Brake Recomendation and Question

[Massimo]

Well i have a 318is and live in the hills so im constatly pushing my brakes to the limit every mouring on the way to work. That by the time i get down the hill the brakes don't work so well.:evil:

So im going to change to some cross drilled discs and bradied lines. I want to know if it is worth changing to 2 pistons or 4 pistons.

Also i would like to do it on a buget so some second hand ones would be good keeping in mind i have 14" basketweaves. What would you guys recommend and if i change the calipers what else needs to be done.

Thanks

Massimo

[PiercedE30]

Change your fluid first. Sounds like you are boiling the fluid in the calipers causing crappy pedal feel. Otherwise, I would say throw some Hawk pads and some SLOTTED rotors. The reason I say that is the brake disk is basically a big heat sink for the braking system. If you take away material (like in a cross drilled situation) you reduce the amount of total heat sink area.

[Massimo]

That sounds just like what i need. Thanks i never thought about the surface area differance between cross drilled and slotted.

What would you recommend in the caliper upgrade i wouldn't mind a bit more stopping power down hill.

Cheers

[PiercedE30]

Well, you don't necessarily need different calipers. I would give a different pad selection a try before spending a bunch of money on calipers. Take a look at the different pads and see what the fade temperature of the pads are. I know the PBR/Axxis Ultimates have a fade temperature of, somewhere in the neighborhood, around 900*F. When the brakes get to that temperature, they start to feel squishy and you lose a lot of braking performance. Look at the Hawk and Performance Friction pads. I know a LOT of people like them.

[jlevie]

Better pads, fluid and plain rotors are all you need. Your braking technique might be flawed and might be a contributor to your problems. When descending a long hill, selecting a lower gear to take advantage of engine braking is often a good idea. When descending the hill, use the brakes hard to reduce speed well below normal speed, then allow the car to coast back up to speed w/o touching the brake pedal. That intermittent use of the bakes for short hard pulses give the braking system time to cool in between use.

[Massimo]

Alright ill give some new high temp pads a go. As for my braking i only ever brake using the hill and toe method so im always using the engine to slow the car down. Oh and i do drive abit hard so short long burst at the brake is usually how i do it.

Well once i get it done ill let you all no how it is. Cheers

Massimo

[Van Westervelt]

Be sure to flush your fluid completely as well. Sounds like you have toasted what is in there, if its ever even been changed.

[Jean]

Dot 4 fluid, good lines and bmc, good solid rotors and pads FTW.