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Most car owners are easily swayed by the looks of a car part and not its functionality. Yes, the black brake rotors will certainly look great on your car, however, how long before the black fades away? This is an important question every car owner intending to install the black brake rotors must ask. It
So, do black brake rotors stay black? Not to sound sarcastic, the question kind of answers itself. There is no way of expecting the black brake rotor to stay black except if you can figure out some kind of way not to apply the brakes when you drive.
As long as the brake rotors are put to use, their contact with the brake pads will quickly wipe out the black color off the contact surface of the rotor.
Enhancing the looks of the auto part is an old trick in marketing that many manufacturers often employ in making their products look more appealing to the public. In the case of the black brake rotors, the paint is only for an appealing look, once the rotors are installed, a few miles later and the car owner will discover the ugly truth about what just happened.
The black brake rotor compared to the plane type without any painting, adds to the looks of your car and makes the car come out looking amazing. In the same way, a person’s footwear is used to judge the quality of their dressing and how well they appear, the outlook of the car’s tire plays a similar role. The design of the brake rotor adds to this beauty.
When you take a look at any car, the brake rotor is one of the parts of the wheel to be first noticed. Its color and outlook are generally on the outlook of the wheel and that of the car. So, many persons fall for the black brake rotors including those who suspect this is designed to be nothing more than a marketing strategy and those who are we informed about this strategy.
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How long will the black brake rotor stay black?
Rather than being interested only in the looks of your car, pay attention to how long these black rotors last and the functionality of the painting.
There is varying duration among those who have installed the black brake rotors on their vehicles in the past. Reports are indicating that for some, the black only lasted for about 20 to 50 miles before wearing off.
Generally, most of the black brake rotors will become bare after driving for about 100 miles. This is not surprising at all. While I understand why some may fall for this marketing strategy, I am shocked at the surprise of those who expected the black to stay on forever and are genuinely surprised when they realize they do not.
I mean, what do you expect, any part of the car which is constantly in contact with another solid surface is bound to express friction and consequently get worn out. The painted surface of the brake rotors is in contact with the pad and therefore must experience the friction necessary to slow down the car.
Those who install the black brake rotors will after some time return to the same status as those who installed the plane brake rotors. Whatever advantage the black brake rotors were promised to offer is lost after the black paint wears off.
One will argue as a result of this that it is unnecessary to spend your money on the black brake rotors as their looks are used primarily to get you attracted and to spend your money on them for a temporary appealing look which will soon fade away.
You may have to worry about more than just losing the black color because not only will the black wear off after a few miles, the wearing does not usually occur uniformly. so, the part in contact with the pad wears off, sparing the edge and center area of the brake rotor.
The ridges or holes in the contact area also retain their black paint. This makes the brake rotor appear unappealing after the black color wears off unevenly.
What are the merits of black brake rotors?
The first advantage and one of the primary reasons why a lot of persons go for the black brake rotors and other painted brake rotors is for the aesthetic they give the car. So, this is the first advantage of black brake rotors. There is something about the black color on the wheel that makes the car look more elegant.
Aside from looks, there is temporary protection from rust and corrosion offered by the black brake rotors. The rotor is protected from rust as well as corrosion even when driven into rainwater.
As mentioned earlier, this protection however does not last long enough. Unless the car is parked in the garage without being driven ever or the driver has invented a new method of slowing the car down without applying the brakes, the paint will over time fade off and leave the brake rotor bare.
Are black brake rotors worth it?
The worth of the black brake rotor is questionable. It is doubtful that anyone will remain happy after realizing that the black brake rotor they paid extra for faded and became exactly like the bare metal rotor or less appealing after a few miles of the drive.
If you have ever talked to anyone who has used the painted brake rotor in the past, their response would be for you to avoid buying this or for you to reconsider other options or similar advice.
There is advice regarding power coating the rotor or spraying with paint or the use of a ceramic rotor. What some fail to understand is that none of this will remain helpful after a while.
Regarding the powder coating and spray painting, this has been explained earlier, the residua of paint particles will cause wear of the rotor and its eventual replacement as well as brake failure.
The idea of using a ceramic-coated rotor is also not advisable if the car does not have matching brake pads. Cars for which this type of brake rotor is originally designed to have the right brake pads which work with the brake rotor.
Learn to embark on thorough research about the profile of any product you wish to install on your car. The brand reputation, especially in terms of durability should be efficiently explored. Ask other users about their experience before making the final stand.
Auto chat forums are helpful resources that can be used for such investigations. However, be careful about believing everything you hear from other users. For some, their experience with their brake disc is not entirely a result of poor product quality, rather, it is mostly about their driving style and, maintenance practices as well as the road condition such as water lodged off roads.
Are coated brake rotors the same as painted brake rotors?
Not many persons can afford coated rotors, particularly ceramic rotors. most of the time, rotors are not readily available and are designed for expensive luxurious cars such as the Lamborghini and other sports cars.
To protect the rotors from rust and corrosion, they are painted, mostly with black color. However, unlike the coated rotors, paints only provide temporary protection and will soon wear off, leaving the contact surface of the rotors bare.
When this happens, some are tempted to have the rotors repainted using spray paint. This will involve un-mounting the brake rotors and using spray paint to have it redecorated. This practice however is unadvisable as the new paint particles upon wearing off entrapped between the pad and the rotor, increasing the frictional force between the two surfaces.
So, your quest for aesthetic looks may constitute the reason why your brake rotors and pads may not live up to their expected lifespan. This may also cause the brake system to become inefficient and produce annoying noise whenever the brakes are applied.
What are the other guidelines on how to extend the lifespan of your brake rotors?
There are many other ways to improve the lifespan of your brake rotors. One of the reasons for rust and corrosion of the brake rotors is frequent exposure to rainwater. The car should not be parked in the open where it is constantly drenched in rain.
Potholes and a visible collection of rainwater should be avoided and the rotors should be cleaned after driving through such road conditions. The rotor can be resurfaced after a while, this is much cheaper than having it replaced.
If you can afford the more expensive types of brake rotors, such as the type seen on the sports cars like Lamborghinis, go ahead and pay for those as they are worth it.
As part of maintenance practices for the brake disc ensure to avoid the unapproved practices mentioned above in the earlier section of this article. Power coating or the use of spray paint may look like a good idea at the time, however, later on, this will turn out to be a big mistake on your part.
do black brake discs stay black – Conclusion
there is absolutely no argument about how long the black brake rotors stay black, the black does not stay for long. the possibility of the color fading in an uneven pattern may leave the rotor looking more unappealing than the plane brake rotor.
