Large brakes, e36 M3? Wilwood? Porsche?

[Paul318iS]

My original question was posted in the S5x swap area: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=69706

I was interested in using e36 m3 susupension simply for the brake package, but it seems to bring in some problems.

Considering my goal is to simply have very good brakes(for the track), then other options arise.

If anyone has packaged the E36 M3 package, please tell me about it.

I am not concerned with any custom part, I have a machine shop.

Currently I have a set of Wilwood 4-pistons sitting in my trunk. In order to use this package I am going to need to machine a hat, mounting brakets, and Possibly wheel spacers. But is this the best solution?

So the question arises, What are the big brake possibilites, and if anyone has any pictures or solutions, please post.

[Brew]

I think an excellent solution is to use e30 m3 strut housings up front with the SBI rotor spacer and E36 M3 Brakes and M-Coupe/Roadster trailing arms and brakes in the rear. That way you can bolt up e36 fitment wheels without issue, you have a large aftermarket pad selection, and you can upgrade to an e36 big brake kit down the road without any fabrication.

[Paul318iS]

Sounds very good!

But how different are the e30 strut housing compared to the e30 m3 strut housing? What would need to be done to run the m3 hub in the e30 housing?

[BeirBrennerE30]

Sounds very good!

But how different are the e30 strut housing compared to the e30 m3 strut housing? What would need to be done to run the m3 hub in the e30 housing?

it cant be done... the e30 and e30m3 housings are completely different and not interchange able...

i think i responded to your other thred but its been a long day at work and im too lazy to work... if you want 5 lug the easiest was is to get e30m3 struts and run e30m3 brakes in front and mz3 parts in the rear...

e30m3 parts are pruven in the e30(hence e30m3) and it can easily be tweeked with readily available parts... i do not doubt that the e36 or e36/7 front can be made to work in the e30 however both of these cars have different suspension pick up points from the e30 so geometry will be off... with some clever work camber and caster cen be placed back into spec but what about scrub radius, bumpsteer, etc.... these other things may be a non issue as i have never seen an e30 with e36 front supension in person but i would be willing to bet that without some custom tweeks they would be off due to the different pickup points... on the other note the e36 strut may exibit some better characteristics than the e30m3 strut such as camber curve and wider trackwidth but again ive have never seen it so its impossable for me to tell... yes the e36 front is a newer design... but some changes were made for packaging reasons in a new chasis and not completely for progress in development... and some of the benefits of this "new design" is lost when moving the mounts for teh e30... for me there is just too many unknowns and too little research done on the e36e30 hybrid suspension...

if anyone on this board has any hard info on the e36 front in the e30 i would be very interested... purely for my curiousity

as far as brakes go... if you go e30m3 front there are plenty of big brake kits(brembo, movit, etc,) and wheel choices available... if you go e36 there are even more wheel and brake choices avaiable and it is up to your personal preferance what kit to get or even go custom ... either way stock e30m3 or e36m3 brakes are nothing to sneeze at in a light car like the e30..

i guess there are these sbi spacers too? i have no info on these so if someone could post a link that would be great... again for my curiousity

[Paul318iS]

BeirBrenner, Thank you for the reply. Like your post I am not interested in re-inventing the wheel just to get big brakes, If I can achinve large breaks with my stock hubs, then by all means I will do so. As I have been doing more research I find that rotors with a seperate hat should be very easy to package on the e30, with some simple machining for the hat, and a heaty bracket for stiffness of the caliper, I should be all set.

I take it that you have a movit set with possivle stock hubs. Could you please explain more on your particular system? Thank you.

[BeirBrennerE30]

currently i run a Movit/custom kit... the fronts are a movit 332mm 2 piece rotor with a porsche 993turbo caliper with custom ss line... the rear is a movit 299mm 2 piece rotor with a BoxsterS caliper and custom ebrake.. it is a good system and a incredable upgrade from stock... however this is still in 4 lug... not to mention that this kit would be very pricy now a days with the misserable exchange rate... i bought it in the days where we got a discount over in europe

right now i am contemplating going 5 lug as wheel choices for 4 lug are not very plentiful and i cant find an 18" 4x100 wheel to fit a 295 tire out back(widebody) that is light weight... ideally if i were to go 5 lug i would get an e30m3 front strut and swap my ground controls over and try to convert my movit kit to the 5 lug with new hats... out back i would get mz3 trailing arms and axels for the swap and try to adapt a ferrari style ebrake system using a caliper instead of the stock shoe type brake and again swap my bbk and coilovers over...

ofcorse this is assuming again the e36 setup is all funky in the e30 which i bet that it is.. cuz i would REALLY like to have e36m3 wheels and brakes available

there are these phantom SBI "spacers" that no one has any info on... but if it is infact a spacer that spaces your wheel/rotor away from your hub, like i would think that it is from the name, i would think you would create some nasty scrub radius side effects


so i guess to answer your original question... if you JUST want better brakes just make your own with some nice calipers and rotors and make custom hats and caliper brackets as the MOVIT kit is probably to pricy now(but you can always call to get a quote from them to make sure)

if you do want to go 5 lug and get better brakes...i would get the e30m3/mz3 setup and buy a nice set of brembo big brakes that are available for the e30m3(or still go custom)

honestly this is what i would do if i were you... get 5 lug(with acompanying M brakes on 4 corners) with a 25mm MC and ss lines... if you still want bigger brakes after that buy a nice kit or make your own


this is however all contingent on whatever these SBI things are... and if the e36 m3 front end is better in the e30 or if it "just fits"... my guess is that you can get it to fit and that the alignment is shit... only pics and measurements will tell and neither of which I have

sorry for the 2 long reads

[Ferret]

Did anyone ever try e28 clipers and rotors with the rotors drilled/machined to a 4X10 bolt pattern?