with 469 wheels, what color do you all think would look the best?

Light or dark Blue, Red, or Yellow?

5) If I paint, can high heat paint be a custom color or am I stuck with preset colors? If so what are these premixed colors?

If anyone has done this and has photos please post.

Thanks for your opinions!

1) Looks great, in some colors, when they are original. Otherwise it looks as if you are trying too hard.

2) No spray paint will ever hold up as well as powder coating. It will not have the same quality finish either.

3) Spray paint $30, plus time. Powder, $250-500, someone else's time.

4) Space Gray, same as the car, so they don't shout "look at me!"

5) Numerous "how to" and videos on this. The high heat paint holds up well, but it just does not have the same quality finish.


My two cents: do nothing. Or, if you get M brakes, they will blue. If you get other larger brakes and want to paint them, same color as the car.

[SUV55]

Thanks...good info.

Matt, I take it there is no X5 powder coated brake caliper paint option that is not on the consumer builder site?

Though unlikely, sometimes the dealer sees options that we don't on the builder program.

If I don't powder coat then I will likely pass. i just don't want my X5 off the road for a week. For those interested, I came across this link.

http://g2usa.com/

[MattBianco]

Dealers have access to a local network of trades as well, and may be able to have it powder coated. They offered me powder coated wheels. A good body shop should be able to do this as well....then again, money that could go towards M or Brembo brakes would be wasted on looks only. You get the look and much better braking with a proper upgrade. I'd use the money for Zurich Shield or some other protective coating, including film.

[SUV55]

A good body shop can powder coat? I thought the calipers had to be sent out for powder coating.

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by SUV55

A good body shop can powder coat? I thought the calipers had to be sent out for powder coating.

It is baked on....I should say they they do send it to a shop that does that....I enquired from a shop in S. Rafael, CA who said "we do it". But now that i think about it, it is likely farmed out.

[SUV55]

Ok, that makes sense.

[Armen383]

Either go with the real deal (i.e. M-performance brakes or Brembo) or leave it. F15 is not a racers boy Honda...

[opasha]

Just in case anyone was wondering...Rob painted the stock brake caliphers to resemble the color of the M performance brake caliphers: http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1033553

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by opasha

Just in case anyone was wondering...Rob painted the stock brake caliphers to resemble the color of the M performance brake caliphers: http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1033553

I won't plead the 5th as to the look -it almost cost me a life on the other forum. But, I will pull an oldie: I was for it before I was against it (or the other way around). I couldn't think they would look good, but @SUV55 I admit it looks good on the car in the @Opasha 's link. Perhaps the total level of mods and those 22" rims that are wide open make it work. So if you are looking for feedback, I'd say, maybe, depending on what else you are changing.

[opasha]

Originally Posted by MattBianco

I won't plead the 5th as to the look -it almost cost me a life on the other forum. But, I will pull an oldie: I was for it before I was against it (or the other way around). I couldn't think they would look good, but @SUV55 I admit it looks good on the car in the @Opasha 's link. Perhaps the total level of mods and those 22" rims that are wide open make it work. So if you are looking for feedback, I'd say, maybe, depending on what else you are changing.

I feel bad that that incident happened between you two on the other forum because you both are very kind/helpful individuals. I think @dataready was having a bad day and I can understand where he was coming from regarding not being able to see the blinker. I also know that you meant no harm and were just giving a fair/honest opinion, which he did ask for; I think he wanted more positive help because he was already set on doing it for himself. Sometimes even I forget if my blinker is actually clicking because I'll be listening to music or have my windows down and won't be able to hear the clicker or see it because I keep my steering wheel at the lowest setting (yes, I'm more performance driving oriented - it helps me keep better control).

Regarding these brakes, I agree that Rob did a great job on them despite them being painted. Even I myself commented in that thread saying I wasn't a fan of the wheels because I saw his entire stock of wheels and he's got really really nice ones that I personally thought would make the car look MUCH better. However, like he said, everyone has their own thoughts/preferences and he's right .

@SUV55, my friend, if you're going to do this mod, do it right and do it well so you don't regret it later. I really feel that RED or BLUE would look fantastic based on what I have seen with Brembo colors and Rob's custom paint job.

[SUV55]

Originally Posted by Armen383

Either go with the real deal (i.e. M-performance brakes or Brembo) or leave it. F15 is not a racers boy Honda...

Gave it some thought, and I have no interest to make It look like a "racer boy Honda"...but I really not into the rusty brake caliper look either.

Either an M replica in blue powder coat, or a Space Gray powder coat (as Opasha first suggested) with either the M emblem in silver, white or traditional M emblem. It should look tasteful.

The X5 cant be ordered with M performance brakes, and doing it after delivery costs $1000's correct?

[Armen383]

Originally Posted by SUV55

The X5 cant be ordered with M performance brakes, and doing it after delivery costs $1000's correct?

Don't know about ordering from day-1 (when I ordered my X5, the M-Performance parts were not even announced), but retrofit prices obviously vary from region to region... I guess someone from US will pitch in, because in here it costs ~2.8k EUR + labour (which can be considered cheap solely from the price point of view when compared to Brembo @ 8k+).

[SUV55]

Thanks. I am interested in the look only vs spending huge $ for increased performance.

[SUV55]

Originally Posted by opasha

Just in case anyone was wondering...Rob painted the stock brake caliphers to resemble the color of the M performance brake caliphers: http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1033553

I have seen Rob's photos, and his calipers peaked my interest. So his calipers are just painted and not powder coated?

They look great.

[SUV55]

Originally Posted by MattBianco

I won't plead the 5th as to the look -it almost cost me a life on the other forum. But, I will pull an oldie: I was for it before I was against it (or the other way around). I couldn't think they would look good, but @SUV55 I admit it looks good on the car in the @Opasha 's link. Perhaps the total level of mods and those 22" rims that are wide open make it work. So if you are looking for feedback, I'd say, maybe, depending on what else you are changing.

I am really not changing anything other than maybe the brake color. I would hope that the BMW 569 M wheel would be open enough though. Still debating though between BMW blue and Space Gray calipers, but it seems the Gray may hardly be noticeable. Maybe in the end that's a good thing? Not sure.

[cy07]

Id say leave it alone, if its a few hundreds just to paint them. Might as well save that money towards the actual M bbk.

[opasha]

I don't know if Rob's are powder coated. His thread says custom painted and @r33 said they are custom painted. I would ask Rob directly in his thread or PM him because he's a professional so he know's what you're looking for.

Also, here's the MPBK on getbmwparts ($2635): http://www.getbmwparts.com/partlocat...catalogid=4462

[r33_RGSport]

Most of brake caliper are painted. Powder involves much more work as you need to removes the pistons and other component. And by doing that, suggested to replace the seals into a new one. It is brake, don't take second chance on it.
Even Brembo are painted, not powder coated.

[SUV55]

Weighing all factors I will either paint or just leave them alone. I am not in a big rush. I have learned quite a bit with this thread. I do appreciate all the responses.

[opasha]

Originally Posted by SUV55

Weighing all factors I will either paint or just leave them alone. I am not in a big rush. I have learned quite a bit with this thread. I do appreciate all the responses.

This might help you:

1) http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=71441

2) https://g2usa.com/WordPress/