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View Full Version : Brake Refresh - Opinions wanted!



GotZHP
09-15-2016, 06:48 PM
Hey All,

if you have been following my build thread you know that I was recently in an accident. The accident was totally my fault and I ended up hitting the car in front of me when traffic came to, literally, a screeching halt. When I slammed on my brakes, my front end locked up, and I slid into the car in front of me.

I have since tested the brakes on some side roads and the performance is dismal. I was told the car had new rotors and pads installed before buying it, but was never told what was installed. After inspection, I believe the rotors were just turned, and who knows about the pads. I know the rears are old as well.

This brings me to a full brake refresh. What I am looking for is 1.) New rotors at all corners 2.) New pads at all corners 3.) stainless steel brake lines 4.) New fluid

Budget - $500 to $700.

This should get me an "OEM+" setup. Not looking for a big brake kit, but I do want substantially more performance than what I have now. Performance is the priority, I don't care if the setup is dusty (Nothing compares to my other ride, Fiesta ST. Ford has an option for "painted wheels" and they literally paint the wheels brake dust color so you don't notice.) To me, safety is a priority and brakes are consumables, so service life is a factor, but not an important one.

I've just begun to research and will continue to do so. Just to see how far $500 to $700 dollars will go, I've thrown together a few package options from Turner Motorsports.

Option 1 - Just buy the Turner Motorsport refresh kit. There are several options, and this is what I was looking at. However, I am unsure about the rotors but again just trying to see value for $$$

27133


Next option I was looking at is the following. all from Turner and totals around $650

27134
27135
27136
27137
27138
27139


Was looking for some feedback and opinions from others. This project is a week or two away so I still have time to research and come to a decision.

Thanks mafia

Vas
09-16-2016, 06:04 AM
Blank rotors, good pads and fluid and you should be set. Unless you prefer the look of drilled/slotted.

For rotors, either Brembo or Zimmerman.

For pads, Hawk, Stoptech, or EBC.

For fluid, ATE 200 or Motul.

Also pick up a set of Stainless Steel Rotor Screws from ECS tuning.

BMWCurves
09-16-2016, 08:12 AM
Pretty much what Vas said. I don't have a whole lot of braking experience, but I do have Turner's stainless steel brake lines. I think they're just rebranded StopTech lines. Either way I've had no issue with them.

I have BMW Performance drilled rotors, which I only picked up for the slight decrease in unsprung weight and supposed improvement in wet weather performance which is a nice touch for where I live. Otherwise blanks are just fine. I have Hawk HPS 5.0s and they're fine. I'm sure you could get just as good if not better pads from StopTech, EBC, or similar.

I use Pentosin DOT4 low viscosity (LV) fluid in mine. Haven't had an issue with it. Supposedly our ABS uses low viscosity brake fluid to work appropriately, so that's why I use it, but other people swear they haven't seen any adverse effects from using normal DOT4 brake fluid.

Aeternalis
09-16-2016, 08:34 AM
I went with the following for my brake system overhaul in February:

Blank brembo front rotors: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-disc-brake-rotor-front-330i-330xi-z4-34101166071b
Blank brembo rear rotors: https://www.ecstuning.com/ES260037/ (I have no idea why FCPEuro doesn't carry these also)
Akebono ceramic front pads: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-brake-pad-set-front-eur946
Akebono ceramic rear pads: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-brake-pad-set-rear-eur683
TechnaFit stainless steel lines: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-stainless-steel-braided-brake-hose-kit-e46-technafit-bmw1700

Zero complaints and great performance from everything so far. The Akebono pads produce MUCH less dust than OEM, which is fantastic. Literal night and day difference. They have softer initial bite but very effective overall stopping power. I also ordered a big jug of OEM BMW DOT4 fluid, but I think my shop used a different name brand since it was full when I picked up my car from them.

I don't intend to track my car so all these "OEM+" selections are perfect for my daily use.

I went with FCPEuro with as much of this as I could to take advantage of their lifetime replacement guarantee.

BCS_ZHP
09-16-2016, 06:44 PM
Contact fellow ZHPMafia member Ray, aka Smilez, at BrakeYourself.com, he'll be easy on your budget. I did at least a half dozen brake sets with him -- Centrix S&D rotors, ceramic (dust free) pads or StopTechs (dusty), SS lines, and fluid, all for in the $500/600-ish range. The Centrix rotors, even the Tophats, don't rust. S&D paired with ceramics are great for the street, not for the track though. Be liberal with the CRC Disc Brake Quiet when installing, then no squeaks.

GotZHP
09-17-2016, 12:47 PM
Blank rotors, good pads and fluid and you should be set. Unless you prefer the look of drilled/slotted.

For rotors, either Brembo or Zimmerman.

For pads, Hawk, Stoptech, or EBC.

For fluid, ATE 200 or Motul.

Also pick up a set of Stainless Steel Rotor Screws from ECS tuning.

Thanks VAS SS rotor screws are added to the list

GotZHP
09-17-2016, 12:48 PM
Contact fellow ZHPMafia member Ray, aka Smilez, at BrakeYourself.com, he'll be easy on your budget. I did at least a half dozen brake sets with him -- Centrix S&D rotors, ceramic (dust free) pads or StopTechs (dusty), SS lines, and fluid, all for in the $500/600-ish range. The Centrix rotors, even the Tophats, don't rust. S&D paired with ceramics are great for the street, not for the track though. Be liberal with the CRC Disc Brake Quiet when installing, then no squeaks.

Thanks! Going to shoot him a PM.

GotZHP
09-17-2016, 12:48 PM
Going to do another thorough inspection of the brakes today.

Safety inspection on Monday and my brakes and lights all need to be in working order

Vas
09-17-2016, 03:57 PM
Zimmerman e-coat rotors, ebc red stuff brake pads, ecstuning ss rotor screws and centric brake hardware kit.

All 4 corners under $500.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160917/97fdaec46d2082496f7947149afa5529.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160917/71cf3c38ffabf5bea173002a69b4b067.jpg

ELCID86
09-17-2016, 05:43 PM
Nice work.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

GotZHP
09-18-2016, 10:32 AM
Zimmerman e-coat rotors, ebc red stuff brake pads, ecstuning ss rotor screws and centric brake hardware kit.

All 4 corners under $500.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160917/97fdaec46d2082496f7947149afa5529.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160917/71cf3c38ffabf5bea173002a69b4b067.jpg

Damn, that sure is a deal for the fundies. Good setup right there