January 11, 2016 | www.teslarati.com
THE MGP MODEL S RED BRAKE CALIPER COVERS ADD PERSONALITY AND COLOR TO THE FACTORY TESLA BREMBO BRAKES.
You can’t get more ubiquitous than Brembo’s championship red when it comes to the world of high performance brakes. Tesla Motors offers red brake calipers as a ‘free’ upgrade on the factory four piston Brembo brakes on the top-of-the-line 85 kWh Performance Model S. Owners of the 60 kWh or Standard 85 kWh Model S won’t fair as well unless they opt for a pricey $3,100 retrofit which entails caliper disassembly, painting and reassembly of the brake system – a hassle, but also an expensive commitment with no turning back. Thus the inspiration for California-based MGP Caliper Covers, manufacturer of the removable lightweight all aluminum Tesla Model S Red Brake Caliper Covers carried exclusively by EVannex.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
You can’t miss the eye catching powder coated red (also available in custom colors) of the caliper covers. It’s glossy, bright and beautiful. The feel of the caliper covers are much lighter than one would think, thanks to its aerospace aluminum construction. We received a set of six caliper covers for our factory 21″ Tesla Turbine Wheels – two for the front, two for the back calipers and an additional two for the rear emergency brakes (19″ wheels do not receive the emergency brake covers). Clearly labeled plastic bags contain sets of front and rear specific stainless steel fasteners designed to attach the covers to the brake calipers.
Installation
We solicited the help of our good friends at M&N Automotive, one of the premiere luxury auto technicians here in Los Angeles (and well-versed in the Tesla, to boot) to install MGP’s US manufactured Tesla Model S red brake caliper covers. NOTE: Installation is a DIY job which requires a home jack and a total of 30-40 minutes. We utilized a lift to raise all four wheels off of the ground so that we can provide better photography for this review. MGP’s patented stainless steel fastening clips fit snug within the inner portion of the calipers and secures the cover assembly by pinching the caliper to the cover itself. Tightening the nut on the caliper cover fixes it into place.
One must note that the covers are not molds taken off of the caliper. As a result the covers rest flat against the face of each caliper. It took a bit of wiggling and light force before the covers were able to line up perfectly. Once secured, they looked amazing.
APPEARANCE VS. FUNCTIONALITY
In our opinion, 99% of what you’re purchasing is curb appeal without the permanent commitment. The red provides a great contrast against any wheel and body color, but should you ever get sick of it, simply remove the covers! No paint thinner, no glue and best of all, no hassle. Although MGP Caliper Covers claims that there may be some additional benefits with heat dissipation, we didn’t notice any meaningful differences during our track tests, even under extreme racing conditions.
There might be some theoretical benefits with heat dissipation if the covers extended the surface area on vehicles with smaller sized calipers, but this simply isn’t the case on a Model S with already huge four piston Brembo calipers.
SUMMARY
Give the Tesla Model S brake calipers a race-ready look without paint, adhesive or caliper modifications. At $230 for a set of four and $330 for six, the MGP Tesla Model S Red Brake Caliper Covers provide a cost effective (relative to the $3,100 Tesla Motors red brake retrofit) way to dress up the wheel assembly and add a touch of Motorsport performance. All in a reversible manner.
Read entire article here: http://www.teslarati.com/review-tesla-model-s-red-brake-caliper-covers
