The brakes are great in day to day, but 4000lbs is a lot to stop on the track. I've only done two track days in my '08, but each time I was changing pads before going home.

AC Schnitzer has a kit that I've read about and a local shop really wanted me to buy them, but that's as far as I've gotten. A Google search for "E90 M3 brakes" turns up that every John and Barry that has ever been on the Internet wants to sell a set of "xx" brand brakes, but that's about it.

So... anyone know of some decent brakes? Money wise, I don't want to spend $10,000 on a car I got for $43,000, but if a few grand is whats required, then so be it.

Edit: oh, and uh, hi. New here, most likely will just do some lurking and pop in now and then, but those dark corners don't fill themselves do they?

 

So do you weigh like 300lbs or something? Where does 4000lbs come from lol..

Oh and AP Racing makes the best aftermarket BBKs.

 

250 actually....

Given that an M3 actually weighs 3726lbs, I'm not that far off

Kidding, just looked that up on cars.com (wasn't really sure but knew it was somewhere up there).

And thanks for the advice, I'll look into them.

 

Try Stoptech. Good systems and cheaper than Brembo and AP

 

Thanks

 

Brembo #1 .. and i have a used set in stock front and rear brembo if you like 4k they are yours less than 2k miles on them !

 

StopTech; don't waste the extra money on Brembo. After you go through the ST pads; get some Performance Friction pads. You can also get away with doing fronts only if you don't mind the cosmetics. Rear brakes are overrated. Hell, brakes just slow you down anyway.

 

Nope.

Nah, I'll do fronts and back. The main goal here is to retain similar street feel to stock, but without all the fade. Maybe some better stopping power for before the corners.

@WheelB: can you post pictures of them?

 

I'm not sure if this applies to the E9x, but on the E46, Brembos made the pedal softer overall. I'm not the only one that's noticed this on the E46. I have the 355 4 piston front w/ 345 4 piston rear.

 

If your pedal is softer than stock then you have a problem that may need to be looked into.

The piston diameters for the 355mm brake kit are selected to provide optimum bake bias, and for this reason requires LESS fluid volume than the OEM calipers.
When properly installed and bled, that brake system will provider a higher and firmer pedal feel with improved modulation and control.
If this is not the case, there is something wrong with your vehicle, not the brake system.

Our customer satisfaction on the E46 M3 is outstanding, and the 355mm kit is superb on the street and at the track.
It requires the least maintenance of any other aftermarket brake system and offers the best longevity hands down.
Again, if someone has had results that do not fit that description, feel free to PM me and I'll help you get it figured out. I am certain that it will not be related to the engineering, design or physical attributes of the components from Brembo.

 

Gary, would you say it's just air in the lines? I'm not the only one that has noticed this when going from OEM to brembo. The brakes stop better, but it's def softer and there's a small amount of play just as u begin to press the brake pedal where it doesn't seem like the pistons are compressing.

 

How about some Performance Friction pads, Castro fluid and brake ducts?

 

Air in the lines is definitely a possibility...

Do you have a front only kit, or front and rear?
Did you purchase the kit new or used?
Do you know what pad compounds you are running?
How long have you had the kit on your car?
When was the last time you flushed your brake fluid?

There's quite a few different reasons you could have a soft brake pedal, I just wanted to point out that the brake kit itself is not one of them. To trouble shoot the issue I need more information and I also don't want to continue to "thread jack" here.

Just as an FYI for everyone who has already started to read this, air in the line is the easiest issue to trouble shoot. If the pedal is soft on initial application, pump the pedal a few times and let me know if it stays the same or becomes firmer the more you pump. If it does get firmer then yes there is air in the line somewhere and you need to re-bleed and/or flush the entire system.

Old brake fluid can contribute to the problem as well since as fluid absorbs moisture from the air, it becomes more compressible, decreasing the firmness and responsiveness of the pedal.

Some brake pads are also more compressible than others. If you have lesser quality pads than what the system originally came with you could be sacrificing initial bite and pedal feel as well.

Worn pads, front and/or rear could be increasing the pedal travel since you would need more fluid volume to move the pads to the point of engagement.

That's just a few of the easier items and reasons to note. Since the 355mm Brembo system requires less fluid volume and provides a firmer pedal by design, it is a physical impossibility for the pedal feel to be softer and less responsive than OEM unless their is another issue we have not covered.

Let's continue this conversation by PM.
Again, sorry for the thread jack here, I just thought it was important that this experience not be used to pass judgment on the Brembo option.

Thanks,

G - - -

 

I don't think I ever said the product was poor. I actualyl like the product a lot even w/ the way it currently feels now. Anyways, PM sent.