[AWF30MSPORT]

My M Performance brakes (port-installed by BMW) make this constant ticking sound, it gets quieter when the brakes are applied, but is much louder when the brakes are not being applied. I've posted about this previously, and it seemed like only one or two others experience the same sound. The warmer spring weather means more window-down driving, but this sound is driving me crazy. Does anyone else with the M Performance brakes hear this constant ticking sound? (video below, it's much more obvious at 7 seconds when the sound reflects off of the concrete barrier)

The rotors were replaced very early on because of warping. Dealer service claims everything is in spec and that "high performance brakes will make more noise" which I understand when applying the brakes--more aggressive pads will squeak, cross drilled rotors will make some sounds -- but I find it hard to believe the engineers intended for the brakes to constantly make this sound at all times. No one at the dealership has been able to give an explanation as to what is physically causing this sound at all times. Should the pads be dragging across the dimpled rotors constantly to make this sound?

[oceanview]

Yep, same sound on my brakes. I've read that it's normal.

[F30form]

Because the front calipers are fixed, the pad will lightly touch the rotor while it spins. The clicking is caused by the slots and dimples on the rotor. It is perfectly normal and will be heard on other cars with similar braking setups.

[stupidfastwagon]

Just took mine in to the dealer today, and they confirmed it was the dimpled and slotted rotors that were causing this noise...

[oceanview]

Originally Posted by F30form

Because the front calipers are fixed, the pad will lightly touch the rotor while it spins. The clicking is caused by the slots and dimples on the rotor. It is perfectly normal and will be heard on other cars with similar braking setups.

Originally Posted by stupidfastwagon

Just took mine in to the dealer today, and they confirmed it was the dimpled and slotted rotors that were causing this noise...

Well, had a dimpled and slotted aftermarket setup from EBC Brakes on my old 330i E46 for many years and never had that sound.
I was surprised when I got the F31 with M Performance Brake and it sounded that much.
First thing I checked after driving for a few miles not using the brakes hard was if the brakes/wheels where hot. I thought that the caliper piston was blocked and the pads would rub hard on the rotors.
So I can understand that people think that brake sound shouldn’t be there.

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by oceanview

Well, had a dimpled and slotted aftermarket setup from EBC Brakes on my old 330i E46 for many years and never had that sound.
I was surprised when I got the F31 with M Performance Brake and it sounded that much.
First thing I checked after driving for a few miles not using the brakes hard was if the brakes/wheels where hot. I thought that the caliper piston was blocked and the pads would rub hard on the rotors.
So I can understand that people think that brake sound shouldn’t be there.

Same here, I've had cross-drilled rotors on other cars and never heard this sound, so it has always seemed weird to me that on my F30 the noise is constant, regardless of applying the brakes. Actually, weird is the wrong word -- it's annoying and slightly embarrassing. Can't tell you how many times passengers have remarked "hey, what's that sound? Something is wrong with your car" when driving with the windows down and the ticking is so loud and obvious.

[shivaswrath]

i only hear it when I'm driving near a concrete road barrier/division...
if it's THAT obvious with windows down without something for it to "bounce" off of, I wonder if the Service tech's can pull back the distance between the pad and rotor (reduce the spring load?)
Were these installations all done at the dealership?

[AWF30MSPORT]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

i only hear it when I'm driving near a concrete road barrier/division...
if it's THAT obvious with windows down without something for it to "bounce" off of, I wonder if the Service tech's can pull back the distance between the pad and rotor (reduce the spring load?)
Were these installations all done at the dealership?

I had mine port-installed.

Any time I've inquired about it with the dealership, they say everything is in spec and nothing they can do. There are times that I can hear the sound over the wind noise at highway speeds with the windows closed. Seems like a bit much to me and it's always seemed weird that a sound like that would be normal, but I suppose it is. I just didn't expect the pads to be dragging at all times. Previously when I posted about it, only one or two people said they have heard the sound with their M Perf brakes, but now that more people have confirmed it, I'm no longer as inclined to feel like it's a "problem."

[ronin951]

Originally Posted by oceanview

Well, had a dimpled and slotted aftermarket setup from EBC Brakes on my old 330i E46 for many years and never had that sound.
I was surprised when I got the F31 with M Performance Brake and it sounded that much.
First thing I checked after driving for a few miles not using the brakes hard was if the brakes/wheels where hot. I thought that the caliper piston was blocked and the pads would rub hard on the rotors.
So I can understand that people think that brake sound shouldn’t be there.

330i's weren't fixed caliper. Were both sides dimpled? With fixed calipers there isn't anything to 'pull' the pad off the rotor. It's just the flat backing plate and the piston.

The only way I could see improvement is to put double sided tape on the back of the pads. There's a special 3M tape for this. Also ensure the retaining pins are lubed, though I'm not sure I would even do that as grease may by some magic make it's way on the rotor. Plus brake dust will just stick to it. At the very least keep them clean.

[Dippydo]

I have a solution. I will trade you my base brakes and give you 500 bucks. Problem solved. Mine are as quiet as the night..

[oceanview]

Originally Posted by ronin951

330i's weren't fixed caliper. Were both sides dimpled? With fixed calipers there isn't anything to 'pull' the pad off the rotor. It's just the flat backing plate and the piston.

The only way I could see improvement is to put double sided tape on the back of the pads. There's a special 3M tape for this. Also ensure the retaining pins are lubed, though I'm not sure I would even do that as grease may by some magic make it's way on the rotor. Plus brake dust will just stick to it. At the very least keep them clean.

Right. They where the original one Piston calipers in front and back. The Rotors where slotted and dimpled on both sides.
I remember, that the pad on the piston side had a metal clamp, that hold the pad in the piston cylinder. So when the piston moved back it also pulled the pad away from the rotor. The F30 pads don't have such a clamp anymore.

[SteveAus]

Originally Posted by lukeb817

My M Performance brakes (port-installed by BMW) make this constant ticking sound, it gets quieter when the brakes are applied, but is much louder when the brakes are not being applied. I've posted about this previously, and it seemed like only one or two others experience the same sound. The warmer spring weather means more window-down driving, but this sound is driving me crazy. Does anyone else with the M Performance brakes hear this constant ticking sound?

Prior to my F30, I had an M3 Convertible with drilled brake rotors - quiet as a mouse, unless you really hammered them on tight twisty roads - and even then, they were not obtrusive..........and that was with the roof down, let alone with a window down!

That noise that you're experiencing does not sound right to me. I doubt that BMW would have designed these brakes to purposely make that noise.

If I were you, I would seek a second opinion on the correct fitment of your brakes.

[stupidfastwagon]

Im taking my wheels off this weekend to look a bit further into this...

[stupidfastwagon]

After pulling the wheels off and looking around at the brakes, I couldnt find anything that was rubbing or looked like it was installed wrong. I did find that the top of brake pads in the front were chipping by the edge.

I also found that when I rubbed my hand acrossed the rotor that the dimpled edges were sharp, but I couldnt tell if they were raised or not.

I honestly dont think that these brakes were designed like this and that there is a flaw somewhere... Its just a matter of where the flaw is at.

[ronin951]

Originally Posted by stupidfastwagon

After pulling the wheels off and looking around at the brakes, I couldnt find anything that was rubbing or looked like it was installed wrong. I did find that the top of brake pads in the front were chipping by the edge.

I also found that when I rubbed my hand acrossed the rotor that the dimpled edges were sharp, but I couldnt tell if they were raised or not.

I honestly dont think that these brakes were designed like this and that there is a flaw somewhere... Its just a matter of where the flaw is at.

It's a feature not a flaw. Google it. I'll speculate dimpled are worse than drilled as there's nowhere for air to escape.

If you complain enough to the dealer maybe they'll swap in the msport option rotors

[Damn Dirty Ape]

What is different about the msport rotors ?

[hj058]

I have the same issue, and when driving window down, its very noticeable, brought in to dealer, claimed normal, and even if replacing with the performance brake or the new ceramic brakes offered on the M cars can be the same...AND the squeaking noise from the pads sometimes drive me crazy too

[ngbernie]

If someone can compare the noise level between M Perf Brakes versus the 2NH M-sport brakes (Blue calipers with solid rotors), we can determine if it is down to dimpled rotors.

Personally I believe it is wind noise generated during the spinning of the wheels. Air is forced over the irregular caliper profile and the proximity (mine is a couple of millimeters) between the calipers and wheels only exacerbates the noise. This explains why it is especially audible at a certain speed 40-80km/h, but less obvious at other speeds/frequency. If it is this reason, then there is no need to fret.

On a different note, I would check the squeaking brakes. Mine are quiet as stock.

[JOE YOUNG]

Originally Posted by stupidfastwagon

Just took mine in to the dealer today, and they confirmed it was the dimpled and slotted rotors that were causing this noise...

"That's normal". That's what they always same about anyhting that they don't know how to fix.

[simarddominic]

Same sound for me with M sport caliper with M performance Rotors but me too, I only hear it when I'm driving near a concrete road barrier/division...Not a big deal but it annoys me...

I'm sure that sound is not produce by air. It's produce by the pads slightly touch the dimpled edges of the rotors because when I apply the brakes gently, I clearly hear the sound change until it disappear with the pressure of the pads on the rotors increases.

And I'm also pretty sure that the sound is not produced by the 4 wheels ...Which means that probably only slightly adjusting the caliper for the pads goes away from the disc would eliminate the problem.

Or wait until the pads wears a little...

[drob23]

Originally Posted by simarddominic

Same sound for me with M sport caliper with M performance Rotors but me too, I only hear it when I'm driving near a concrete road barrier/division...Not a big deal but it annoys me...

I'm sure that sound is not produce by air. It's produce by the pads slightly touch the dimpled edges of the rotors because when I apply the brakes gently, I clearly hear the sound change until it disappear with the pressure of the pads on the rotors increases.

And I'm also pretty sure that the sound is not produced by the 4 wheels ...Which means that probably only slightly adjusting the caliper for the pads goes away from the disc would eliminate the problem.

Or wait until the pads wears a little...

My stoptech brakes are slotted and make this noise around 70mph. It was explained to me by my tech (who works on GT3 cup cars) that this is the air within the slots as it passes through the calipers. So your experience that the sound changes with brake pressure makes sense, since you are effectively closing the gap between the pads and rotor as you depress the brake pedal.

I think it's hard to generalize these problems to multiple scenarios, since the pattern could be different, along with rotor size or caliper size etc. It could also be affected by the bedding procedure...ie how you deposited the pad material onto the rotor. I've been tracking my car and switching between carbotech xp20's and 1521's on the front, and have been having all sorts of strange noises, which I'm still trying to sort out. Either due to some issues with bedding the different compounds or the rear xp8 pads which I put on with aftermarket 2 piece rotors in the rear.

[AWF30MSPORT]

My F30 335 M Sport is gone, replaced with a Lexus RX350 daily driver, and a 2015 Porsche 981 Cayman GTS as my fun car, which arrived a few weeks ago. My drilled rotors on the Porsche make no noise at all when the brakes are applied or not...nothing at all like the constant noise my M Perf brakes made on my old F30. Even if it was "normal" it was just part of the long list of ticks, clunks, creaks, and squeaks that BMW said are "normal." Whenever I've sold or traded a car over the years, I have always had a twinge of sadness to see the car go....except the F30...I was elated to drop that car and forget about it.