Stainless steel calliper bolts
- Thread starter RallyeGS
- Start date
I generally get mine from Ebay.
Logic advises against using stainless for critical components. As is far weaker than your usual high Ten steel commonly used for brakes, frame, suspension components etc. However, I've NEVER known anyone to snap a stainless caliper bolt in my professional life.
A4 stainless is better than A2 though. I'd go for that as a minimum. Or just polish your standard bolts on a wire wheel and paint/coat them in a rust preventer .
Logic advises against using stainless for critical components. As is far weaker than your usual high Ten steel commonly used for brakes, frame, suspension components etc. However, I've NEVER known anyone to snap a stainless caliper bolt in my professional life.
A4 stainless is better than A2 though. I'd go for that as a minimum. Or just polish your standard bolts on a wire wheel and paint/coat them in a rust preventer .
Ebay is a bit of a lottery and a game. My brother was a non-ferrous stockholder supplying engineering shops all over Europe, he also did fastners, he had 4 ebay shops for his fastners, exactly the same stock coming out of the same boxes in his warehouse... 4 different prices, because some people shy off 'cheap' so buy the middle priced ones. It gave them peace of mind, and it also played games with the ebay alogorithms. Many outlets do similar, have you noticed the plethors of Chinese outlets selling the same thing at slightly different prices?
I would advise Shawstainless. Chris Shaw provides the highest quality stainless fastner kits of anyone.
I hope this link will take you straight to his 'front brake calipre kits'... I might have done my usual and messed up with my computer driving skills and it just take you to his home page.
I have no affiliation other than having bought stuff off him myself and can highly recommend his stuff and his service is second to none, although he might struggle with 24 hour turnaround this weekend. 
This might be a good time to mention John Ruskin's theory of doing business with the lowest bidder too:
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The
common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a
lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well
to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will
have enough to pay for something better.”
https://www.shawstainless.co.uk/index.php/17
I would advise Shawstainless. Chris Shaw provides the highest quality stainless fastner kits of anyone.
I hope this link will take you straight to his 'front brake calipre kits'... I might have done my usual and messed up with my computer driving skills and it just take you to his home page.
I have no affiliation other than having bought stuff off him myself and can highly recommend his stuff and his service is second to none, although he might struggle with 24 hour turnaround this weekend. This might be a good time to mention John Ruskin's theory of doing business with the lowest bidder too:
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The
common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a
lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well
to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will
have enough to pay for something better.”
https://www.shawstainless.co.uk/index.php/17
Yes... Shaw stainless for me too.... He also does the odd bolts like your oil drain and fill plugs
I don't recommend Stainless Drain plugs. Every stripped plug I've seen had been replaced with stainless. It's too hard and gauls aluminium when over-torqued. Mild steel is used by manufactures for a reason. Who's ever seen a corroded sump plug ????? I've been dropping oil for a living for twenty years. I haven't.
Best not use stainless in aluminium as there is a good chance it will pick up when undoing in the long term future.
Stainless A2 or A4 doesn't have the tensile strength of high tensile steel, hence the name. But there isn't a huge difference. The main thing to be aware of is dis-similar metal corrosion otherwise known as galvanic action. Basically the two metals become anode and cathode especially when wet and even more in salt water. The result will be the stainless will slowly eat the aluminium and weld the two metals together.
I'm not saying don't use stainless fasteners just if you do make sure that you also use a very good jointing compound. I use Bostik Never-Seez which is nickel based and is especially good on exhausts or any high temp components. We use it on aircraft exhaust systems and they reach extreme temps.
I'm not saying don't use stainless fasteners just if you do make sure that you also use a very good jointing compound. I use Bostik Never-Seez which is nickel based and is especially good on exhausts or any high temp components. We use it on aircraft exhaust systems and they reach extreme temps.
R1200GS_Lincoln
Registered user
Hi, if the bike is under warrenty, or you've told the insurance that there are no modifications, then stick with BMW originals. Even if you replace every year. Some BMW engineer spent ages specifying those bolts. (and the price!).
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