G2 Caliper Paint kit vs. Cheaper High-temp paint
 

I have probably read every thread on painting calipers on here. lol Application techniques asides...I have read many positive reviews from the quality of the G2 kit AND those people that just went to their local Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc and bought a can of high-temp spray paint. Being that the G2 kit is like 35 bucks and I may need TWO of them to do all 4 calipers and rotors well(total $70)... or I can get similar supplies from my local auto shop for $20 and have enough to do all four calipers and rotors on TWO cars. lol

And from what I've read, the temperature rating on the two paints doesn't seem to be an issue? (G2's rating of 930+ degress and the dupicolor rating of 500 degrees)

Anyone use "no-name" local high-temp paint awhile ago? Fading now? Peeling? Anything like that?

I used the local hitemp, applied 1 primer coat, and 2 coats of color, and finish with 2 clear coat, it looks good, fine and doesn't peal, I don't know crap about g2 paint though

The OP has a good question. I'll probably be doing the same shortly and Never considered the cost differences when doing calipers+rotors.

Anyone use the high temp stuff long term have anything to say about it?
I'm in save mode for FI so trying to keep costs down.

did both..

the g2 is the better answer..

drys gloss.. easy to clean...

beers :beer:

Dupi-Color actually have brake caliper paints too. That's what I used on mine... looks great. I did one coat of primer and three coats of Red Caliper Paint. To finish it off, I used one coat of high temp Clearcoat.

I used dupli-color 'caliper paint' at first, but i fucked up because i painted in the winter.

I redid them with dupli-color hi-temp paint and it works just as fine.

did a cousins Z with the same brand hi-temp paint and they came out bitchin'

i used duplicolor caliper paint. i like the outcome of brush paint more than spray. it has chipped a couple times though, whether it be the paint or my prepping skills.

The G2 kit can easily paint two coats for every caliper on two cars, if not more. In fact if you want to do multiple cars split the cans apart (G2 is an epoxy paint) before mixing so you can safe some for another vehicle.

I've used Duplicolor kit on calipers and rotors before. The rotors still look great (makes sense since they stay much cooler due to greater surface area and movement)...the Duplicolor on the calipers though was different, it didn't peel off, it literally burned off a short period of time.

I'd recommend G2 on the Calipers and whatever you want on the Rotors...maybe even a lower temp metal paint but I have not tested that only G2 and Duplicolor. Those who track their cars either G2 on the calipers and rotors. I would even say don't paint the rotors at all if you track it, your rotors will be warped soon anyway so it isn't worth the time or money unless you are sponsored and need the appearance.

We do still sell this stuff but our stock is almost depleted.

Some local members smoothed out their calipers with an angle grinder with a grinding disc and/or an abrasive wheel (or if you have a bench grinder remove the caliper first then use that). They then sanded the caliper as smooth as they could. The G2 paint is very thick as an epoxy and fills in the minor imperfections left...now their Calipers look show car quality. Easier to clean too...although I don't recommend any harsh brake cleaners on painted calipers/rotors/wheels.

Also clean the surface during preparation like crazy...go crazy with the brake cleaner and brush and brush and clean and brush again...so worth it.

I also did both. The cheap stuff will work for a while. But after 2 years it will fade and flake apart. G2 is higher quality, and I would recommend it. It also seems to be easier to clean.

Wow. I'm so glad I made this topic. This is really the first time I've heard any negatives about the dupi-color caliper kit. It's not that I MIND paying the extra money... but why should I if there is no difference and I don't have to wait for shipping? Anyway, G2 it is. Also, while I was looking.... those of you looking to put on caliper decals as well, xenonmods.com Set of 18 for $8+$2s/h Just thought I'd share the great deal. Oh and the link in my sig goes to a site that will give you a free RX8 4"x2" sticker just for putting their link in your sig. Dead serious. No shipping. Again, just sharing the good deal.

I think I'm going to go with the G2 kit, but I want to clear coat OVER the decals. Maybe G2 paint, decal, then Dupi-color hightemp clear coat?

Thanks for the feedback, looks like I'll be going G2 as well.

Like Truemagellan said, a single G2 kit is more than enough for all 4 calipers, and rotors. Just prep everything before hand and paint everything at once.

just FYI.
After searching around, cheapest price I found online for the G2 kit was 38$ Shipped. (free shipping)

http://stage3motorsports.com/results...g=&keywords=g2

$36.99 shipped off Ebay FTW :) There's enough for everybody on there.

Do you guys know how long does it take for these G2 paint to dry?

before driving,

over night.

beers :beer:

Anybody know about or use this brand?

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/sfID1/1/sfID2/14

I was suprised no one mentioned VHT. It is a very very durable paint. I used it on the 8 and my previous car. It was on my previous car for 4 years with no flaking at all.

It is probably a little bit harder to apply then others as it has a very high amount of solvent in it and if you spray too close or too soon it will take off the coat you just put on. It also doesn't like being used to stencil, it hardens the stencils up and makes them gooey at the same time. Tried to do a silver stencil and 3 of them came out alright, one didn't. Even though it dries, it still will disolve the paint when you try to put on a new coat. Polak is now slightly richer because of this. I am probably just going to redo them and just use the white graphics instead.

However, it layers very well once you get hang of it. The black is glossy but adding the clear on top makes it look amazing. I definetly recommend it.

Edit: If you do want to use it as a stencil, make sure that the paint fully cures before removing them. It cures with heat so I left the stencils on for a week of DD and the next weekend removed them. Then I cleaned everything and applied the clear. Doing it this way prevented the paint from running. Don't worry about the brake cleaner, once this paint cures not much will remove it.

I used VHT for my rotors, masking off the hub and contact areas. Still holding up for me. I opted for the cast iron color. But I would still recommend G2 for the calipers.

G2 is perfect.

I've had them on my other car for five years. Imperceptible change except for 2 chips on the passenger side (regular wear and tear). Totally worth it.

The application is very forgiving too.

Depends on atmosphere. I'd cure overnight, but instructions say about 2 hours if I remember correctly. It dries reasonably quickly.

Does it have to dry thoroughly between each coat? How many coats are people doing?

This thread just popped up in the "similar threads" section at the bottom of my page while surfing. I forgot all about making it and figured I should post my results after nearly 3 years of use.

I used one G2 kit. I used two cans of brake cleaner and about 4 steel toothbrushes for prep. I didn't actually remove the calipers from the car. I just pulled them off the rotors, removed the pads and used a coat hanger to tie them up in a hanging fashion. Spent a LARGE amount of time with the wire brushes. I can only estimate ~5 hours between the calipers and rotor hubs. I'd say I prepped very well.

I did one coat on all the calipers and rotor hubs, one at a time. Then rotated back through them painting on a little more just to use up the rest of the paint in the kit. Wouldn't really call it two coats because I didn't allow the first to dry completely and I didn't care about total coverage on the 2nd.

I planned on sticking some RX8 decals on the calipers and then clearing over them. But the damn decals that were sold as caliper decals specially for the RX8 were too damn big to fit on them. So I ditched that idea and just called the entire project complete. The G2 kit finishes gloss anyway, so I didn't do the clear coat or anything.

After nearly 3 years, they're still holding up perfectly. My main bother was to stop rust from forming on the rotor hub and spots on the calipers. The kit indeed stopped this. Even till now. However water still splashes off elsewhere on the rotor and gets onto the hub and rusts. It doesn't look as bad as it used to AND it just wipes right off, so it's not that big of a deal I guess. The finish is still glossy and it hasn't chipped once. Well worth the time and money.