Performance Brakes for E30?

[wind]

many ppl told me that disc's are better, but in real life..

when I was testing stock discs and stock drums on my vw braking force felt the same. You also have to remeber that if you're rear brakes will be to strong your car will tend to go sideways during braking

on drums handbrake is stronger than on discs - dont ask me why... it just is



ps. nice to see you again m8 pozdro

[redhatpat]

Originally Posted by wind

many ppl told me that disc's are better, but in real life..

when I was testing stock discs and stock drums on my vw braking force felt the same. You also have to remeber that if you're rear brakes will be to strong your car will tend to go sideways during braking

on drums handbrake is stronger than on discs - dont ask me why... it just is



ps. nice to see you again m8 pozdro

A good set of drum brakes can brake just as well as a set of disc brakes on the first go. After several hard brakes, (once they get hot) the drum brakes will be useless while the disc brakes should still be good. If you want to test this out, drive down a winding moutain road and try out your drum brakes when you get near the bottom. Have the number of a tow truck handy!

[equate975]

Originally Posted by MrK

I have had my zimmerman cross-drilled rotors (Pagid pads) for about a year now, and they work like a charm. No cracks or warpage anywhere, and even though stopping power is a little low when the rotors are cold, they do a great job once they're warmed up.

I have the same on my m3, they are utter bullshit, I can't wait until summer so I can take this junk off.

X-Drilled are 100% completely worthless, /end

[slowman]

Every time I see a thread about upgraded brakes I just shake my head... :

What people don't realize is that if you can lock up your tires with the stock brakes, then you don't need to go to upgraded brakes. The only time you would go upgraded is if you wanted to customize the feel of the brakes to how you like it.

Track use would almost require at least upgraded pads and fluid, even if you can still lock up the tires. Logically, the more stress is induced on the parts, the stronger they will need to be to prevent failure.

I guess this rant is not directed at people who track their cars... more so to people who only drive on the street and some auto-x. If you drive on the street, you will never, never, never need upgraded brake anything. What a waste of money, I'd rather put that into a Schrick cam, chip, and some suspension pieces....

[JohnW8]

Originally Posted by slowman

... If you drive on the street, you will never, never, never need upgraded brake anything. What a waste of money, I'd rather put that into a Schrick cam, chip, and some suspension pieces....

Then... you would need upgraded brakes.

I agree with you, slotted cross drilled stuff looks good but the performance doesn't justify the price. Good pads with higher boiling point brake fluid and good tires will do as good a job to stop a car than any of the high dollar stuff.

JohnW8

[KoRny]

The only reason I'm asking about the E36 M3 5-lug is because I'm planning on doing a conversion to my car to fit wider tires on them. So in order to do this what kind of brakes should I put?

[equate975]

You don't need bigger brakes to run wider wheels...

[sheepdog43]

Originally Posted by gooten1

To bring back a thread from the dead, this has been helpful. I was thinking of going M3 brakes, till I read this. The brakes are pretty crappy now, spongy and reluctant, but now I'm going to rebuild the stock stuff and see how it runs.Will the stock setup handle a power adder (FI) and track events/mountain runs?

On the mountain, if it involves lots of downhills, I would say upgrade them. I have heard that on mountain races, you should always have upgraded brakes, I do not do them so... I would think if you are only racing up a mountain, you would be fine.

Unless you significantly up the power you should be ok.
Just follow some of the earlier advice, better fluid, stainless lines, better pads.

[wludavid]

If you do all the cheap stuff and you still get fade, plumb some cooling lines from the airdam. Works wonders from what I hear from Spec e30 guys.

And of course, try different pads to see what you like best.

And then there's the obligatory, "mod the driver, not the car" argument. Better technique means less braking. Also, better tires mean less braking, 'cause you can take turns at higher speeds.

[wind]

also - if you have enough space infront of you you can brake with your engine - just keep shifting down and remeber that 1st and 2nd gear are slowing us down veeery fast..



and where was this button for the engine braking.. Im sure I have seen it somewhere...

[Reynard38]

Bigger brakes equals more unsprung weight. Also those bigger rotors are rotating mass as well and that extra weight means more HP to accelerate. The idea behind big brakes was to disapate the heat. I would think that with a good cooling duct setup the stock calipers with good rotors,pads,stainless lines and fluid would be up to the task.
The 25mm master cylinder is a matter of personal preference. I have one and I like it. The peddle effort is increased, but the travel is decreased.

[X2theZ3]

Originally Posted by Reynard38

Bigger brakes equals more unsprung weight. Also those bigger rotors are rotating mass as well and that extra weight means more HP to accelerate. The idea behind big brakes was to disapate the heat. I would think that with a good cooling duct setup the stock calipers with good rotors,pads,stainless lines and fluid would be up to the task.
The 25mm master cylinder is a matter of personal preference. I have one and I like it. The peddle effort is increased, but the travel is decreased.

It sounds like you really know what you're talking about.

[Schneller Bayer]

I don't know if it was mentioned but RPI equipped has an e30 BBK.

It consists of wilwood calipres and 12' rotors, minimum wheel size is 16'.

Most BBK setups are actually lighter than the stock setups. I don't know if this one is, but I know the calipres are lighter than stock.

www.rpiequipped.com

[Reynard38]

Originally Posted by Schneller Bayer

I don't know if it was mentioned but RPI equipped has an e30 BBK.

It consists of wilwood calipres and 12' rotors, minimum wheel size is 16'.

Most BBK setups are actually lighter than the stock setups. I don't know if this one is, but I know the calipres are lighter than stock.

www.rpiequipped.com

The Wildwood calipers are most likely aluminum They would be lighter, though I don't know if they would make up for a 12" rotor.