I need brakes and figure might as well go bigger seeing as though she'll be pushing a few more ponies this summer.

I know e31 calipers would be ideal but can't seem to find any around here and why not go new.

TCD has a cheap kit for front and rear 1250 i think with C5 calipers and bmw rotors.
Also Ksport has a kit on ebay 1400 i think for fronts. They look interesting but also look like they may come from taiwan or china which scares me plus then i still have to do the rears.

Ireland's kit is also reasonablebut don't know much about it.

Brembo offcourse costs more than my car so forget that.


Right now i'm leaning towards todd's kit because its cheapest and complete also I like dealing with TCD.

Any comments, experience, thoughts, . . .suggestions?

I'd say TCD.. I've had nothing but good dealings with Todd and I know plenty others that have also..

That said, I am very interested to see how the c5 brake upgrade turns out. Definitely a good price for what looks to be a very nice upgrade.

I'd say TCD.. I've had nothing but good dealings with Todd and I know plenty others that have also..

That said, I am very interested to see how the c5 brake upgrade turns out. Definitely a good price for what looks to be a very nice upgrade.

I'm undecided and underfunded right now but its looking like TCD may be the ticked. So cheap compared to others just curious how well they perform

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=923326

A little discussion in that thread.

Lee,

I'll have a set on my 540i in a few weeks. I'll post pics and results here.

slightly OT, but are Brembos worth the money? Is there something about them which makes them significantly better than most other brakes??

I have 1 good e31 caliper and 1 needing rebuilt. Would you be interested?

I have 750il brakes I was going to install, but now I'm up in the air with that now.

I like the corvette idea...uber cheap (relatively of course) and great pad selection.

I'd do the TCD kit if I had the money and interest. If you really want to save money you could buy the C5 calipers on FleaBay fairly cheap and make the adapter plates yourself similar to TCD's setup but for the money and ease of installation Todd's package can't be beat IMO.

slightly OT, but are Brembos worth the money? Is there something about them which makes them significantly better than most other brakes??

In one word YES. But only for the track, not worth it for the street.

Zero fade. Great modulation and incredible stopping power. On the track it will slow the car down more than you intend and takes time to learn how deep into a turn you can go.

UUC has an number of different Big Brake kits. Miller Performance is ordering me some for my car. They are expensive yes, but its a beautiful and reputable brand (Wilwood) Forged 6 piston fronts 4 piston rears they will definitely stop me. And I think it looks better than seeing the word "Corvette" in a BMW wheel well.

Tcd...

how does the brake pad wear sensor work with the upgrade kits? Can you still use it, or do you just short the two wires together?

Maybe pre-'92 850Ci single-piston front calipers and M5/540i rear? You can usually find 850Ci calipers on EBay, that's where I got mine. From there maybe some BavAuto rotors, good pads, etc?

I really like the idea of the TCD kit though

I was going to get the TCD kit, but my TCD turbo build will be too much for me to do both.

Todd's C5 kit is a steal. Remember your getting all 4!!!!

If you don't like the word corvette, grind it off. The best part about his kit is pad selection

and the bad part too, since todd doesn't sell at least street pads for one stop shopping.
down fall also the factthat the factory spare wont fit and you need to go to atleast a 17 spare

Not to disuade anyone, but doesn't the E34 already have pretty damn good brakes to begin with. I'm not tracking, drifting :stickoutt, or anything stressful anyhow so a brake upgrade would fall into one of those "unnecessary" purchase categories IMO. A good set of pads for me and thats all I need. The spare $1k or more can go into my kids college fund. :help

Not to disuade anyone, but doesn't the E34 already have pretty damn good brakes to begin with. I'm not tracking, drifting :stickoutt, or anything stressful anyhow so a brake upgrade would fall into one of those "unnecessary" purchase categories IMO. A good set of pads for me and thats all I need. The spare $1k or more can go into my kids college fund. :help

Yes! Thank you. That was the point I was trying to make. Unless you track the car or add tons of power its a waste of money. Especially considering a 89 535i could outbrake an 89 911. Pads, better fluid, and stainless steel lines are all you need.

Only reason i'm doing the upgrade is because of the new tcd st 2 kit and i plan on atmpting some track events this year plus i have no kids to send too college :D

there are 4 piston brembos on ebay right now, with pads. current bid is ~450 with a day left. rotors are there too, in another auction, 30 bucks no bids. you could probly score the whole thing for like 650.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-840-850-e31-front-brake-calipers-brembos-rotors-oem_W0QQitemZ290218626644QQihZ019QQcategoryZ33563Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

anyone got pix of these kits?

there are 4 piston brembos on ebay right now, with pads. current bid is ~450 with a day left. rotors are there too, in another auction, 30 bucks no bids. you could probly score the whole thing for like 650.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-840-850-e31-front-brake-calipers-brembos-rotors-oem_W0QQitemZ290218626644QQihZ019QQcategoryZ33563Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Talk about lousy picts.

no doubt, you;d think they'd at least include the carriers


edit: some pointed out that they don;t have carriers...
Whoops!

Only reason i'm doing the upgrade is because of the new tcd st 2 kit and i plan on atmpting some track events this year plus i have no kids to send too college :D

Not yet :eek: In time, my friend.

How much did the stage 2 kit run you? I'm jealous. Maybe I can get my kids to join the navy and save me on tuition

I have the four piston Brembos from an 850ci with the big 324mm rotors. Rears are the M5/540i vented units. Hawk ceramic pads throughout.

Pic of the front wheel brakes here:

pic link (http://e12m535i.com/E34_Touring/images/Sept_2007/DSC02614.JPG)

I'll have the wagon at a track event in late May so I can comment after that about how these brakes haul down a 3800 lb Touring repeatedly.

kessler clear ur pm's i'm interested to see what ur up too on these brakes

In one word YES. But only for the track, not worth it for the street.

Zero fade. Great modulation and incredible stopping power. On the track it will slow the car down more than you intend and takes time to learn how deep into a turn you can go.

+1. Once you get the pads up to operating temperature they BITE. Also they seem to be lighter than the stock brake set-up.

wheres the cheapest place to get the brembo kit?

I have E31 4 pots with E34 vented M5 rears on my E28 track car and absolutely love them. I would suggest you actually drive the car on track before you decide you need the upgrade. With some good (i.e. TRACK pads) you'll be amazed at how well it will haul down. I've seen a lot of new students show up with fully prepared cars and it's frankly a disservice to themselves. The car will do things so well that it takes very little skill to drive fast. Then if something doesn't go as planned they don't have the tools in the toolbox to deal with it. Start slow and build your skill set. Then as you begin to consistently drive the car at the upper limits of its capabilities start thinking about upgrades.

There's .02 from an "old schooler".

BTW - I'm actually looking for another pair of E31 4 pot Brembos should anyone have a spare set lying around. Rebuildables OK. Thanks!

IMHO our BBK is for only a few purposes:

- Extreme track use on a car with at least twice the power of stock.
The infinite pad selection is the most over looked attribute of this kit.

- Good looks.

- I am pretty sure that with brakes this big and rotors so huge the
rotors are probably good for the life of the car.

With regards to OEM caliper selection and track experience:

- I ran 2 days at Mid Ohio in my 300rwhp e34 with the stock brakes and
Hawk HT-10s. The car had wicked awesome brakes and suffered from zero
fade.

- The 540i brakes are the smart upgrade.

- The single piston 850 and Brembo 850 bakes suffer from poor pad selection
which makes them less usefull for track use.

I am installing the BBK on my 540i only because I can. The car is unlikely to see a road course and the stock brakes are more than sufficient for street use.

Todd

I have E31 4 pots with E34 vented M5 rears on my E28 track car and absolutely love them. I would suggest you actually drive the car on track before you decide you need the upgrade. With some good (i.e. TRACK pads) you'll be amazed at how well it will haul down. I've seen a lot of new students show up with fully prepared cars and it's frankly a disservice to themselves. The car will do things so well that it takes very little skill to drive fast. Then if something doesn't go as planned they don't have the tools in the toolbox to deal with it. Start slow and build your skill set. Then as you begin to consistently drive the car at the upper limits of its capabilities start thinking about upgrades.

There's .02 from an "old schooler".

BTW - I'm actually looking for another pair of E31 4 pot Brembos should anyone have a spare set lying around. Rebuildables OK. Thanks!
i appreciate the advice maybe i'll hold off until i get a few miles on her and then make a decison