Best Caliper Covers for 2011-2019 Ford Explorer (MGP)

The best caliper covers for a 2011–2019 Ford Explorer are MGP's engraved 6061-T6 aluminum sets, a four-piece front-and-rear kit that clamps over your factory calipers for about $260 — roughly $65 per wheel. On a fifth-generation Explorer (the U502 chassis, 2011–2019), the stock calipers are a plain cast-iron gray that turns rusty-brown after a couple of Tampa summers or a single salty Northern winter. Caliper covers are the fastest, cheapest way to fix that look without pulling a single brake component. At NLP Performance we sell more MGP covers than any other caliper dress-up, and for the Explorer the decision really comes down to two things: the engraving you want, and whether your truck's calipers have bolt tabs. This guide walks through both.

What Are Caliper Covers, and Why Put Them on a 2011–2019 Explorer?

Caliper covers are powder-coated aluminum shells that clamp over your existing brake calipers to change their color and add an engraved logo — without replacing or removing the caliper itself. MGP (the brand that defined the category) machines its covers from 6061-T6 aerospace-grade aluminum, TIG-welds them, and finishes them in a corrosion-resistant powder coat. The result is a part that looks like a big-brake caliper from ten feet away but bolts on in an afternoon.

On the fifth-generation Explorer, the appeal is practical as much as cosmetic. These SUVs shipped on 18-inch wheels (XLT, Limited) and 20-inch wheels (Sport, Platinum), so there is usually a clear window through the spokes — and a clear window straight to a bare, rust-streaked factory caliper. Aluminum covers in red or black hide that corrosion, resist road salt far better than bare cast iron, and give a Platinum or Sport the finished look its wheels deserve. For a winter-driven or salt-belt Explorer, they double as a cosmetic shield over the one brake part you actually see.

The Best MGP Caliper Covers for the 2011–2019 Ford Explorer

All three sets below are the same four-piece (two front, two rear) MGP kit at the same price — around $260, or about $65 per caliper, which is the budget pick versus a $700–$1,200 big-brake upgrade. They differ in the engraving and, critically, in whether they fit calipers with or without bolt tabs. Here are our picks.

This is the set most Explorer owners want. The raised Ford oval engraving reads as factory-correct, and red is the highest-contrast color against the silver and chrome wheels Ford fitted to the XLT and Limited. The 6061-T6 aluminum shells clamp to the caliper's cast bolt tabs with the included stainless hardware, so there is no tape and no adhesive to fail in the heat. If your 2011–2019 Explorer has the common bolt-tab calipers, start here.

Same four-piece kit and bolt-tab fitment, but the raised text reads “Sport.” This is the pick for Explorer Sport and ST owners who want the engraving to match the badge on the tailgate rather than wear a Ford oval. It is otherwise identical hardware — the same 6061-T6 aluminum and stainless clamps — so choose it purely on the look you prefer behind the spokes.

This is the set for Explorers whose calipers are smooth, with no cast bolt tabs for a clamp to grab. MGP's no-bolt design uses a different retaining method sized for those castings, so it is not interchangeable with the bolt-tab sets above. If you look behind your wheel and see a plain caliper body with no little ears sticking out, this is your kit. It is the same price and the same “Sport” engraving in red.

Bolt-Tab vs No-Bolt: Which MGP Cover Fits Your Explorer's Calipers?

The single most important check before you order is whether your Explorer's front calipers have cast bolt tabs. Across the 2011–2019 run Ford used more than one caliper casting, and MGP builds a bolt-tab version and a no-bolt version to match. Order the wrong one and the clamps will not seat properly.

To check, look through the wheel spokes at the front caliper. If you see two small cast ears (tabs) protruding from the caliper body — usually near where it bridges the rotor — you have bolt-tab calipers; order the Ford Oval or Sport bolt-tab set. If the caliper body is smooth with no tabs, order the No-Bolt Sport set. A two-minute flashlight check saves a return, and either way the price and the four-piece coverage are the same.

Do Caliper Covers Fit Under 2011–2019 Explorer Wheels?

On most 2011–2019 Explorers the answer is yes, but wheel clearance is the one thing to verify. A cover adds a few millimeters of thickness over the caliper, so the spokes or barrel of your wheel must clear that extra height. MGP's covers are engineered to fit within factory wheel packages, and the Explorer's standard 18-inch (XLT, Limited) and 20-inch (Sport, Platinum) wheels generally leave room. As a rule of thumb, MGP recommends a minimum wheel diameter near 18 inches for its larger applications, so most Explorers are comfortably clear.

If you run aftermarket wheels with deep, flat faces or a tucked fitment, measure the gap between the caliper and the nearest spoke before ordering. The covers do not touch anything that rotates — they move with the caliper, which is fixed — so the only clearance that matters is to the wheel itself. MGP's covers come in multiple powder-coat finishes beyond the red shown here, including black and yellow, if you want them to vanish behind dark wheels instead of pop.

Will Caliper Covers Trap Heat or Hurt Braking?

For a street-driven Explorer, quality aluminum caliper covers do not meaningfully affect braking. MGP builds its covers from 6061-T6 aluminum specifically because aluminum conducts and radiates heat rather than insulating it, and the covers are vented and sit with an air gap around the caliper body. Your Explorer's brakes shed most of their heat through the rotor and the airflow across it, not through the caliper casting, so a cover over the caliper is thermally minor in normal driving.

The honest caveat: if you tow at your Explorer's limit, run mountain descents, or track the vehicle, every bit of caliper heat retention matters and you should skip covers in favor of better pads, fluid, and cooling. For the daily commute, the school run, and the occasional road trip — which is what a fifth-gen Explorer does — covers are a cosmetic upgrade with no practical downside. They will not improve stopping distance, and any product that claims they do is overselling.

How to Install MGP Caliper Covers on a Ford Explorer

Installing MGP covers on an Explorer takes about 60 to 90 minutes for all four wheels and needs no caliper removal or brake bleeding. You lift the SUV, pull each wheel, clean the caliper face, set the two-piece cover around the caliper, and secure it with the supplied stainless clamp hardware. The calipers stay bolted to the car the entire time — nothing in the hydraulic system is opened.

The one spec to respect is torque: MGP calls for roughly 25 inch-pounds on the locknuts, and warns that over-tightening can pull the stud through the aluminum bridge. Snug, not gorilla-tight. Use a torque wrench or a careful hand, confirm the cover clears the wheel before you drive, and re-check the fasteners after your first short drive. Because the clamp system uses no tape or adhesive, there is nothing to cure and the Explorer is ready immediately.

Caliper Covers vs Painting Your Explorer's Calipers

The cheapest alternative is high-temperature caliper paint, which runs about $25 a kit — roughly a tenth the price of covers. Paint can look great, but it is a multi-hour job that means masking, scuffing, and brushing or spraying each caliper in place, and the finish lives directly on a hot, salt-blasted casting. Over a few winters it chips and fades, and redoing it means doing the whole messy job again.

MGP covers cost more up front but deliver a machined, engraved, factory-style look in under 90 minutes with no paint prep, and the powder-coated 6061-T6 aluminum holds its finish far longer in salt and brake dust. For an Explorer owner who wants a clean result that lasts and can be removed or swapped later, covers are the better value despite the higher sticker. If you are on the tightest budget and enjoy the work, paint is the honest budget pick — just know what you are signing up for.

Want to go further than looks? Pair your covers with fresh brake components or browse the full caliper cover collection to match your Explorer's wheels.