[HotTea69]

Not exactly too sure how to ask this question. But I wondering if anyone else felt this way. I do not own M sport brakes but I did not have BBK on my old IS350, it did however have high friction pads + drilled rotors. I have OEM brakes with Blank rotors on my F32.

The brakes imo, brake fine for city driving, for example going 25~35MPH on a local road. However i noticed whenever I'm on the freeway/highway and I'm going lets say anywhere from the range of 65mph to 80 mph, that the brakes don't exactly Bite as hard, kind of like there is a slight delay in which car slows down.

The best way for me to describe it, is when i press the brake 1/4 of the way, it feels the same as pressing the brakes about 1/2 the way. I only really feel stopping power then i push past 3/4 of the brakes.

Im used to gradually pressing on the brakes so that the car stops smoothly instead of just head on pressing it 3/4~max to avoid abrupt braking for the sake of my passengers comfort.

Does anyone out there feel the same with the brakes? or do your brakes apply more stopping power as you press the pedal further in. I feel like i ONLY feel stopping power if I was to press it 3/4 in, instead of what I'm used to which is gradually pressing it in for a smooth stop.

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by HotTea69

Not exactly too sure how to ask this question. But I wondering if anyone else felt this way. I do not own M sport brakes but I did not have BBK on my old IS350, it did however have high friction pads + drilled rotors. I have OEM brakes with Blank rotors on my F32.

The brakes imo, brake fine for city driving, for example going 25~35MPH on a local road. However i noticed whenever I'm on the freeway/highway and I'm going lets say anywhere from the range of 65mph to 80 mph, that the brakes don't exactly Bite as hard, kind of like there is a slight delay in which car slows down.

The best way for me to describe it, is when i press the brake 1/4 of the way, it feels the same as pressing the brakes about 1/2 the way. I only really feel stopping power then i push past 3/4 of the brakes.

Im used to gradually pressing on the brakes so that the car stops smoothly instead of just head on pressing it 3/4~max to avoid abrupt braking for the sake of my passengers comfort.

Does anyone out there feel the same with the brakes? or do your brakes apply more stopping power as you press the pedal further in. I feel like i ONLY feel stopping power if I was to press it 3/4 in, instead of what I'm used to which is gradually pressing it in for a smooth stop.

A previous complaint with older models of BMW as the large amounts of brake dust that would build up on the front wheels. This was mainly the result of using 'soft' pads which tend to bite harder and quicker. BMW responded to brake dust complaints by going with a 'harder' pad, one that doesn't dust as much and when it does, it tends to be more grey than black.

In general, if you get heat into the brake, it works a bit quicker. So if you ride the brake a bit then apply full brake the car seems to brake more rapidly.

On the other hand, I can't say I needed to brake in a fashion you describe. I wonder if you got a bit of air in your brake line or even water. Brake fluid is very hydroscopic, absorbing water over time.. When it does, it's effectiveness starts to drop. I'd say call the dealer for an appointment, tell them the problem, then ask for a demo to drive to see if it's a BMW thing or your car.

Good luck.

[Wires]

If you are really hard on the pedal a lot, you will get moisture in the brake system like menncars said, which would soften the pressure.

Another option is swapping pads. I replaced the dusty stock ones on mine with Brembo (just their cheaper variant for stock rotors). They had an instant bite all the time (if you drive a car with the m-sport brakes, they felt about the same).

[lkailburn]

I've definitely noticed a long pedal travel on my brakes wish soft bite as well but i attributed the long pedal travel to the fact that there are only 7mm of pad left with 5mm being the replacement mark (car was just CPO'd so i was able to see the numbers) and soft bite due to whatever pad material. But definitely a softer bit, and much further down in the pedal travel than i'm used to. Not planning on doing anything but be a defensive driver and leave lots of space. When the pads do finally wear down i'll do some research for a better set. (i'm coming from Evo X with massive brembos)

If that helps any

[Billfitz]

Drilled rotors don't improve brake bite. Under normal driving conditions they lessen it, because there's less material for the pads to grab. In racing drilled or slotted rotors can lessen heat build up, but that's in racing. Harder pads will give better grab and less dust than soft OEM pads, but the reason OEM pads are soft is that they don't wear out the rotors as fast as hard pads. Replacing pads is a lot less expensive than replacing rotors.

[HotTea69]

Thanks for all the replies, I believe its just due to the pads.I will do some research on harder pads. I was looking at Hawk pads, Anyone have experience with that?

Drilled rotors don't improve brake bite. Under normal driving conditions they lessen it, because there's less material for the pads to grab. In racing drilled or slotted rotors can lessen heat build up, but that's in racing. Harder pads will give better grab and less dust than soft OEM pads, but the reason OEM pads are soft is that they don't wear out the rotors as fast as hard pads. Replacing pads is a lot less expensive than replacing rotors.

I do agree that replacing pads is cheaper than rotors, however god forbid in the event i need to short stop or brake immediately, then i could care less about rotor life or brake pad life. At the end of the day, your life matters the most, and thats irreplaceable compared to rotors or pads which money could easily replace.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by HotTea69

Thanks for all the replies, I believe its just due to the pads.I will do some research on harder pads. I was looking at Hawk pads, Anyone have experience with that?


I do agree that replacing pads is cheaper than rotors, however god forbid in the event i need to short stop or brake immediately, then i could care less about rotor life or brake pad life. At the end of the day, your life matters the most, and thats irreplaceable compared to rotors or pads which money could easily replace.

I'm sorry but you are not understanding how brakes work. If you need to stop quickly, push the pedal as hard as you can, the OEM pads are fine for this. Harder pads are not necessarily going to make the car stop quicker, they will just start to bite quicker. Buy the way tire friction is far more important in determining panic stop distance. If you have the OEM low rolling resistance tires that will compromise your braking distance more than the pads.

[Wires]

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

I'm sorry but you are not understanding how brakes work. If you need to stop quickly, push the pedal as hard as you can, the OEM pads are fine for this. Harder pads are not necessarily going to make the car stop quicker, they will just start to bite quicker. Buy the way tire friction is far more important in determining panic stop distance. If you have the OEM low rolling resistance tires that will compromise your braking distance more than the pads.

Well said! The Brembo's I replaced my OEM's with would bit harder, quicker, but once you planted the pedal, it was about the same as the OEM's.

So if you want quicker/harsher engagement, then change the pads. But if you're thinking of life safety, there would really be no difference.

Keep in mind everything on the BMW is engineered around safety. Right down to the car engaging the brakes once in a while with the wipers on to heat/dry the pads for better braking. That being said, I did find the OEM (after a car wash) had poor braking until they dried, whereas the Brembo's still had that tight feel.

[HotTea69]

Thank you for clarifying everything. This makes alot more sense now.

[Dan203]

I have the opposite issue with the M brakes. They are super touchy. Although they are easing a bit as I drive. (only 600 miles so far) The first couple days with the car was rough. I'd barely touch the brakes and it would grab and jerk. Add to that the auto transmission had some drag initially when I let off the gas and it was hard to drive for the first few days.

[MickAv8r]

There are far better options than the OEM pads regardless of the package your car is running.

Im a huge fan of the Hawk 5.0 pads. They have excellent torque and are low noise & dust in every day driving, yet stand up admirably well on the track.

[Wires]

Originally Posted by Dan203

I have the opposite issue with the M brakes. They are super touchy. Although they are easing a bit as I drive. (only 600 miles so far) The first couple days with the car was rough. I'd barely touch the brakes and it would grab and jerk. Add to that the auto transmission had some drag initially when I let off the gas and it was hard to drive for the first few days.

I found that with the Brembo's that I put on my last car. If you "bed the brakes" with a couple 60-0 braking cycles (firm braking), they will seat in and you'll find the braking will improve.