348 Brakes and Rotors Refurbish

Eric, FYI, the original gray coating on Euro discs is Wurth "SBS Brake Treatment". Somewhat hard to find here in the USA but is designed to be sprayed on the rotor surface to help bed the pads and prevent rust. It works very well.

 

Glad you found it, it can be hard to get. I have used it for years on my Porsche. It does last a lot longer than it states in their write up and is easy to renew if you need to.

 

I don't put it on thick, just spray like you do ordinary lacquer spray paint. You may want to do two coats, it does dry real fast.

 

I use Wurth weld through primer. Works amazing. I also take the time to mask the rotor to avoid the contamination of the brake pads. I leave a little extra on the inside edge that the brake pads will wear evenly so the full rotor is protected from corrosion. This set is going on a 348 spider.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

That may be, but with a blank rotor your free to do it how you like.

If you use a high temp paint type product on the mating surface of rotor to the wheel they often get hot enough to melt and if the paint is thick enough you can have issues with the retaining bolts loosening and/or the wheel bolts loosening. I would not apply a paint to the rotor face. The zinc coating is quite thin and has a heat rating of 490 degrees so it’s much safer. High heat engine paint is not suitable imo.

 

The way I do it is how the factory brembo rotors come. You are referencing your coated set which are not factory. I’m not sure what coating they are but your in charge of the blank set and how you go about coating them. I’m just adding in my 2 cents.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The uprated cross drilled rotors that superformance sells are not actually brembo but copies. The only ones listed as “brembo” and not supersedes or replaces are the real deal. There is nothing wrong with the others but they are aftermarket. The Brembo parts they list will be coated like the ones I have pictured and they cost more, than the blanks that are uncoated.

 

To make sure there are no misunderstandings the Wurth product I mentioned above is designed to be sprayed on the entire surface to eliminate squeal and will not effect the pads. The side benefit is it prevents rust and matches what comes from the OEM. I also used to use the other Wurth paint and hated having to mask off the rubbing surface. Putting paint where the pads rub is asking for problems. The "Brake Quiet" is an aluminum coating and not a true paint. It is even recommended for spaying on the contact surface of drum brakes.

 

It looks like a safe product to use. It’s not the OEM colour though if that’s what you are going for, it is silver/alloy. The OEM finish is matte grey. Original finish is a zinc coating not alloy. The product I use is almost entirely comprised of zinc. It’s not like a paint.

 

Just to put some additional perspective on this subject the Wurth product contains some aluminum as per the SDS content but doesn't propose to be a alloy product. I like Elliot am very OCD when it comes to things like this and having been a concours judge on the regional and national level for over 40 years I don't make statements without data to back it up. I must admit that I have done very little in the Ferrari competition area but was raised on the NCRS judging formula that is based on exactly how a vehicle left the plant and trust me, their standards are beyond OCD. Below are two pictures of Brembo rotors that show the finish that was installed by the OEM. What you will find is the coating that is applied starts out somewhat brighter and over time fades to a dull gray. The first shot is from my '18 Vette with the Brembo track brakes. I sprayed a piece of scrap metal with the Wurth and you can see the match. The second picture is a NOS 930 Porsche rotor I dug out of my parts stash. If you look closely at the label on the Porsche box below you can see the date on the label is June of '98. I also did a comparison to the orginal rotors on my '97 Boxster and while they are also faded from washing since I got the car new in '97 (it has "355" type milage, 23,000 ) and they are identical to the picture of the 930 part. While these are not Ferrari parts to compare against it is difficult to think Ferrari would change what the OEM mfg of the part would supply. Just wanted to lend some additional data should anyone in the future find this post and be confused. View attachment 3167578

 

No fun....it's messy, but it's not a horrible job. At least not on a 355.

One of mine split a few years back. I called Lakeforest Ferrari for an estimate to replace them because I didn't want to do them myself.

They called back and said "$1,800".

Me: "$1,800 to swap four rubber boots"?

They replied "Oooohhh, you want to do BOTH sides?"

I did them myself one weekend.

 

I like using a 20-inch long 1/2" extension so you can reach straight in through the wheel well and avoid any access issues you may have from above.