Brembo brakes on 3.0si coupe the easy way

[marmite monster]

Thought I might share my experience fitting brembo brakes to my e86. Got the kit from k-system pro after reading Liams race car build thread.
The kit uses megane rs 4 pot callipers and custom brackets, you can run the kit with spacers and use the oem 325mm discs or no spacers and use the thicker e46 m3 discs. I bought new oem m3 discs from Douglas Park bmw for £290. You will need m3 specific disc retaining bolts as the standard z4 ones won’t fit the m3 discs. I didn’t have any banjo bolts for the hell brake lines in my kit but apparently they should be in the box. Quick email and some were sent over.
You can choose various pads I went with DS2500 they feel totally fine from cold etc, power from these brakes is insane and the calliper piston size is very similar to stock so pedal feel is identical. Not sure if these brakes will fit stock wheels as you need a bit of space for the calliper, I’m running bbs ch they have loads of clearance.
Yet to do a track day but will see how they get on. Stock brakes and pads didn’t even last 1/2 a fast lap of Donington.



https://k-system.pro/en/product/bmw-e36-e46-z3-brembo-4-pot-conversion-kit-megane-3-rs-calipers-325x25/

 

[Barty]

Looks good, nice write-up on the experience so far as well! How much more space do they need on the side between the rim and calliper compared to stock?

 

[marmite monster]

Not sure but maybe this pic helps lol

 

[TheDan]

Nice work! Its such a lovely bit of kit to put on the Z4 and feels like it should always have been there!

I did this upgrade last year (but made the mistake in cheaping out and going for MTEC discs - don't do it).

In terms of clearance... I had to fit 12mm spacers with standard MV2s (style 135s), but this wasn't a problem as I was toying with fitting 10 or 12mm spacers anyway. I'd say 10mm would have been too close if that gives you an idea of how much extra space is needed

 

[marmite monster]

Nice work! Its such a lovely bit of kit to put on the Z4 and feels like it should always have been there!

I did this upgrade last year (but made the mistake in cheaping out and going for MTEC discs - don't do it).

In terms of clearance... I had to fit 12mm spacers with standard MV2s (style 135s), but this wasn't a problem as I was toying with fitting 10 or 12mm spacers anyway. I'd say 10mm would have been too close if that gives you an idea of how much extra space is needed

Yeah it a great kit, this and a Quafie lsd and you have one hell of a car

 

[Barty]

Not sure but maybe this pic helps lol

Weirdly it does I’ll do the banana-check on my new wheels with the old callipers. Should be similar so a good indication I’ll be fine

 

[marmite monster]

Not sure but maybe this pic helps lol

Weirdly it does I’ll do the banana-check on my new wheels with the old callipers. Should be similar so a good indication I’ll be fine

Hahah amazing.

Side note : I wish you could get the callipers in black or silver red is a bit in your face. The finish on the callipers being a Renault part isn’t the best. The paint seems quite thin I was expecting very think glossy powder coat. So maybe a colour change in the future would be fairly easy
Also forgot to mention brake bleeding was super easy, no hooking up the computer to cycle the abs pump or any of that just good old fashioned leg pumps and nipple twists. I changed the fluid for dot4 racing stuff.

 

[marmite monster]

Will do some proper photos soon

 

[Barty]

Not sure but maybe this pic helps lol

Weirdly it does I’ll do the banana-check on my new wheels with the old callipers. Should be similar so a good indication I’ll be fine

Hahah amazing.

Side note : I wish you could get the callipers in black or silver red is a bit in your face. The finish on the callipers being a Renault part isn’t the best. The paint seems quite thin I was expecting very think glossy powder coat. So maybe a colour change in the future would be fairly easy
Also forgot to mention brake bleeding was super easy, no hooking up the computer to cycle the abs pump or any of that just good old fashioned leg pumps and nipple twists. I changed the fluid for dot4 racing stuff.

Yeah I suspected as much. I plan on getting the callipers and I’ll send them off to our regular powder coater for a fresh look. Plan on deep green metallic with bronze “Brembo” logo, matching the paint and wheels

Good to hear bleeding was so easy! Shouldn’t take much more than a disc and pad swap time-wise I suspect?

 

[marmite monster]

Yeah you can do the entire swap in a 2 hours with a brew stop between sides

 

[mjennings23]

Now that the Z4 has become the fair weather fun car, the brakes were something I was looking at doing. Seems an incredibly easy process and fair value for a plug and play kit

 

[Panta Rhei]

How about going with 345 breake disc instead of standard M3 325x28? Only issues is minimum 18" instead of 17" rim?
How about break pads?

 

[marmite monster]

Just to follow up this up having now track tested these brakes
All I can say is they are epic ! 120mph to 50mph monster stopping time after time Zero brake fade all day with ds2500 pads. You will need some decent tyres to fully make use of the power in these brakes. Time will tell how long the rubber dust seals last with the heat but so far I can’t fault them.

 

[Barty]

Nice write up! Any follow-up on the question by [ref]Panta Rhei[/ref], as I’d love to upgrade to 345mm at the same time

 

[marmite monster]

How about going with 345 breake disc instead of standard M3 325x28? Only issues is minimum 18" instead of 17" rim?
How about break pads?

you could have different brackets made up to run these calipers and maybe a 2 piece disc but at that point you may as well get a AP racing kit . And anyway why would you want any more performance than these with 325m discs? You can bend time and space with this set up lol it’s incredible
Brake pads I’m running DS2500

 

[Panta Rhei]

Because 345x28 disc costs approx the same as 325x28, and ofc looks cooler

 

[JamesClements]

I'm running this setup on my 2.5i with 325mm brembo discs with the spacer - its a great improvement over stock + they they look nice

 

[TheDan]

In terms of whether you can use these Brembos with 345mm discs, here are my concerns:

You would need to make sure that the kit you buy has a bracket that is designed for fitment to a standard Z4 (non-M) knuckle. The reason for this is that the knuckle on the Z4M is quite different and likely has the caliper mounted in a slightly different position. Although there is a chance the caliper mounting holes are in the same place as the non-M.

Even with a custom/bespoke bracket to fit the standard Z4 (non-M), I can imagine it would be quite a struggle to fit these (when paired with a 345mm disc) under a lot of the common Z4 wheel types without the need for massive spacers. For example, I am running the 325mm version with 18 inch MV2 (style 135) and I had to fit 12mm spacers to the front for clearance to the caliper.

Yes, a 345mm disc will look cooler, but is not necessary if stopping power is what you are after. The 325mm discs provide plenty for even heavy track work (look at Liam22's race E86).

 

[Panta Rhei]

Those are fine as you can see it works.

 

[marmite monster]

What car do the 345 mm discs come from ?