Brown calipers? Have seen no change on my GT3 red calipers. Is that maybe for older year cars? I don't think it happens with the more recent versions.

 

The problem likely varies between models and how hard you are on the brakes. I have a 981 GTS and am quite aggressive on my brakes.

 

Strange. I wouldn't have thought the caliper paint would be different. I am not easy on my brakes. I burnt the paint off the yellow pads at the track. No change in caliper color.

 

I've never seen red calipers turn brown on any car, even tracked GT cars.

 

Neither have I. I've just seen the complaints on Rennlist.

 

I've literally seen hundreds of examples of calipers changing colors during my 20 years in the aftermarket brake business. At track temps painted calipers can color-shift dramatically. Red turns maroon, yellow turns brown, gold turns brown, etc. It just depends on how hot they get. Even 'high temp' paint has its limits. People used to call the gold calipers that came on Subaru WRX STIs, Nissan 350Z, and Nissan GT-R 'Brownbos'.

Check out the Camaro caliper in our video below. This one had some brake fluid spilled on it unfortunately, but you get the idea.

Here's an example of a BMW M2 blue caliper...started turning green after only two track days.

 

So are some of the Porsche red just better paint? My brakes have gotten really hot and I've seen no change that is noticable.

 

One of the five 987.2 Spyder’s I owned had red calipers were turning brown... previous owner heavily tracked it! And by the over rev report, hard!

 

So show us some red Porsche calipers that have turned brown. I’ve seen some heavily tracked GT3s and RS’s, and the calipers were still their original color.

 

This is a fairly accurate pic of what color mine are after 30 track days.

 

I would say those have possibly changed color a bit...in this case tough to tell unless they were clean and sitting next to a brand new pair.

I likely have some on our server, but don't have access right now as I'm working from home. Regardless, it happens across all makes and models. There isn't any more magic in Brembo's Porsche caliper paint than there is in what they use for Chevy, Subaru, Nissan, or BMW (of which I've already shown pics and video). If they get hot enough, paint and powder will change colors. The big question is where exactly that temperature lies. Just because person X doesn't have any color shift doesn't mean it won't happen to person Y. There's an incredibly wide range of temperatures that brake components see depending on a wide variety of factors. If you run Watkins Glen or Road America, your brakes are going to be hitting far different temps than if you run Roebling Road or Willow Springs. Tire choice, power level, and driving style also factor in. I've watched two drivers take back-to-back laps in the same car while measuring brake disc temps that were several hundred degrees apart (that was actually a 991 GT3RS in Vegas last year). It just comes down to each individual situation/environment.

To your point though, it is less likely to happen on a Porsche due to the drivetrain layout. A 911 or Cayman uses relatively less front brake than something like a Camaro or an M2. Those chassis place huge demands on the front brakes because they have so much weight over the front axle during a brake event. The 911 not so much because the engine is so far back. I'm in agreement that it does indeed take more abuse to get the front calipers on a Porsche to change color than it will in a front engine car.

 

I'm just happy that you've owned five 987 Spyders! Do you still have one? I've come close to buying one about 83 times.

 

How much of that is oil and brake dust versus actual paint discoloration? Would be good to see a picture of them cleaned up. I've never seen a Porsche GT car with brown calipers. You'd think the heat resistant paint would, you know, resist heat.

 

If you’ve ever seen steel brake discs ‘glowing’ then their temperature was approaching 800-1000°F. High temperature paint/coating/whatever typically resists to 500-700°F. There’s not a lot out there that you can coat a caliper with than will both look good and resist 1k°F temps.

If your brake temperatures - on a street car; not an F1 car - are getting past 500-600°F then somethings not right with the system or the nut behind the wheel isn’t adjusted.

 

It is unfortunately without a doubt paint discoloration.