Question on brake upgrade

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bmwz4dream

Member
Hi I bought a Z4 3.0 SI Auto recently and when driving on the motorway and suddenly braking noticed that the brake power is not that sharp. It passed the MOT just the other week and I don’t think they are faulty, just in need of an upgrade.

Can anyone recommend which ones I should upgrade to? Am on a budget and not seeking top of the range, just ones which give me more power

Also can I get these fitted somewhere like Halfords or kwik fit?

Are these any good? and would i need pads, shoes and discs for both front and rear (dont understand what each one is).

https://www.halfordsautocentres.com/advice/brakes-advice/brembo-brakes

Thanks
 
Road legal brakes have to be E15 marked, performance must be within 15% of OE spec. You may need new pads, and/or fluid but road legal pads are not going to be an 'upgrade' in the way you may think.

To give you an idea of prices - cheapest ECP front pads (pair, with sale code) are 19.99, Brembo 29.99. If you can change a wheel you can replace pads.
 
Scooba_Steve said:
Road legal brakes have to be E15 marked, performance must be within 15% of OE spec. You may need new pads, and/or fluid but road legal pads are not going to be an 'upgrade' in the way you may think.

To give you an idea of prices - cheapest ECP front pads (pair, with sale code) are 19.99, Brembo 29.99. If you can change a wheel you can replace pads.
Click to expand...

Thanks, so what brakes do i need to give me better braking power, not the ones i listed?

I dont understand the technical stuff and definately cant change a wheel so wouldnt be able to change this
 
If you can lock wheels you don't need more power. Might just feel different to what you're used to. If the pads and fluid are worn then you might get more travel/spongy pedal. Go and see a proper mechanic, Halfords and other big brands will happily sell you new pads you don't need.
 
Ok thanks i just thought there was such a thing as more powerful brakes. Also i like the idea of having red caliphers on the tyres and assumed this meant a better system
 
I think your talking about bigger Disks and of course bigger calipers , not different pads, what your talking about is 100's of pounds and is something I would like too, but it's not cheap. I can't help but feel they might not working to Max efficiency. I find you need to stand on them a few times and get them hot and bedded in and clean the surfaces. Make sure nobody is behind you when you do this!
For comparison you are already having bigger brakes than me... So work with what you have. As for painted calipers there are companies that will do it for you. But have no idea how much.
 
If your looking to upgrade your brakes speak to the guys at BG Developments in Bromsgrove , They are Ap Racing distributors , state of the art workshops and are well know in the trade

They will be making a kit for my E85 in the near future , spec to be agreed will be using 17’ rims
Probably will use pro 5000 calipers and full floating vented disc,s
 
Bevel79 said:
If your looking to upgrade your brakes speak to the guys at BG Developments in Bromsgrove , They are Ap Racing distributors , state of the art workshops and are well know in the trade

They will be making a kit for my E85 in the near future , spec to be agreed will be using 17’ rims
Probably will use pro 5000 calipers and full floating vented disc,s
[/quote
Sounds a lot of sheckals....
Click to expand...
 
I've been a 3.0Si owner for nearly 5 years now, and I've never found the brakes lacking during road use - and I do like to drive mine "spiritedly". :lol:

If yours don't feel that great I'd start with getting what you've got checked over first. Do you have any record of when discs, pads and fluid were last changed?

If not recently or you have no record, I'd try to find a local Independent BMW Specialist to check the braking system out.

Hope you can get it sorted. :thumbsup:
 
I’d check when your brake fluid was last changed. Our cars are getting on now and it may have been overlooked in the past. I’d also ask them to check the discs and pads for thickness.

If you do the above and re bed them in as Road warrior suggested you should be away. If you did want a subtle upgrade I’d start with pads. I find EBC’s yellowstuff to be perfect for fast road use and they are fine from cold too. Others prefer other brands but an upgrade pad would be my next step. Either way happy zedding :driving:
 
Thanks would something like this be an impeovement on what i have?
Can anyone recommend discs and caliphers i can buy which would give better perform than my default 3.0 si ones?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-BREMBO-SPORT-MAX-BRAKE-DISCS-FRONT-VENTED-325-BMW-3-SERIES-E46-99/371898586800?epid=248606402&hash=item5696e216b0:g:PNAAAOSwRk9apkgS&_trkparms=gclientid%3DIn14VT-VZEreikxv6VRt8oWKcz8P00nytdhXcoqNTO5kSbpq75WT7yKoD6BtnwO4&_trksid=p2489528.m4989.l8656&fits=Car%20Make%3ABMW%7CModel%3AZ4%20Roadster%7CCars%20Year%3A2008%7CVariant%3AE85%20%5B2003-2009%5D%20Convertible%7CPlat_Gen%3AE85%7CCars%20Type%3A3.0%20Si%7CBodyStyle%3AConvertible%7CEngine%3A2996ccm%20265HP%20195KW%20(Petrol)
 
Those are only grooved disks, they effectively clean the pads, they don't improve braking.
Grooved, = clean
Drilled = cool
Vented = cool
You need neither as you not using them enough to take the glaze off IMHO.
Get the fluid changed, and then stand on them so many times that you smell the pads.
You see, modern stop start traffic allows a film to build up on the disks as pad compound transfers itself to the disks over time and creates a shield effectively makes your braking crap. The answer is to do some hard braking and burn it off. Do that and you will be amazed.
However I have feeling you want some sexy new bits, you will have to bed those in too.
Where I was young I used to drill my own disks. Not sure it did anything on my nackered old cars butt made me happy... :D
 
The difference between a cheap set of pads and well known brand can be HUGE. Do you know what are fitted to yours?

A few years back we bought a Focus ST that had some cheap Jurid pads that were awful. Absolutely no bite or stopping power. Changed the discs for Mtec and pads for Ferodo Premiers and the difference was night and day.

I have run Premiers on my 420bhp Brembo equipped Audi S4, Focus ST, E91 335D and now my Z4 and find them excellent for road use.

As others have said normal plain discs will be fine, try and find some with paint protection on the bell or they will rust in no time and look awful. Ferodo, Ate, Brembo, etc are my go to brands.

As for upgrading the calipers i personally wouldnt bother. Unless you are doing multiple high speed stops. An SI with decent pads and discs will stop just as quickly as one with a BBK, as tyre grip will be the limiting factor. There is more than enough power in the standard brakes to overcome tyre grip at high speed when working properly. All a BBK does is increase the working temp range of the brakes. I.E. stay cooler for longer.
 
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