brakes

[nando]

ducts are secure, i made sure of that a long while back - running the offsets I do and the M3 cabs, the ducts kept popping out of the fender liner, so they're fastened securely now. :)

I'm basically looking at:
HT-10s
Valvoline fluid
install new lines that I already have
replace seals and clutch hose (the one that comes off the resivior, it almost fell off!).

ducting upgrades would come later if I need them. I can have it welded up cheap so I'm not worried about it, but I'd rather not add more crap to do to my car this year if I can avoid it.

[Elephant]

It's all been said pretty much but I'll reinforce a couple things. HPS are HP shit on the track, they're worse than most off brand street pads. HP+ at least but realize the HP+ is a still a street pad. I'd recommend starting off with a Porterfield R4. It's a real track pad (less aggressive than most) and plenty for a beginner up through intermediate as you develop your braking skills. Then move to a high end pad that you can abuse, at least a couple have been suggested. I currently prefer Hawk and hate Peformance Friction but I am shopping. ; )

BBK...yeah, a very nice upgrade but wait until you've truly exhaust the stock system.

MC...you're screwed, sorry. The iX unfortunately suffers from being a bit too unique here. I would be surprised if the 25mm MC fit...it's quite a bit longer IIRC.

Oh, brake fluid. I ran the ATE stuff (blue and gold) for quite some time but eventually switched to Motul. Have never needed anything else since then. For the most part the ATE stuff, or similar, will be just fine.

I would consider all new brake lines, clutch line, rebuild the calipers, generally make sure all those parts are fresh, that will help a lot with overall reliability of course. Definitely use what you have first before spending a ton of $$$ though.

Last year we ran an ITS E30 at the Nelson 24hr with no brake ducting on a single set of front pads...which performed very well. And we ended up doing very well in class considering of the 5 drivers 3 of us had never driven more than a 1 hr race and 3 of us had never driven Nelson. The stock brakes are not the best but there is quite a bit there to use up.

Cheers.

[nando]

I was looking at your site for the HT-10s actually, the best deal I could find anywhere...

as far as the MC - are you saying the 25mm from the 7 series (whatever it was - 740 or something) won't work? It looks the same as my MC on the outside but I gave away my spare core before the price quadrupled (doh!) so I can't compare it to the stock ix part. I suppose there's always a rebuild kit...

[e30pq]

I also vote for switching to different pad, I've used HP+ as well and was happy with them. I was even happier with Carbotech P+ pads though, 2.5 hours of HPDE, long straight I would get to 120+ and brake to 40ish w/o any brake fade on my old car with rbf600 fluid and stock 13" rotors.

They were fun on the street though LOL

Does Ferrodo make a pad for e30 calipers ?

I run stock E30 brakes and I've been running Ferrodo's for about 8 years. I can't remember the exact pad but I buy them from a small company that advertises in Roundel.

My car has an S50, GC setup with Koni SA, etc. etc. It's setup for autorcrossing. It would be a track car if it wasn't a cabrio.

[RangerGress]

1. Everything you ever wanted to know about E30 brakes has been discussed at SpecE30.com

2. One poster suggested putting lower bite pads in the rear. I know of only 1 SpecE30 guy that does that. E30 rear brakes already don't do much. Not much sense in having them do less, I figure.

3. SpecE30 and BF.C Track forum has discussed E30 brake cooling to death. I was all "hot" on this issue myself. I went thru a number of backing late designs before I decided to create my own solution to aim flow exactly how I wanted it. Then, after all that work, I noticed last month that one of the top national E30 driver's hasn't done a single thing to cool his brakes.

4. Ferodo pads are old school. They do not hold up as well as Hawk10's and PFC01's, just to name a few later generation pads. And the latest pads are compression molded like Hawk DTC60's and BHP's. These latest generation pads are terrific. Hawk is coming out with a DTC60 for our rear and PFC is coming out with a new pad compound, so more stuff is on it's way. I burned thru a set of Ferodo 2500's and 3000's in 90min on the track. And that's crazy.

5. Use track pads on the track. Brake fade is scary. And that's what you're gonna get with non-track pads.

[matt]

Get the master cylinder from an e34 M5. Direct swap for the iX.

Ducts and whatever track pads are cheapest or used or whatever. Definitely swap back to some street pads for the street. Squealing brakes make me crazy driving my roommates track car.

[jlevie]

I'm with Ranger... Use track pads all around (and good technique) and you should not have any problems. Different MC's, a BBK, etc., simply isn't needed on an E30!

[nando]

the only reason I would consider a different MC is the cost of replacing the stock IX one is astronomical. I'll have to see if the one I already have will work or not first.

[rwh11385]

Throw HP+'s in.

I ran HPSs a while back not thinking about it and had to stand on brakes to slow down. Used HP+'s from my track box and a fresh bleed = good to go for some HOT laps.

[nando]

HP+ are still a street pad though right? I don't really need two sets of stret pads :p

the set I used on a buddy's car a couple years ago was pretty nice for autox though!

[rwh11385]

Charlie used HP+'s for years at the track and they did fine, same story with Dave and I. HT-10s is a true track pad but you lose the usefulness on the street.

HP+'s are fine for street use, albeit a bit loud

[nando]

I think it's more of a compromise actually, if you only want to run one set of pads - they probably work great. but the HPS is I have are already a nice street pad and I have a lot of life left in them, so buying another set of street/race pads (that I will use on a track maybe 2-4 times a year) while compromising daily driving (squealing/lots of dust) isn't something I'm terribly interested in. ;)

[rwh11385]

you have a point but you also shopping cart race and they help there too.

and you can drive to the track with HP+s more safely than HT-10s, and not have to worry about changing pads but rather just getting situated at the track in the morning.

having one pad with multiple sets instead of one set of track / one set of street helps if you have a tech person wanting you to run new pads, then you don't have to buy two boxes of HT-10s and then also have your street pads. you could just run your HP+'s on the track and DD them to death. 10s also have a $20 premium (I dunno how differently they would wear on track though) so $180+sh for 2 sets of HP+s or $220+sh for 2 sets of HT-10s.

and no need to store spare rotors all with one type of pad.... but from other posts you seem to have tons of parts lying around anyway so not a big deal.

[Elephant]

I was looking at your site for the HT-10s actually, the best deal I could find anywhere...

as far as the MC - are you saying the 25mm from the 7 series (whatever it was - 740 or something) won't work? It looks the same as my MC on the outside but I gave away my spare core before the price quadrupled (doh!) so I can't compare it to the stock ix part. I suppose there's always a rebuild kit...

The HT-10's are very good in the E30, run a lighter pad in the rear unless you have a way to bias the brakes, otherwise the rears will be grabby or you will not have much in the way of trailbraking. If yer not trailbraking an E30 then yer missing a lot.

Seriously, I'd highly recommend trying a set of R4's front and rear, you will love them. You can drive to/from the track on them without issue. They wear well, are easy on rotors, and are very forgiving. The 1st time I ran track pads way back in '99 or '00 I ran these on my iX. They were fabulous. I actually was lazy and didn't remove them after that event and drove them on the street for over a year. Naturally that is not recommended as they wear fast, cause dust like crazy, and squeal like a garbage truck (which I thought was kewl). But even in the winter I never had problems.

Not sure on the MC, I was thinking of the E32 750 that M3 guys put in. It seems Matt from TRM has indicated the E34 M5 MC is a direct fit, I think many iX owners would love to know this!

E34 M5 MC @ Elephant Motorsports

Certainly seems like a much better deal than the stock iX unit!!!

Cheers.

[Elephant]

HP+ are still a street pad though right? I don't really need two sets of stret pads :p

the set I used on a buddy's car a couple years ago was pretty nice for autox though!

Yes, the HP+ is still a street pad. I've run them on the track and they work but it's not a track pad plain and simple. For tracks that are easier on brakes it won't be as big of a deal. Of course skill level matters too.

One can almost always get away with street pads but a track pad is always better and there is no changing that.

Cheers.