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Looking for better brakes, too many options.

4K views 33 replies 6 participants last post by  Zombie_Head 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I spent last week at the Nürburgring, took a safety and DE course there, since i have never been to the track before and i needed to know my limits as well as the car's limits before hitting the track.

They showed me some serious braking maneuvers in extreme situations (on wet, dry and icy surfaces). Also a quick course on braking on track (as hard as possible, as late as possible for as short time as possible). It was a blast for sure.

Took 2 laps introduction to the Nordschleife, watching out for the bumps, braking zones etc.

The car is 100% stock, just fully services (all new oils, fluids, filters, plugs, standard brakes all round etc) so the base car was there.

Went to the GP track, took it easy the first session (15 minutes) to get a feel of the car and track. Second session i started pushing a bit more (later braking, and harder). Third session i wanted to push the brakes, so even later and harder braking. Everything was fine, no overheating, no errors, no warning etc.

Did 2 laps of the Nordschleife, same thing i just et everyone pass me and learned the track.

At the end of the week, i did a total of 7 sessions (15 minutes each) on the GP track and 1 lap in a rented 218i and 3 laps in the 125i on the Nordschleife.

The brakes were fried, the front brakes were running too hot. Replaced the factory pads (front) with EBC greenstuff to test them and replaced the fluid with higher temp one. That worked fine till the car started shaking violently due to overheating from the EBC pads.

The car has the M Aero pack, so there is air coming in the front, i also removed the factory brake shield removed and installed F20 1 series style ons with scoops to help guide air onto the brakes and hud.

I am looking for something that will aid in cooling those brakes, when you are constantly braking as hard as possible from high speeds to low speeds, lots of heat builds up the front.

BMW Performance brakes i heard are not really an "upgrade" so to speak for the 125i. Yes you get stopping power but they are heavy and some people reported cracked pistons again due to heat. Some people suggested getting 130i/330i/Z4 caliper mounting brackets in the front and running the 330x24mm discs at the front, which also frees up the option to run stock calipers and early Z4 lightweight 2 piece BMW performance discs.

Others suggested to just get the 330i/335i caliper carriers and run the big 348x30mm discs instead, but i think that will cause some clearance issues with the 262 18" wheels.

I can always keep the brakes stock/factory and get some slotted/drilled fronts with new solid rear discs and redstuff all round.

My goal? it is a 90% street car, once a month i will be hitting Nürburgring/GP track and taking advanced courses in DE (i wish to get into motorsports), so i am looking for a compromise between daily all weather drivability and reliable brakes on the track.

I would like to hear some suggestions for my needs, since there is a lot one can do, heck one can even go for E9x 330 calipers all round or 335i calipers or even F30 style brembo 4 pots in the fronts, so options are a lot but which one suits me most without breaking the bank?

I think going Mtec discs in the front grooved or grooved/drilled to aid in cooling and help release gas buildup faster with EBC reds all round.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advanced.
 
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#3 ·
marco_polo said:
EBC Green are a joke, you should have gone for Yellows on a heavy car like yours.

Definitely get the longer calliper carriers and plain 330mm discs too.

That lot (with your new fluid) should be ok for 90% road plus a little track work.
So basically, any E90x 330i/130i/Z4 front caliper carriers?

Plain 330i/130i/Z4 330x24mm OE discs? any fitment issues on 18" wheels or winter 17"? What about heat?

Will look into the yellows, should the rear discs stay standard and get yellows as well?

Fluid will be bled out again anyways.
 
#4 ·
Yes, I think it's the 130i/330i calliper carriers you need, double check the part numbers on Realoem for a 130i. The callipers themselves will be the same so you don't even need to bleed anything.

Plain 130i 330mm discs will be fine with 17" winters, but 16" wheels won't fit anymore.

I would fit matched pads all round if possible.
 
#5 ·
marco_polo said:
Yes, I think it's the 130i/330i calliper carriers you need, double check the part numbers on Realoem for a 130i. The callipers themselves will be the same so you don't even need to bleed anything.

Plain 130i 330mm discs will be fine with 17" winters, but 16" wheels won't fit anymore.

I would fit matched pads all round if possible.
I found the caliper carriers: 34116769097 fits the 130i/330i/Z4 cars priced new at €200 each and i can not find any used on ebay sadly.

Match pads was my plan, wanted to make sure.

Those 130i 330mm discs are that good in terms of heat dissipation?
 
#6 ·
130i brakes with suitable pads/fluid for usage are very capable setup if all working as it should so could be a nice upgrade if you can find some, fitting suitable pads to suit your needs is the key here and sound like you need some road pads for road use and swap in some track pads for track when needed, you can use track pads on road but they can be noisy/dusty and of course expensive to wear out for road use.

If you have wheels to clear the F series cars M135 etc brembos on front is an excellent upgrade which ive done to both my 130's , see here -
Discs wise whichever setup you go for do NOT fit drilled discs if track use is planned, they will crack with hard track use.

HTH
 
#7 ·
THETYRANT said:
130i brakes with suitable pads/fluid for usage are very capable setup if all working as it should so could be a nice upgrade if you can find some, fitting suitable pads to suit your needs is the key here and sound like you need some road pads for road use and swap in some track pads for track when needed, you can use track pads on road but they can be noisy/dusty and of course expensive to wear out for road use.

If you have wheels to clear the F series cars M135 etc brembos on front is an excellent upgrade which ive done to both my 130's , see here -
Discs wise whichever setup you go for do NOT fit drilled discs if track use is planned, they will crack with hard track use.

HTH
Thank you, i am trying to keep it as simple as possible since i am still learning the potential of the car and gaining experience on the track. Maybe in the future i will go with a bigger brake setup all round, for now the caliper carriers from the 130i + discs and pads sound good.

One question, what about the 2 piece aluminum discs from BMW? 34112282871 they are 325mm x 25mm would they fit without issues? they are smaller but 1.5kg lighter, heck the carriers are 1kg lighter on the 130i than the 125i, more unsprung weight loss is a gain no?
 
#9 ·
THETYRANT said:
Those discs are for E46 so probably not no.
They are also used on the Z4 E85 and E86, some racing 1 series teams were using them with the correct caliper brackets (just not sure which ones).

I can dig up this information.
 
#10 ·
Why make it complicated when there are plenty of proven solutions out there?, the discs for E46 and Z4 etc are very different in the height/offset (approx 20mm) so a custom bracket/caliper etc would be required im sure to make it work on a 1series, if your looking at other cars then E9x cars are closet match to the E8x models and most brake setups swap over on front at least.
 
#11 ·
THETYRANT said:
Why make it complicated when there are plenty of proven solutions out there?, the discs for E46 and Z4 etc are very different in the height/offset (approx 20mm) so a custom bracket/caliper etc would be required im sure to make it work on a 1series, if your looking at other cars then E9x cars are closet match to the E8x models and most brake setups swap over on front at least.
Correct, i will stock with 130i/330i caliper brackets and solid discs.

Can not find any used brackets sadly.
 
#13 ·
marco_polo said:
Have you asked Quarry Motors if they have any?
I will email them shortly.

I just thought of this, can one use the 335i caliper mounting brackets and use the bigger 348mmx30mm discs in the front instead and keep the 125i calipers?
 
#15 ·
marco_polo said:
No, different heavy callipers needed.
Thank you, really appreciate your quick reply.

Already contacted the company you suggested, i saw some 123ds in their website, the caliper bracket is the same i hope they carry some for a fair price.
 
#21 ·
Got a quick question, do you think that the factory 300x24 fronts coupled with EBC yellowstuff and good fluid is enough for track days/daily? Or are the front discs just too small to handle the heat?

I am asking because i may have been suddenly limited financially to what i can and can not do, and just in case if the worst happens and i have no choice but to sell the car, i can sell it with OE brakes and without some 330i conversion (or book at a DIY workshop and replace the discs back to stock/factory).

Thank you.
 
#22 ·
That all depends on how you use you brakes on track ?
I personally would go for something a bit more aggressive
RS29's , Carbotech's , ds2500.

Yellow stuff ain't a bad pad but they are not much better than oem .
 
#23 ·
What everyone has said is totally on the money. I've got carbotech xp8 pads which I fit on track days and leave yellowstuff in the rest of the time. Yellowstuff really are a budget performance pad and you pretty much get what you pay for. The xp8 pads have got much much more bite and should last longer. But you pays your money....
Of course this is a massive slippery slope as the next thing you need is better suspension, then a diff, then more suspension, etc
Good luck, and don't forget to tell your insurer

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
Zombie_Head said:
Got a quick question, do you think that the factory 300x24 fronts coupled with EBC yellowstuff and good fluid is enough for track days/daily? Or are the front discs just too small to handle the heat?

I am asking because i may have been suddenly limited financially to what i can and can not do, and just in case if the worst happens and i have no choice but to sell the car, i can sell it with OE brakes and without some 330i conversion (or book at a DIY workshop and replace the discs back to stock/factory).

Thank you.
I had 300x24 on my E87 and cooked them, I think the 330 conversion would be the better choice.

You might get away with the tiny discs if you spend some money on additional cooling vents/hoses?

Have you already bought the 330i Carriers and discs?
 
#25 ·
marco_polo said:
Zombie_Head said:
Got a quick question, do you think that the factory 300x24 fronts coupled with EBC yellowstuff and good fluid is enough for track days/daily? Or are the front discs just too small to handle the heat?

I am asking because i may have been suddenly limited financially to what i can and can not do, and just in case if the worst happens and i have no choice but to sell the car, i can sell it with OE brakes and without some 330i conversion (or book at a DIY workshop and replace the discs back to stock/factory).

Thank you.
I had 300x24 on my E87 and cooked them, I think the 330 conversion would be the better choice.

You might get away with the tiny discs if you spend some money on additional cooling vents/hoses?

Have you already bought the 330i Carriers and discs?
I was just asking as a precaution, i already got the OE 130i/330i front discs (solid) and just purchased the carriers as well (not yet delivered).

If the worst happens, i can just go back to OE setup, will be holding onto the 300x24mm OE discs just incase.
 
#26 ·
Wanted to give you guys and update.

I ordered the 130i/330i front discs and caliper carriers, had to get brand new ones (expensive) from BMW since the used carriers i ordered from the UK turned out to be stock 125i ones.

Combined with EBC yellow pads, i followed the brake in procedure by the book and honestly they were rubbish when cold or hot on track.

After removing the pads, they were signs of overheating, cracking, glazed etc. Lucky for me, i also had some Ferodo DS Performance pads with me.

After swapping pads, the car stops on a dime now. I had to re-learn how to break, since i could break so much later on track it was silly, i believe i was even hitting close to 1.8+g when braking with this setup.

Only issue with Ferodo pads, they do leave pad residue behind, but it is something i can live with at the moment, i plan to get some Endless MX72s with those bigger discs.

I also went ahead and got a software tune, car put down 254hp at the flywheel and 234hp at the wheels and there was an air leak between the airbox and intake manifold hose (got that sorted now) and will have another dyno, i suspect about 10hp difference now.

Also went to KW and had them install V3s, the dealer/installer used a weird setup that i really did not like on track or on daily roads. So i readjusted them to KWs "out of the box setup (9 rebound front and back, 5 bump from and 6 bump rear) and the car is just transformed on public roads, it feels like there are massive weights on the front wheels and on the rear, very planted yet subtle.

I appreciate your help with the brake upgrade (oh, and i have Castrol SRF react in the system as well).

As of now, there are some cosmetic fixes i wish to address (minor bumper paint, have the car paint corrected etc).

In terms of upgrades, im not sure where to go. If i get new sway bars it will make sense to get a LSD and get the rear subframe bushing upgraded to M3 ones, which all together can be expensive. I also wish to change those seats, they are rubbish on track, Recaro Poles are what i am shooting for, they also have huge weight savings. Not sure if i should do M3 front arms with the LSD + bars + bushings or not, i like to put more track time during the nice weather.

Winter looks like will be busy for me, also considering 235 or 245 squared setup (more grip) so new wheels are also being considered, lets see.
 
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