Front Red Coated Brake Caliper ?

Wondering how powder coated calipers hold up - are they worth the extra $$ or does the powder coat come off and the calipers rust up just like the ones that aren't power coated. Thanks for any reply from you guys with experience.

 

I think anything up north where the roads get salted eventually you’ll have some issues but imo it should at least delay that effect if taken care of. Here in Texas don’t have that issue powder works great.

 

My son painted his own. It came out good and has lasted.

 

With high temp paint? Or did he powder coat too?

 

High temp paint I believe

 

High Temp Caliper Paint !

 

Powder coating is usually more durable than paint, but it's more expensive. Powder coating also requires disassembling and rebuilding the calipers, while painting does not.

 

I painted mine maybe eight or so years ago; I want to say I used the Duplicolor caliper paint kit. The leftover paint is still in the garage with my other paints but I'm too lazy to go look right now. I didn't even dismount the caliper off the rotor, just sprayed it down with the caliper cleaner, scrubbed it well, sprayed it again then painted it. The stuff I used came in a can and you used a brush to paint it on. It goes on kind of thick but evens out.

They're never going to look like Brenbos or other performance brakes but they still look good when I wash the wheels and get the brake dust off of them. I painted the rear drums at the same time with a spray type paint for brakes and it's held up well too, I think it was a Duplicolor product also.

ETA- I checked and it was Duplicolor caliper paint (this one with the self leveling brush on paint: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/shw-bcp400) for the front and some black VHT caliper spray paint for the drums.

 

Here is what I did with mine and they turned out pretty good, but powder coating no doubt would be the best if you could do that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QncC66xRkuk

 

There are many options. Paint, powdercoat, and other coatings like G2 caliper paint which might be epoxy.

A question worth asking though, if I may ask everyone:
WHICH calipers, are worth investing any coating into, if at all?
Even if it's just a cleaning in the sink with CLR or something, to remove brake dust.

Audi calipers for example, I believe are Zinc-plated from the factory. Hidden under the brake dust over years.
So whether it's cleaned up or re zinc coated, they look silvery.
There's also a guy, Eric @ PMB performance, who does that process on Porsche calipers and probably more.

back to the question of which calipers,
ie whether to stick to stock and maybe put on cheap PowerStop brake parts, or StopTech Cryo Slotted w/ TRD pads,
or to up the brake size to late model 4runner parts.

2002 Audi A4 calipers with a 1.8T 4-cyl engine are 288mm front. 312mm front if it has the 3.0L V6.
4.2L V8 in the S4 had 345mm.
And later model year (05.5-08) A4 was 321mm, with the 2.0T or 3.2L V6 engines.

which seems crazy for the 2nd gen Tacoma to be in the ballpark of stock, considering it's a big truck, possibly heavier, rides on a frame,
bigger engine (4.0 V6)
and bigger tires, especially if you've put 4runner tires or bigger, like previous owner did on mine (I forget the size, maybe 265 70 17 on 17"s)



Zinc is also supposed to provide a smooth surface that protects against corrosion, especially in the cylinder where hydroscopic brake fluid can try to pull in water to rust otherwise bare metal underneath.
That and grease on the piston seal (Dow Corning, Castrol Red Rubber grease, etc.) to provide a barrier that hydrates the seal, lubes it, and keeps out water.
Though I don't know how it works with tolerances, regarding the size/dimensions of the piston, the bore, small thickness of the zinc plating, and how it all fits together so it's tight enough to function, but not so tight that it binds/seizes. I guess the seal helps with that.

I read a Volvo guy mention a trick for brakes is to put some anti-sieze on the bleed screw threads if you ever have them out, to prevent future siezing and also help make a little barrier that keeps brake fluid inside when bleeding brakes, so it doesn't leak out the threads.
Sometimes DOT4 does seep past the threads for me, and I've noticed ~$7 caliper paint may not hold up the best to that, even if I quickly react with a water rinse to get off the brake fluid.

So then you get a line of discoloration down the paint. But if the bleed screw is on the inside of the caliper then it's hidden behind and not noticeable.
Maybe epoxies and power coats hold up better to that, if it matters.

 

Plastic covers. LOL