Keep the rotor rust free and clean

[bfournier]

Whats the best way to keep these looking clean so that they dont dull the looks of the rims?

[NightWatch]

A little WD-40 sprayed on them should do the trick. Keep them nice and shiney for you.... You'll have the best looking rotors around Just don't try and stop the car hahaha....

Seriously, there is nothing that I know of that will keep the thin film of rust from forming on the rotors when the car is parked for a while and the rotors are wet. Just take the car for a short drive when everything is dry and apply the brakes... poof! rust is gone!

[EniGmA1987]

I think he means on the part that the pads dont touch.

[NightWatch]

Ah, then there is nothing that I know of to keep the rust from forming on the OEM rotors. For obvious reasons you can't apply anything to the rotor that would prevent the rust. Anything that would remove the rust would only be temporary and as soon as the rotor got wet again the rust would return.

[DELUNASC]

You can tape off the rotors brake surface area, and paint the outside of the rotor with high temp engine or caliper paint. Clean off the braking surface with brake parts cleaner afterwards to remove any sticky tape residue / overspray. I have done this to my stock rotors and it keeps the rust away, and if you spray them off on a regular basis they stay looking pretty good.

[maxnix]

Buy plated rotors like the Stillen Brembo from our sponsor IoS.

[NightWatch]

If you're going to try and paint them, keep in mind that the temperature of the OEM front brake rotors can be around 400 - 500 degrees F. If the paint softens its going to gum up the pads and you will loose a LOT of braking efficiency if not most of it.

[DELUNASC]

The high temp engine / caliper paint is good past 500 degrees. I have not had any issues with the paint coming loose. Like MAXNIX said the best solution would be to buy a new set of plated rotors that will not rust.

[jadeM45]

Just don't do this when painting:

http://www.jadecrew.com/vette-brake-failure/

[szh]

Just don't do this when painting:

http://www.jadecrew.com/vette-brake-failure/

Oh, no!

Z

[szh]

Whats the best way to keep these looking clean so that they dont dull the looks of the rims?

You can buy Zinc or Nickel or Cadmium plated rotors from various sources ...

These will stay pretty rust-free where the pads do not touch the surface.

Z

[bfournier]

I am not opposed to buying aftermarket rotors. Are the rotors the same for m35/m35x & m45s? Do I need to replace calipers too?

[InfinitiMe]

I got some Frozen Rotors and there's some decent rust on the non-contact area. I've purchased some G2 caliper paint and going to have them painted. Once I get new rims there's no way I'm going to drive around with bright orange rust showing right through the spokes.

[EniGmA1987]

You could look into TriNet rotors. They are really cheap, work great, have ncie customer service, and you can get any design you want in the rotors. Plus they have free zink coating. My suggestion would be to pick up a set of 4 rotors of the F1 style with silver zink coating. Then put the new rotors on, drive around for a bit to see where the pads will rub, take the rotors off and paint them with your choice of color, and put them back on. That way you will ahve nice rotors of the color you want, and they will keep from rusting everywhere because rust will have to not only go through the paint, but the zink underneath the paint.

I recommend the F1 type, because they keep the large ammount of surface area that you lose out on with lots of crossdrilling, but it has a few slots on it to help add stopping power and to keep the rotors clean of dust and debris. But not enough slots to cause excessively fast wear of the pads.

EDIT: http://www.trinetmotorsports.com/
Modified by EniGmA1987 at 1:41 PM 6/25/2009

[szh]

I recommend the F1 type, because they keep the large ammount of surface area that you lose out on with lots of crossdrilling

An important point, yes.

It is ultimately the weight/density and, hence, the amount of Iron in the rotor that matters - all the energy of the momentum of the car (brake heating) has to go somewhere! The more the iron used, the better it can contain the heat from the pads (friction heating) and transfer it to the hub. Without overheating the brake fluid through the calipers.

Z

[maxnix]

....they keep the large ammount of surface area that you lose out on with lots of crossdrilling, but it has a few slots on it to help add stopping power and to keep the rotors clean of dust and debris. But not enough slots to cause excessively fast wear of the pads.

Crossdrilling's loss of surface area is compensated by easier out gassing and water sloughing and cooler operation, provided they are drilled correctly!

Slots are almost as good, but volume to evacuate gasses decreases with wear.

Neither wears pads any faster than a solid rotor in my experience. They are a little noisier in operation with a whooosh sound when applied.

[ThunderSaloon]

Use a rust converter solution. I have used it on the rusty center of brake discs with great results. Just tape off the braking surface of the rotor that the pads come in contact with. I would leave it with the black converted surface, but you can paint over the converted rust with a high temp paint if you want.Here is a FAQ page for one brand of rust converter:http://www.gemplers.com/tech/mremovefaq.htm