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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Suspension | Chassis | Brakes > Going to start tracking the car and looking for brakes options
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      04-22-2015, 07:59 AM   #1
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Going to start tracking the car and looking for brakes options

Some parts of this post may already been covered in different threads, but I am looking for feedback about intensive use of the stock F30 335i brakes together with alternatives others have considered with or without success.

Here's my current take, but it's all theory or second hand info...
My first reaction was “I must get the M-performance brakes”. I think I was mostly won by how cool they look and decided to dig a bit deeper. I did some math and reading on the F30 and F22 forums and here are my findings:

-guys who have tracked a 335i with stock brakes do not complain too much. There is some fading, but they never lost significant stopping power.

-There are more M235i drivers who take their car to the track and they provide the same feedback. It is interesting to keep in mind that the F30 is not a whole lot heavier than the F22 (3,535 lbs for the M235i, 3,595lbs for the 335i) and that the front standard Msport brakes on the M235i are identical to the stock front brakes on the 335i (same 340mm rotor, same 4 piston calipers -just not painted blue- and same pads). The rear brakes of the M235i are superior (larger, 2 pistons, same as the 335i Msport rear brakes in fact), but, especially with the nannies off, they do not have too much work to do.

-335i and M235i drivers who have gone for more agressive pads, high temperature braking fluid and braided stainless steel lines are satisfied with the result on F22s and F30s.

So what would the M-performance brakes bring to the party ?:
-killer looks, no question about that. I borrowed the pic from F30_TR



-fairly similar front calipers (4 pistons brembos) using same size pads hence a relatively similar friction area
-dimpled and drilled (partly) rotors. Again, mostly an aesthetic gimmick: modern brake material do not de-gas like they did in the past and drilled holes do not increase the cooling, especially not when they are not real holes like on the BMW rotors . From experience, I did not get improved braking with drilled vs sloted or plain rotors but got a lot of micro-cracks starting around the holes
-larger diameter rotors at he front (370mm vs 340mm). They still are not floating rotors and what they offer is at best a slightly increased thermal capacity (<20%) and slightly bigger cooling area.
-larger 2 piston brakes at the rear, but given how little rear brakes are contributing to slow down the car, I am not sure you could feel a difference.

As excited as I initially was, I could not convince myself to invest in an M-performance brakes set. Cost wise, the M-set + install would not be too far off from a true front Big Brake Kit. Also, it will be the first time I take the F30 to the track and do not know how much I will do it in the future so a big investment would be premature.

I still want to play it safe (or not refrain myself too much) and have Pagid RS29 pads and stainless steel lines on order. They should go on the car over the next few days, together with a brake fluid upgrade, and I will test drive them this week end.

Do not take me wrong regarding F30 MSport/MPerformance brakes: they are a bargain if they are part of the original build (they should in fact come standard with the MSport package) and I can understand that enthusiasts are retrofitting them if they are not looking for a very significant step up in performance (i.e. intensive track use). I could still pull the trigger if I found a used kit for less than $1,000

If you have tracked your F30, have experience with brake mods on that car or have simply retrofitted an M-Performance Kit, please share any personal feedback you may have!
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      04-22-2015, 08:30 AM   #2
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I recently spent a couple of days at the PDC in Spartanburg for the Driver's Program and we beat the crap out of 335i's and M235i's over those two days (as did the participants before and after us). Think aggressive road course runs, slaloms, skid pad, high-speed (70 mph+) panic braking, etc. over and over again. The 335i's had the factory M Performance brake kits installed and not one of the cars showed any fade or issues with the brakes that I noticed.
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