Has any one done this? what kind of paint would I need to use? does it look cheap or ricey when it's done? -Chris
It doesn't make them perform any better.. so skip. Of course.. that's just my opinion.. And opinions are like... Anyway.. think of it this way.. Aftermarket calipers are sometimes painted to draw attention to them.. Hey look! I got performance brakes! So people will spot the painted calipers.. and say "Hey, what brakes you got on there!?".. to which you'll reply "umm.. stock." Then they be like "Oh. (Poser)" hehe.
We all have a little of individuality in each of us. You can paint them of course. Brakes get hot especially in rush hour traffic and race days. You'll want brake caliper paint that is designed to withstand the high temperatures. Red is a good color to use. With all the road tar that gets on it, you'll need to fully prep the calipers before painting or else you'll get some peeling spots.
I thought about the redicule I would face before doing it and then I figured if it looks better than the stock primer olive drab / rust color, how could I go wrong. I just got the high temp gloss black and took a garbage bag with a hole ripped in the corner. Stretch it over the caliper and vuala, instant mask. I didn't even prep the caliper because like some of you have stated, it is still just a stock caliper. I chose black because the car is black and I'm not trying to pretend like I have some after market calipers or something. All in all, it looks better than it used to and is virtually invisible. If I wanted a cleaner look, I would have scrubbed the calipers and probably waited until I was gonna change the pads. I don't think the idea of painting stock calipers is to pretend like you have something better, it is just to cover up the ugly crap they failed to cover up at the factory.
The problem is that I have 18s on my car and the calipers are very visible, since I now have a 3 month old baby I don't have $$ to buy big bling brakes. Black is a good idea... hmm time to go photoshop some pictures.
Personally I wouldnt bother. If they are stock calipers then nobody cares what color they are Would be better off taking the calipers off and doing your pads. While you are doing that you could paint them. You'd want to use a very durable enamle finish paint. I'd go with something like tractor paint, acrylic enamle. Dries to a very hard finish. Brakes go through a lot of abuse; heat, water, sand, and up here... snow! Did you get that front swaybar on yet? If not that's what I would be focusing on! Gimme a call if you need some garage time.
