Replacing all the brakes on my 98 ford ranger. On rock auto there are a lot of options for new drums but really only a couple if i want the drums to be coated. Its $50 plus shipping for coated durago 10in drums or $60 for coated power stop drums but they wouldnt be shipping from a new destination like the durago drums would be so i may save a little on shipping even though they are more expensive. Then there are a bunch on non coated rotors in the $30-40 range which also dont ship from a new location. Is durago a decent brand. Are they all probably fine? The drums that are currently on there now are not coated and do develop a layer of rust that can be chipped off. Im concerned the coating on the coated drums may only last a few years before it starts rusting as much as non coated drums would. WWBD. What would bitog do?
Should I get coated drums or not?
- Thread starter joegreen
- Start date
It's mostly a cosmetic thing. Do your wheels have open slots so you can easily see the ugly rusting drums? If so, get the coated drums if you care about that.
I won't ever use non-coated rotors, etc. again. I don't know about Durago.
It's easy to take new rotors or drums and put a good anti-rust coating on them even if they aren't pre-coated. I coated these NAPA rotors a year ago with high-temp paint - easy to do before installation. They actually seem to be holding up better than the pre-coated Raybestos I put on another car previously.
From NAPA:
Coat:
Done (newly done. Year now and they look great):
It's easy to take new rotors or drums and put a good anti-rust coating on them even if they aren't pre-coated. I coated these NAPA rotors a year ago with high-temp paint - easy to do before installation. They actually seem to be holding up better than the pre-coated Raybestos I put on another car previously.
From NAPA:
Coat:
Done (newly done. Year now and they look great):
They look like this.
I've only replaced drums when I've broken them trying to hammer them off. Otherwise, I've never had to replace them. I just paint them myself with whatever color I choose.
Ok. So if i go with non coated drums i have the option of $35 acdelco. On the drum its cast china. Or i could get $50 motorcraft. It seems like all the drums are made of g3000 iron. Does it matter which one of the uncoated drums i get? I would like to save as much money i can if the drums are basically all the same and im just paying for the motorcraft name. But if the motorcraft is better i have no problem just getting them as well.
Put the parts separately into shopping carts and calculate the shipping. Sometimes the more expensive part will ship cheaper. Not to mention if you're getting other parts at the same time.
Get the Power Stop coated drums 
Non-coated drums will rust overnight or even within a few hours.
Otherwise, just get the Motorcraft OE drums.
Non-coated drums will rust overnight or even within a few hours.
Otherwise, just get the Motorcraft OE drums.
Ok i have a new question on pads. I usually run the raybestos element 3 pads on my cars. On the ranger i think i have narrowed it down to a few choices. One is the element 3 and the other would be motorcraft super duty pads. Thats the brand name of the motorcraft pads
You are in rust belt so I say coated is what you want. It's not the end all, as rust will win in the end. But slows it down.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I put new brakes on my '14 Grand Cherokee last winter. I'm in Phoenix, so no snow or salt. I put the coated rotors on the front and regular on the back. Both Raybestos.
I'll never again get non-coated.
I'll never again get non-coated.
You had non-coated all this time, did you have any problems as a result?
IMO coated is a waste of money for drums, except as someone mentioned, if highly visible through the wheel. Rotors on the other hand, also usually a waste of money except for cosmetics, and an exception that if the vehicle has marginal brakes and goes down long declines, especially with a load, it'll take longer till they overheat, to not have rusted up cooling vanes. However if your rotors are getting that hot, no coating is going to last long term either.
I wouldn't expect the Motorcraft to be better, just more expensive. I'd probably go with Bendix or Raybestos if they offer the size you need. Centric are sometimes acceptable but sometimes, at least on rotors I've noticed some are thinner than the competition, IIRC I calculated out the result was 15% less wear till minimum thickness, "all else equal" and we don't really know, as not all G3000 rotors are exactly the same, that just tells you the MPa yield strength with a zero added onto the end.
IMO coated is a waste of money for drums, except as someone mentioned, if highly visible through the wheel. Rotors on the other hand, also usually a waste of money except for cosmetics, and an exception that if the vehicle has marginal brakes and goes down long declines, especially with a load, it'll take longer till they overheat, to not have rusted up cooling vanes. However if your rotors are getting that hot, no coating is going to last long term either.
I wouldn't expect the Motorcraft to be better, just more expensive. I'd probably go with Bendix or Raybestos if they offer the size you need. Centric are sometimes acceptable but sometimes, at least on rotors I've noticed some are thinner than the competition, IIRC I calculated out the result was 15% less wear till minimum thickness, "all else equal" and we don't really know, as not all G3000 rotors are exactly the same, that just tells you the MPa yield strength with a zero added onto the end.
Which ever ones you get, paint them yourself. For rear drums I don't even think you need to bother with high temp paint. We did rustoleum red on front calipers on a Ford Escort GT which eventually had no rear brakes (no one noticed until I tried to do some left foot braking to drift in the snow) and they never discolored or rusted...
Are you sure that it really doesn't have more to do with the wheels sticking to a drum or rotor than cosmetics?
I can't say for sure because I live someplace where vehicles typically don't rust enough.
I always put brake grease or anti-seize on the wheels and most shops in the rust belt probably do too.
I've done that like this old Saturn with open wheels, but few cars come with drums anymore, and for discs it's too much of a hassle to tape up and spray to save 5 or 10 bucks. The factory probably uses a more durable industrial coating and bakes in an oven.
The wheels sticking is the most important reason to use coated rotors and drums.
No more hammering
Rust isn't just cosmetic. It causes the drum or rotor to freeze to the wheel and hub. Then you need a hammer to get it off.
Non-coated rotors rust overnight or even within a few hours. The coatings last a long time. Geomet is usually good for 2-3 years before erosion of the coating is visible, and even then, the rotors slide off with no problem. Even when it looks like the coating is totally gone, the rotors will still come off easily without having to break out the hammer.
The older E-coating is good for a year before visible wear occurs, but again, the rotors will still come off with no problem.
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