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Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Alloy wheels and tyre discussion
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Zeddicus
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Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by Zeddicus » Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:50 pm

Evening all and welcome to a new "calipers & hubs dilemma" :)
Yesterday, I started to refurbish those rusty calipers and hubs. No doubt, they required it:
Image

I went for a "carbon" silver for the caliper, great product from Foliatec. Note that I was careful not trusting myself with excentric colour choice :roll:
Since the hubs were also severly corroded, I decided to follow the same advice found several time here and there: paint it with Hammerite anti-rust paint! I actually went for a similar paint from Baufix ("Silber Grau").

Being an absolute newbie, I started with the rear RH wheel as the brake is smaller than front, here are the results:
Image
Image
Image

Although I don't consider it as a major fail, I think this darker silver on the hub really "hides" the caliper now! And somehow I feel I have definitively modified the look of the car.
I didn't have enough time to continue with the three remaining wheels, and today I can't decide myself if I should continue with painting the hubs or try to remove if possible the hub's paint and leave the hubs as original w/out as much rust as possible...
Thoughts and advices would be much appreciated...!
Z4 3.0si Coupe 2007 - Sapphire Black

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mr wilks
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by mr wilks » Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:57 pm

Looks a quality make-over & certainly enhances but if being picky maybe black hubs with the silver calipers ?
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by FR08MEE » Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:03 pm

Black calipers will look better as per the Z4M in my opinion the calipers on both cars are too small to be coloured :)

Good job though.

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by fixit man » Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:24 pm

Looks like a very professional job.

I did my discs silver like yours but black callipers( as FRO8mee said) they're not impressive enough calipers to show off !

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by Spikey » Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:38 pm

Black hubs maybe?

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Lynchy
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by Lynchy » Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:43 pm

Nice tidy job,well done :thumbsup:

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by paulgs1000 » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:03 pm

If I was you I'd paint over the hubs with the silver paint you used on the caliper. I used silver on my calipers and hubs and it really cleans up the whole look. In my view the grey silver you used on the hub is what makes it not work.

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by richardjgreen » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:07 pm

get the jack out and do the other 3 they look great :D

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by David-H » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:14 pm

Looks good - do the other three that way! :thumbsup:
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by GP06Roadster » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:19 pm

Looks a tidy job :thumbsup:

Personally I prefer the hubs to be black as they seem to stand out a little less.
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by GuidoK » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:27 pm

Looks very good.
Remember that in a few months it will look a bit less 'fresh' due to all the brakedust that eats in the paint.

Painting it with a rust preventive paint is only good.
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by Chezsherman » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:46 pm

I think it looks smart, my calipers are red and hate them but they were like that when I bought the car
Last edited by Chezsherman on Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by hopz121 » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:52 pm

I like it, I would suggest do the other 3 the same colour. :)

As others have suggested it will soon fade anyway.

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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by horseofwar » Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:07 pm

You've done a really good job there, clean and tidy. Love the calipers but I personally don't like the colour of the hubs. I think because it's not metallic it seems out of place against the metallic calipers and wheels. I think either black hubs or metallic silver to match the calipers might be better IMO

Either way they look better than the piles of rust that are sitting on most of our cars (including mine!!). I want to give this hub and caliper painting a go!
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Re: Calipers & hubs - was it a mistake?

Post by Zeddicus » Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:01 am

Thanks for the replies guys :wink:
You are right, most likely the hub and caliper will get soon a layer of dust, and the bright (too much bright) color of the hub will become noticeable!
I also think that the issue comes from the non-metallic rendering of the hub, it looks, well... like a freshly painted fence now :lol:

I think that what I'm going to do tonight is another try on the other side's by painting only the caliper, and leave the hub with as much as possible corrosion removed to see if I prefer it like this.
Z4 3.0si Coupe 2007 - Sapphire Black

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