Quick Poll on Brake Kit IE or Wilwood

[C ///M]

What would you do? I gotta get this done quick.

[Rob]

IE, I've seen them in person, the look great, well constructed, etc. Also, I would imagine there's a larger selection of pads since the calipers from the IE kit are from a Cobra...

I dont know enough to debate the fixed/floating thing

[BeirBrennerE30]

the ie kit would be great if i didnt use the damn floating calipers... the problem with floating calipers is that they only have pistons on one side of teh calipers... this means that to have contact on both sides of the rotor the calper needs to pull the other side into contact... this mades them not as responsive as fixed calipers and also can also lead to the the pads on the nonpiston sides sometimes staying in slight contact with the rotor causing some drag and slowing you down... in my opinion having a floating caliper, while allowing easy pad buyinig, nullifies some of the reasons to have a bbk

also ive ridden in quite a few cobras and im not impressed with the brakes(granted that car is quite a bit heavier than an e30)

[Rob]

haha I wasn't truely 'impressed' with e36 M3 brakes either, they are good, but not mind altering.....that is until I felt them installed in an E30 M3. Talk about dropping a damn anchor...

Car weight is very critical in the effectiveness of brakes...

What willwood kit are you talking about C///M?

[BeirBrennerE30]

haha I wasn't truely 'impressed' with e36 M3 brakes either, they are good, but not mind altering.....that is until I felt them installed in an E30 M3. Talk about dropping a damn anchor...

Car weight is very critical in the effectiveness of brakes...

What willwood kit are you talking about C///M?

this is very true... weight is the determining factor...

[325 eta]

i voted but know the diffrance, i like this guy
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[TCD]

This brake upgrade is way over kill for an e30 unless it is highly modified (huge hp) and seeing serious track time or racing. I assume you will be upgrading the rears as well or you'll have horrible brake dive.

My 3050lb 535i has 302mm vented rotors all around with metal masters and will engage the ABS at 110mph. Bigger brakes on my car won't shorten braking distances. I cannot even imagine these brakes on a 2650lb e30.

That said, go with the IE brakes. Pad selection is critical!

Todd

[C ///M]

What willwood kit are you talking about C///M?

It's listed in the pole ^

Go to RPI Equipped!'s old site and look under brakes.


Car is frequently road raced in season. I also attend the occasional auto-x, but I like the increased room road racing gives on tracks.

25mm master cylinder will be used as well. There is no need for a brake balance controller. Car will have an OBD I 3.2 put in after this coming season.

TCD- e30's brakes simply can't cut it. Even upgraded pads, lines, fluid, and rotors can't get the job done with dedicated track use. Brake fade is extremely evident with the stock setup. As far as your current setup, if you are interested in shortening your own stopping distances while also reducing fade, a BBK along with a wider contact patch will surprise you. Why do you think the new viper hits 98feet from 60-0....contact patch. Larger contact patch will allow your brakes to work better by keeping traction so your ABS will not engage. You're right about pad selection.... weighs heavily on my mind. Jeff Ireland seems to think floating calipers get the job done as he uses them on some of his track cars. I've always felt comfortable with my E36 m3's brakes (which use floating calipers) and I can't imagine I'll be disappointed. Thanks for all the input.

[TCD]

You are correct. I need more tire. BTW, 280mm is stock on my car. 302mm is a BBK.
Todd

[C ///M]

Intense. Whose setup are you using? Sounds like you may be one of them smart Factory Part upgraders with M5 or 750 parts and such, I'm sure you know all the possibilities. If you are runningn an aftermarket kit, who's may i ask?

[TCD]

I am running e32 302x25 fronts and e34 540 302x20 rears. This is the single best upgrade for the e28!

I purchased new stock rotors, metal masters and SS brake lines for the e30 since it won't be seeing track duty.
Todd