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choosing brakes is giving me a headache..

10K views 101 replies 24 participants last post by  Newhorizons 
#1 ·
Time to replace brake rotors and pads / wear sensors.

So I've decided that OEM rotors are best, seems other rotors just aren't worth it (based on reviews on this forum).

Brake pads on the other hand are a touchy subject. OEMs have so much dust and thus I'd rather not get them. However from what I gather from reviews, it seems that other pads have issues with "initial grip".

I'd rather not sacrifice safety for less dust.

Can anyone chime in here?
 
#2 ·
I just ordered a set of the Centric premium rotors (I did research and they have good reviews) and stoptech pads. Can't go wrong with OEM rotors though. From what I've heard the stoptech pads have great cold bite but dust slightly less than OEM.

When you search you'll also see recomendations for Performance Friction Z-rated pads and a few others.

Just be sure you dont go getting a race pad, they will have bad initial bite and I would not recommend for street use since they'll rarely if ever get up to proper temps for them to grip well.
 
#3 ·
I did brakes about a month ago. I went with Brembo blanks for rotors which are pretty much OEM. For pads I went with Pagid which are more or less the same as the OEM Textar (semi metallic). Very happy with my choice so far!

I was actually going to get the Stoptech pads but when I was ordering, the rears were out of stock and I did not want to wait any longer. I did do a lot of research and the Stoptech pads, as mentioned above, are good stuff. If you want to go ceramic, go for the Akebono pads. But remember ceramic pads will have noticeably less initial bite compared to the semi metallics. So it's a trade off of good braking performance but having to clean your rims once a week or reduced performance and having clean rims. I think it's a no brainer. :idea:

As far as rotors go, Zimmerman or Brembo blanks are your best bet. Stay away from drilled rotors as they are just blanks drilled by the seller which creates stress fractures and makes the rotor weaker. If you want "drilled" rotors they have to be cast with the holes and they are going to be expensive. Plus, it's not worth it unless you are tracking the car hard. For street use all they do is reduce contact area and eat up your pads faster.

Good luck! :thumbup:
 
#16 ·
Stay away from drilled rotors as they are just blanks drilled by the seller which creates stress fractures and makes the rotor weaker. If you want "drilled" rotors they have to be cast with the holes and they are going to be expensive. Plus, it's not worth it unless you are tracking the car hard. For street use all they do is reduce contact area and eat up your pads faster.

Good luck! :thumbup:
Nitpicking, but they don't create stress fractures, they create stress concentrations, which can eventually create fractures through fatigue.

Cast holes have the same stress concentrations, but better material capability due to being cast.

I suppose its just semantics, but as a mechanical structural engineer, I couldn't help but correct. :thumbsup:
 
#4 ·
Good choice to stick with oem rotors

Go to Turner Motorsports site to learn that many of the staff drive BMW's personally in addition to racing and winning races.
The staff all reccommend and use Axxis Metal Masters that they sell for reasonable money.
I've had them for 45K miles now. They wear well, don't make noise, have great initial bite, and leave my M68's much cleaner than oem pads.
 
#5 ·
First, you know that you can usually use rotors for two sets of pads, right? Measure their thickness with a $10 micrometer...if above the minimum, you probably don't need rotors...

Also, my front pads went 60K miles and my rear pads were only halfway worn. Just saying. I'd be surprised if you needed pads and rotors in all four corners...but, of course, you might. Put your money where you need it.

Pads? Stopping is highly overrated. You have to set priorities. Who cares if you kill a random beagle or two in the life of a pad...what matters is how often you have to rub your wheels to get the dust off. These guys that recommend pads for stopping seem like big Herbs to me...know what I mean?

Textars/pagid/jurid all use OE compound. Textars are the ones you'll get from dealer...probably slight difference in the rest of the pad between the three.
 
#7 ·
Although I've learned to mostly trust Snik, I'll just say this.

If you don't like headaches, go OE, and your car will stop like a BMW is designed to stop.

Also, jpr's thread that's been bumped recently here is great. Read it thoroughly. One interesting point he noted is that if you reuse rotors that are above minimum thickness with a different pad, you might get a faster rate of wear where the rotor might become too thin before the pad sensor goes off and lose braking power; i.e., may create an unsafe condition.

Something has to give to stop. It's either the pads, the rotors, or both. Change one wily nily, and you'll affect something else--stopping distance, wear on either pad or rotor, or both.

If you don't like headaches, go OE, and you'll be as safe as the BMW engineers engineered.

(I am not arguing with Snik, for the record; just presenting my views...which he probably knew I would! lol)
 
#8 · (Edited)
the recommendation ive made performs better than OEM on ALL counts. i will swear to that.
The pads...
bites better
more resistant to fade
works in all temps
lasts longer
no dust
make no noise

The ate rotors are zinc plated, things never rust, unlike my OEM rear rotors
dont make noise
dont warp
dont vibrate

trust me. its OEM 10x better.
Ate is also a OEM supplier for a LOT of BMW components, and EBC has been doing brakes for decades.
 
#18 ·
You know that feeling you get when cruising on the highway in wet / rainy conditions and you start to tap the brakes for an off ramp... and NOTHING happens for the first second or two?!? :yikes: Does this combination of pad and rotor eliminate that?

Also, what series Greenstuff pad did you go with?

The 2 (well, 3 really) things I want to change about my brakes when I replace rotors and pads:

1.) The WBPF (Wet Brakes Pucker Factor)... OEM brakes I would rate at an 8.5, would like to see that reduced to a 4 or below.
2.) The absurd amount of rust on my rotors whenever it rains.
3.) Brake noise in general... I think that my rotors are rusting more since they are getting worn down and starting to get minor grooves, hence causing more noise than normal. I'd assume new rotors and pads would essentially get rid of brake noise under normal conditions.
 
#9 ·
I'm about to have to do a brake job as well, and I've been doing some research.

I'm just going to get my rotors turned, as long as I can. Like it was said above, there is no reason to just replace them, unless they are warped too bad or have been turned too many times before.

For pads, I'm going to go with the PFC Z-rated pads. I was between those and the StopTech. Either seemed like a good choice. Since I've had the car for 50k miles and never changed the brakes, I'm going to go ahead and do the front and rear brakes, just because it will make me feel better.

Also replace all 4 sensors and flush the brake fluid. I also need to adjust the parking brake.
 
#10 ·
You should read a little more Drewfus. You don't need to turn your rotors unless there's a reason to, and honestly, if there's a reason to, you should probably just get new rotors. It's not worth it to toss money away on turning.

At 50K miles, if you needed turning, then in all likelihood you'll reduce the rotors to below minimum thickness. Maybe not, but certainly it'll shave miles off of them.

You also only have 2 sensors, not four.

Rotors don't really warp.

Finally, read jpr's thread on brakes--good stuff from a great Fanatic. Take his word to the bank!
 
#22 ·
You should read a little more Drewfus. You don't need to turn your rotors unless there's a reason to, and honestly, if there's a reason to, you should probably just get new rotors. It's not worth it to toss money away on turning.

At 50K miles, if you needed turning, then in all likelihood you'll reduce the rotors to below minimum thickness. Maybe not, but certainly it'll shave miles off of them.

You also only have 2 sensors, not four.

Rotors don't really warp.

Finally, read jpr's thread on brakes--good stuff from a great Fanatic. Take his word to the bank!
Brake pads get 'etched' into the rotors, and create a rough surface that is unique to the pad and rotor. So each pad and rotor fit together kind of like a key, with the little grooves.

If I just took a grooved rotor and put a smooth pad on there, it would eat into the pad in that same pattern. That is why you always either 'turn' a rotor or put on a new one.

There is no reason to buy new rotors unless turning them takes the thickness below the minimum. Also, turning costs about $10 per at any O'riley auto parts.

Thanks for the tip on sensors. I thought each wheel used one.

Rotors DO warp. I've driven plenty of cars with warped rotors. Our cars might not have that problem, with the rotor design though. But if you take a car with a thinly designed rotor, and get the rotor hot through braking, then cool it down quickly by driving through rain, it will warp. You'll feel it when you brake hard and have the steering wheel shimmy from side to side.
 
#11 ·
Personally I just did my brakes, and ordered everything off pelican. Went with OE pads (which are Textar I believe) and Zimmerman z-coat rotors.. They are coated and do not rust, at least they never did for my friend who had em for years. So far I am very satisfied and it was a decent price.
 
#15 ·
OP:

There are many choices of pads/rotors out there. The sky's the limit. Your car will work perfectly fine with aftermarket quality rotors and OEM pads.

You are to purchase the following without questioning:

www.bmaparts.com

Front Brembo blank (plain) rotors: $38.70 for pair
Part Number:BMW018591
Manufacturer:Brembo
Weight:13.240lbs.

Front Textar (OEM) pad set: $40.74
Part Number:BMW080530
Manufacturer:Textar
Weight:3.500lbs

Rear Brembo blank rotor set: $46.86
Part Number:BMW062934
Manufacturer:Brembo
Weight:11.530lbs.

Rear Textar (OEM) pad set: $47.16
Part Number:BMW066185
Manufacturer:Textar
Weight:2.300lbs.

Grand total: $173.46 (and yes, these are for your 2000 323i.)

That is the highest quality, lowest-priced set you can get for your car and is what I am personally running.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Rotor warp.
i will say this. i have seen rotors on motorcycles, full floating rotors, and ive seen solid 1pc rotors both types warp.
Physically verified on a lathe.

I do not believe this is a myth.
YES, a lot of it is brake pad deposit and hot spots that cause vibrations, but make no mistake. Ive seen rotors warp for whatever reason. And its not from a wrecked vehicle either.
 
#32 ·
Damnit dmax, how dare you bring logic and facts into this!

I'll be pulling my rims off roday and will measure and inspect my brakes. Preferably I'd rather replace everything in one go and not have to worry about it. I do love OEM brakes though, would be ashame to get something else that sucks.

Now Mr. Dmax, riddle me this, if OEMs are soo good, why do they fade so damn much. After a few rounds of hard braking, my oems are horrible, I slam the brakes and the car hardly slows down, its kind of scary.

P.S. Where is this jpr thread you speak of?
 
#34 ·
Small brakes heat up faster than larger brakes and cool down slower as well. Say for instance 330 brakes.

I wouldn't skimp on high quality either and that's why I made the choice I did. When you get the Brembo rotors, just rattle can primer the exterior before installing. You can tape off the rotor face if you'd like but some people just let the brake pads wipe the excess paint away. I'd probably cover them just for good practice. Get a cardboard box and cut a hole and put it over the rotor then go to town with your paint can. It's just surface rust anyway and doesn't affect anything.
 
#43 ·
I don't think it's the filter...I think it's the bearings. Filter--a Briggs & Stratton filter from local lawnmower repair shop. Cut it down in the same shape as the old one with scissors.

I removed my old one and had to clean it...in soap and water...not a good idea! It decomposed. Got pretty clean though!

220K miles...what ya gonna do?

I'm going to start an SAP rebuilding thread. Some guy mentioned he did it. The former volvo mech at my shop said he's done it...so I'm looking into it. At your mileage, you might try my bad wd40 lubing idea (search me, wd40 and SAP...but source a non-flammable lubricant (I have a thread on that...didn't get it).

/threadjack. Sorry op. And you think pads are giving you a headache? LOL

You better buy OE or I'll never help you again! Just saying! Forget the grooves, holes, rust and dust. (You could try those green things Snik recommended...but read up on all the reviews more...just saying. Trust no one!)
 
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