New front disc advice.

[raymond.harper]

The front discs on my 2008 2.5 need to be replaced. Gravity Performance has discs for £75 grooved and drilled, the actual brand is unknown. Halfords has a selection, the Brembo discs for £62. The Gravity Performance from an aesthetic point look good but should I buy the branded Brembo ones? Any advice gratefully received

[inkey$]

Cant comment on the Gravity discs, but personally I’ve always bought the Pagid’s and always been more than happy for the type of driving I do. Unless you’re tracking the car I reckon most will suit the job, so maybe you can go also then go for aesthetics.

[brillomaster]

id say if you aren't tracking the car then brake discs are actually much of a muchness, so go for the drilled and grooved discs if thats your thing.

[kis]

I’ve had drilled and grooved before and they always made noise. They look cool if you’re a car guy (and you notice those details - most people don’t from my experience).

But don’t think they add any ‘value’ otherwise. Maybe if you’re tracking but then you’d need a whole different brake set up. As a rule I always go brembo for disc and pagid/ jurid for pads. If the stock stuff is good enough for BMW then good enough for me.

If you’re doing the fronts then I’ll throw a curveball. The 3.0i uses the same calliper as the 2.5i but has a slightly different carrier. Means you can quickly upgrade the brakes. Slightly bigger pads and disc. Better stopping is always better IMO.

[enuff_zed]

I use standard Brembo discs and pads.
I had grooved discs on a Capri many years back and they made a howling noise if used lightly.
I tried drilled ones and experienced cracking from the holes.
For road use I now stay standard.

[Rucky]

Been running MTec drilled and grooved for 3-4 years, On second set of pads, no problems, No noises when braking - whooshing or otherwise.
Very satisfied but I am not a heavy brake user despite being an auto.

[coldel]

Bang for buck put your money into pads, they will be what gives you the benefit. I personally would be going for one of the cheaper non drilled known brake brands (brembo pagid etc are all budget level) as unless you are flying round a track all day it really makes little difference driving on the road. But I would invest in well balanced pads for your driving style.

[Rsipad]

Drilled and slotted is mainly for looks. No actual performance increase over blanks. In fact, on track, they reduce performance as they are more prone to cracking from heat and have less metal to soak up heat. People argue that slotted helps in harsh track conditions as it helps release brake gasses, but even then, all dedicated track cars that I've seen in person are running blanks. I've been running the cheapest Zimmermann blanks I could find and they've held up on track and on the street.

Personally, I'd save the money to go for better pads when they next need replacing.

[coldel]

Pads make a massive difference, when I had my VX220 I went with Mintex performance pads (which for lightweight applications are very well respected and reviewed) and when bedding them in they nearly threw me through the windshield vs the budget pagids I had on prior. Best not to shirk on tyres and brakes, they make massive positive differences on the road.

[raymond.harper]

Thank you for all your kind words of advice. The front brakes are shuddering a bit under braking and I have ordered the Brembo discs with Mintex pads. Just had a look at the rears, also not good news!

rear brakes.jpg (77.39 KiB) Viewed 421 times

[enuff_zed]

Thank you for all your kind words of advice. The front brakes are shuddering a bit under braking and I have ordered the Brembo discs with Mintex pads. Just had a look at the rears, also not good news!rear brakes.jpg

Thank goodness they are all so easy to change.

[pvr]

Thank goodness they are all so easy to change.

Subject to ...

[kis]

Thank goodness they are all so easy to change.

Subject to ...

Subject to... the disc retaining bolt coming out!

[enuff_zed]

Thank goodness they are all so easy to change.

Subject to ...

Subject to... the disc retaining bolt coming out!

Very true. But a soak with plusgas and then getting exactly the right size allen key, cleaning the recess and hammering it fully home should see you right.

[chanlon1]

Thank goodness they are all so easy to change.

Subject to ...

Subject to... the disc retaining bolt coming out!

This is one of the best gadgets/tools I have ever bought and it has saved me on numerous occasions: https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-too ... 78172.html

Insert it into the retaining nut and slowly start whacking it with a hammer building up each time. After a few good thumps, the bolt will get undone. Provided you use the right Allen key bit, you have no risk of rounding it.