brake rotor rust

[keith1365]

How do you keep brake rotors from rusting in the area between where the pads contact the rotor and the hub? I always get about and inch of rust in that area. Any ideas?

[GetMore]

You could try painting it with a high temp paint.
OEMs (some) have started coating the rotors to help new pads break in and to protect the rotors from rusting.
Baer offers their rotors "zinc washed", which helps keep the rotors from rusting anywhere the pads don't contact.

[keith1365]

If I paint the rotor and happen to get some paint on the area where the pad runs, will this ruin the pad or just burn off?

[GetMore]

Not positive, and it depends on the paint, but I think it'd just scrape off.

[JRouche]

I dont think the paint will melt or move once its applied. Alot of paint is pretty durable when it comes to heat. Just give yourself a good 1/8" no mans zone, that zone might get a lil orange, but its so small it wont even be noticed. And even if you didnt have that zone, painted right up to the wear line where the pads run I dont think you have a problem. The cured paint wont migrate into the pads further than where they happen to rub the paint. And it will be such a small area contaminating the pad, no loss of braking. If you contaminate the pad by a 1/16", (and its prolly only gonna be on the forward, leading edge) I dont see any love lost. And it will only be there till the next brake job. JR

[Apogee]

Brake pads will remove paint, zinc, CAD...pretty much anything in the swept friction area and it won't take long. Overspray is not a concern when I paint a rotor.

You can get inexpensive black high-temp paint in the form of BBQ/stove paint.

Tobin
KORE3

[Yelcamino]

I powder coated the rear rotors on my Elky and Chevelle (the fronts are two piece). Then I took them to the brake shop and had the powder coat scraped off of the pad contact area using the rotor turning machine.

It's more costly than using hi-heat spray paint but I figured it would be more durable over the long term.

[Widetracker]

I have Baer rotors on my daily driver and they are rusted all over after one year of all season driving in Ohio.