My brother-in-law is a machinist & an old school V8 guy and he was telling me to get my rotors nickle plated to reduce wear of the rotors to increase longevity.

I'm aware that rotors are a consumable, but I wanted to see the general consensus on this practice.

This is the first time in my 20 years of being an enthusiast I've ever heard of doing this.

Thoughts?

 

The little bit I read is that nickle plating will certainly keep the caliper hats looking great but the swept area, of course, will not last

I like the idea of shiny, rust & corrosion free hats so it might be worth it.

Joe

 

Well if you want a nice looking hat, why not get zinc coated rotors. There's centric e-coat, but that is black in color.

 

These would be replacement rotors since they are two piece.

 

Stoptech had an article regarding the topic. In summary nickel plating or any type of coating only prevents the hats and vanes from corrosion. People who can benefit from the coatings are daily driven cars or snow/rain cars.

As far as performance the coating can reduce stopping power since it will effect pad transfer to the rotor. For ultimate stopping power bare un-coated rotors are recommended. Cryo treatment on the other hand can aid in rotor wear and longevity. Not sure if it plays a role in the stopping power though.