Brake Upgrade

[JRowe]

My brakes are pretty soft and the pads and rotors need replacement on the front. I plan to do the following upgrade and would like to know if anyone has found better prices.

Ate Powerdiscs 97 at Ireland - 90 at BimmerWorld
Stainless Steel Lines 65 at Ireland - 75 at BW
Mintex Redbox Pads - 38 at Ireland - 35 at BW

I can get all of the above from Ireland or BW for or $200 plus shipping. Does anyone have any experience with either, can anyone make a recommnedation or find better prices?

Also, an additional factor: The SS lines at Ireland are not DOT approved. They are DOT approved from BW, but are on closeout/backorder and may not be available at the same price later. Suggestions???

[Jand3rson]

Re: Brake Upgrade

Ate Powerdiscs 97 at Ireland - 90 at BimmerWorld
Stainless Steel Lines 65 at Ireland - 75 at BW
Mintex Redbox Pads - 38 at Ireland - 35 at BW

I've not had any experience myself with ATE rotors, but I've heard they are great.

Stainless steel brake lines are ALWAYS a good upgrade. Just be sure they are good quality.

Mintex RedBox pads squeal like a MOTHER.

[AndrewBird]

It may not have been the pads that squeeled. If the rotos or the pads were even a slight bit drity or oilly (even from your hands), it is possible that the brakes will squeek then.

Andrew

[PrinceE30]

If you can afford to do it, I'd highly recomend cryo rotors over standards (like ATE). Everything I have heard from people about cryogenically treated rotors is that they last longer, work better, stay truer longer, etc.

https://www.frozenrotors.com

Just throwing it out there as another option.

-Prince

[jflower]

word to the cryo shizza. i've run about 75k and 8 track days at watkins glen (lots of heat cycling) and 2 days nhis (no time for brake cooling) as well as one at tremblant (doesn't count, my first school) ... my rotors still have life in them.

twice as expensive as normal rotors, but sick.

fwiw we sell these rotors if anyone's interested, otherwise call mark or bill at frozenrotors and tell him jay @ hms sent you. great guys.

however, i have to say that the 30 dollar disposable rotor is awfully appealing. :D

[JRowe]

Re: Brake Upgrade

Mintex RedBox pads squeal like a MOTHER.

I've used Mintex redbox previously and didn't have any problems with squealing. I thought they had great bite and resisted fade quite well for a street pad. Anyone else have feedback on the redbox?

[Werksmini]

What about ferodo pads? I talked to a guy that does track time and auto X and he says that ferodo pads and some ATE powerdiscs, along with Stainless Steel Lines are the best brakes you can buy with out going to a bigger than stock disc.

[JasonH]

Re: Brake Upgrade

Mintex RedBox pads squeal like a MOTHER.

I've used Mintex redbox previously and didn't have any problems with squealing. I thought they had great bite and resisted fade quite well for a street pad. Anyone else have feedback on the redbox?

Mine don't "squeal like a mother", but they sure do DUST like a mother. Fine with me...I have always wanted anthracite colored wheels.

[franz]

I put mintex red in, only $28 from BMA and they don't dust nearly as bad as OEM.

[SickE30]

I have Zimmermen Cross drilled rotors and mintes dust free pads. Bad ass dude. Check those out.

[Inspar8r]

I have Zimmermen Cross drilled rotors and mintes dust free pads. Bad ass dude. Check those out.

OH YEA, me too. I went with Zimmerman cross drilled as well, and IE stainless lines. I originally got the wrong lines from them, but they fixed it up QUICKLY and gave ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. I love IE's customer service.

[/list]

[rward325]

I love the ATE Power slots. I bought mine about 7 months ago and they have been great. I like the Mintex Red Box pads also.

[JeffBij]

I've run both Zimmerman cross drilled and ATE Powerslots on the track. Both are good. I would stay away from the cryo treated rotors.

As for the brake lines, well worth it, especially when you realize that all E30's are at least 13 years old and probably have the original rubber lines on them. Go with the DOT approved, might save you some problems later. Just a note, the lines at the calipers are easy to replace, the two inside lines in the rear (that connect to the hard lines up above the subframe) can be a real pain to change out. Getting a wrench on them is difficult.

Bimmerworld is a good place to get the parts. I know the owner, James Clay, and he has not done me wrong yet. You might also check out BMP Design (bmpd.com) for prices.

As for pads, are you intending to put the car on the track? autocross?... If for track use, there are great pads available from Hawk, CarboTech, Performance Friction, etc. If just looking for street use, I would recommend that you take a look at EBC Greenstuff. While they don't have the upper heat range of a track pad, the friction coefficent is real high. I've used them on a couple of cars, and the stopping power is top notch. And since they are a Kevlar pad, they don't dust. You can get them through Tirerack.com for both the front and rears. (Some pad manufacturers only make front pads for E30's.)

Just remember, opinions on brake componets, especially pads, are just that opinions. Everyone has their preferences.


Jeff B.
Roanoke, VA
jeffbij@cox.net

'89 325i track car (SpecE30 prepared)
'00 328Ci daily driver

[Inspar8r]

I've run both Zimmerman cross drilled and ATE Powerslots on the track. Both are good. I would stay away from the cryo treated rotors.

As for the brake lines, well worth it, especially when you realize that all E30's are at least 13 years old and probably have the original rubber lines on them. Go with the DOT approved, might save you some problems later. Just a note, the lines at the calipers are easy to replace, the two inside lines in the rear (that connect to the hard lines up above the subframe) can be a real pain to change out. Getting a wrench on them is difficult.

Bimmerworld is a good place to get the parts. I know the owner, James Clay, and he has not done me wrong yet. You might also check out BMP Design (bmpd.com) for prices.

As for pads, are you intending to put the car on the track? autocross?... If for track use, there are great pads available from Hawk, CarboTech, Performance Friction, etc. If just looking for street use, I would recommend that you take a look at EBC Greenstuff. While they don't have the upper heat range of a track pad, the friction coefficent is real high. I've used them on a couple of cars, and the stopping power is top notch. And since they are a Kevlar pad, they don't dust. You can get them through Tirerack.com for both the front and rears. (Some pad manufacturers only make front pads for E30's.)

Just remember, opinions on brake componets, especially pads, are just that opinions. Everyone has their preferences.


Jeff B.
Roanoke, VA
jeffbij@cox.net

'89 325i track car (SpecE30 prepared)
'00 328Ci daily driver

I've heard nothing but good things about Cryo rotors. My buddies 391Rwhp 98 DINAN SC M3, has had the same rotors on his cars for the past 1.5 years, and barely has any wear on them. He has the brembo brake kit as well. He goes through pads quite a bit, but the rotors from frozen rotors are nothing short of impressive.

[schnitzer teil-jäger]

brakes:

stock F rotors $38.00*2=$76.00 carbon F pads $100.00 set
race season+- 3 sets rotors and one set pads = $328.00

cross drilled F rotors 300' cryo $225.00 set carbon F pads $100.00 set
race season+- 1 set rotors and two sets pads = $425.00

Of course there are tons of variables, but?
w