The excessive pitching of the Z4M under braking with OEM suspension certainly doesn't help the duty cycle and correcting this with good aftermarket suspension is a definite additional benefit of upgrading the suspension. 8) :driving:mmm-five said:Should then cope much better with my heavier/later braking that the new suspension is allowing
Brake upgrade options for Z4M?
- Thread starter Rattler
- Start date
exdos said:
I wouldn't really say that was true in this context. Yes, ultimate stopping power is limited by the tyres even with OEM stuff but really there is so much more to brakes imo than their ultimate stopping ability.
For instance, things I found negative about the OEM brakes (in order of importance to me); fade resistance, modulation ability, weight, and possibly looks. The OEM iron calipers weigh a bloody ton compared to ali monoblock multiple piston calipers, and that's unsprung mass, so really quite important, well to me at least :tumbleweed: It's also not uncommon for the sliding mechanism on the OEM single piston to get fouled/seized up. They also make a rather horrible and disconcerting grumbling sound after a while of hard use which people attribute to the drilled disc. I can confirm the disks are not the cause as I run the same with my brembo 6/4 pots and that does not happen.
Since the OP is in for changing discs and pads all round by the sounds of things this is going to be no small change even with OEM stuff. Depending on the amount of spirited & or track driving personally I would strongly consider an alternative option.
I've owned my car for 5 years and I can honestly say I've never experienced any fade whatsoever and I don't exactly hang around either. Are you guys reporting fade really getting this in fast road conditions? You must be driving at imprisonment speeds if you are.
+ should you want to OP, it is quite easy to sell the front caliper carriers (they are highly sort after in the m3 world as they allow them to run the CSL discs with their front calipers (as they are exactly the same as ours)). They cost something like £250 each from bmw incredibly. They usually go for around that amount for a pair second hand.
The rear calipers are also sort after as they are CSL spec and the piston size is very slightly different to adjust the brake balance for the bigger front disc the CSL/Z4M disc runs.
The rear calipers are also sort after as they are CSL spec and the piston size is very slightly different to adjust the brake balance for the bigger front disc the CSL/Z4M disc runs.
quite possibly :!: , but it's pretty safe where I am. And yes I got fade after 10-15 mins.original guvnor said:
Edit: I should add that that is 10-15 mins of driving on well sighted fast roads with a lot of heavy braking required, in some ways almost as much as a test as track driving as unlike many tracks there are not long sections of high speed stuff that get air into the brakes. Also obviously being on the road I slow the car down much more than I would for a corner on a track.
Took the calipers off and they were in excellent condition as were disks/pads so it's not that. My last M3CS which has the same brakes was even worse but then it did weigh more.
abar121 said:budgie195 said:john-e89 said:
Very true I have a z4m leaflet from Bmw which states this !!!
As I thought I had warped discs too !
Yeah, it is disconcerting though!
Care to scan the leaflet? I'd love to see it!
I can take a photo of the page and send it to your email address ?
Mikey_Boy said:
Yeah it is a GTR. The Z4M is a great performance roadster but the difference between it and a bespoke performance car is a huge chasm. It's just crossed 10k miles so everything is just getting optimised to full power.
We used to have an RS6 and although it had outstanding straight line performance but the steering/braking was essentially no different to the A6 3.0T we have now. I find the braking feel/modulation of the Z4M no different to my old Z4 3.0.
http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=126830
Not bad for £300, need a few other bits but got the CSL disks already obviously, would be a tidy upgrade.
Not bad for £300, need a few other bits but got the CSL disks already obviously, would be a tidy upgrade.
Paul Manley
New member
z4m
Hi All!
What size brembos/ap racing calipers can I go up to on 18' rims with no problems, 4 pot 6 pot etc and max size on discs????
car allready lowered and spaced
apreciate any feed back
Hi All!
What size brembos/ap racing calipers can I go up to on 18' rims with no problems, 4 pot 6 pot etc and max size on discs????
car allready lowered and spaced
apreciate any feed back
Quite surprised so many people are rating the OEM brakes. I thought they were pretty dreadful. I did the better tyres, pads, lines, fluid. It improved it a bit yes. But on a track day they gave up pretty early on. Changing them for 6/4 Brembos the difference was huge. So much more confidence on the road and much greater stopping power on the track. No fade.
With every mod you like, I can't see how the smaller floating calipers with less pistons could ever compete against a proper BBK? IMO I needed to make the jump everything in the middle was not up to scratch.
With every mod you like, I can't see how the smaller floating calipers with less pistons could ever compete against a proper BBK? IMO I needed to make the jump everything in the middle was not up to scratch.
I love the OEM brakes, mine are just shy of AWESOME, but they always can use some extra cooling. Get a good set of pads and fluid and that will go a long way. Ive tracked my car quite a bit, some very fast tracks, and some very brake intensive tracks. I actually do rate the OEM claws and floaters. just make sure you get a nice set of pads. Mine has better modulation than a few /other/ cars I've driven.
The stock brakes with a bit of work are very good. I'm set up with the ECS floating front discs, Hawk HP+ pads, and brass caliper bushings right now, and have found the brakes to be excellent on the track.
A relatively inexpensive upgrade that I'm considering (read: planning) at the moment, however, is swapping the front calipers out for Porsche 996 (Brembo) 4-pots using the RallyRoad adapters and lines (~$320 USD for adapters / lines). Because the Z4M has CSL rotors (325x28mm floating), we don't have the added expense that non-CSL E46 M3s have of also changing out discs, so it's a pretty attractive option. This setup results in the rotor being fully swept by much larger brake pads, apparently excellent brake feel and better modulation due to 4-pot setup vs 1-pot, no silly expensive Brembo / Stoptech rotors, and the wrong brand's logo behind the spokes.
oke: All-in with the ECS rotors and brand-new Porsche calipers, this appears to be doable for under $2k USD; I'm trying to find a source of reman calipers at the moment, hoping to keep the price to $1,500 or below in total.
A relatively inexpensive upgrade that I'm considering (read: planning) at the moment, however, is swapping the front calipers out for Porsche 996 (Brembo) 4-pots using the RallyRoad adapters and lines (~$320 USD for adapters / lines). Because the Z4M has CSL rotors (325x28mm floating), we don't have the added expense that non-CSL E46 M3s have of also changing out discs, so it's a pretty attractive option. This setup results in the rotor being fully swept by much larger brake pads, apparently excellent brake feel and better modulation due to 4-pot setup vs 1-pot, no silly expensive Brembo / Stoptech rotors, and the wrong brand's logo behind the spokes.
oke: All-in with the ECS rotors and brand-new Porsche calipers, this appears to be doable for under $2k USD; I'm trying to find a source of reman calipers at the moment, hoping to keep the price to $1,500 or below in total....and so, "considering" went to "executing" this afternoon. RallyRoad's E46 M3 rear adapters work on the Z4M (because, of course they do) and Eric at RallyRoad pointed me at a beautiful set of red 4-pot Porsche / Brembo calipers on eBay for $tooLowToRefuse. Including pads and the rotors that I just replaced, I will in fact be much less than $2k USD into 4-pot Brembos at all four corners with stainless braided lines, full floating front discs and Hawk HP+ pads.
Since I also just pulled the trigger on the Evolve carbon airbox and am a quote away from a set of Schrick 288/280 cams, it's going to be an eventful (wrenchful?) winter. :fuelfire:
Anybody want to buy a barely-used set of Hawk HP+ pads and brass caliper bushings for the stock brakes for cheap? :headbang:
Since I also just pulled the trigger on the Evolve carbon airbox and am a quote away from a set of Schrick 288/280 cams, it's going to be an eventful (wrenchful?) winter. :fuelfire:
Anybody want to buy a barely-used set of Hawk HP+ pads and brass caliper bushings for the stock brakes for cheap? :headbang:
TomK said:
Sorry... should have been clearer. I mean if they work with the stock Z4M rear disc, that's cool. Could be wrong here, but I thought that this was the reason most E46 BBK adaptors won't work for the Z4M? Fronts aren't an issue, because both models work with a CSL front rotor.
