BMW M3 Forum (E90 E92) - View Single Post

JEllis · 04-21-2013, 11:04 AM

With the clear bra, vents, RE SSK and full exhaust system on, it was time to move to the suspension and brakes. I have never installed a big brake kit and to be honest I was not looking forward to it.

Again, there are quite a few good DIYs on the forum with regards to changing brake setups ect... I used one of European Cars E90 M3 technical articles for the BBK.

I could not find an actual KW Clubsport DIY but I have done a few suspension setups before and in the end the Clubsport install was fairly straight forward.

Its also worth mentioning that all the modifications in the build came from manufacturers that were trusted/respected and I was confident would work. I tried to avoid the newest gadgets and stick to parts that were reliable.

I chose Brembos 380mm front and rear kit. The kit uses 6 piston calipers in the front and 4 piston calipers in the rear to maintain the correct balance and bias. Given the color of the car and green wheels with gold accents, IND and I decided it would be best to keep the brake calipers subtle. The calipers are gloss black with classic black chrome brembo logos.

Time to say goodbye to the OE wheels! Sad day because I actually like the OE 18s, especially in silver. I need to turn one of them into a coffee table or wall art or something!

IMG_0130 by JMEllis, on Flickr

For the suspension/brake install I obviously needed to get the car all the way in the air to get to all four corners at the same time. For jack points, I used the front center jack point and the rear portion of the rear subframe (not the diff).

IMG_0134 by JMEllis, on Flickr

I focused on the suspension first. The KW Clubsport kit is extremely well built. Having had Bilstein Damptronics and Moton Clubsports on my 997, the KW meets or exceeds the quality of those two kits. Of course that is just my humble opinion after holding all three in my hands.

The kit comes with everything you need with the top mounts already installed!

IMG_0135 by JMEllis, on Flickr

As I stated previously, the install of the suspension was very straight forward. Remember to always support the hub when removing the suspension components. I failed to do this once and I am surprised I did not break anything.

Also, I was an idiot and assumed the KW sway bar links utilized the OE nuts for mounting (I missed the KW nuts in the box). I ended up having to cut the nut off of the sway bar link and then replace the chewed up link. I have to say that KW US customer service was great and they overnighted me a new link (helps I am in CA).

IMG_0142 by JMEllis, on Flickr

With the suspension installed I moved on to the Brembo BBK. Again, I was not looking forward to this install. But, with the technical article from European Car, I found the install rather easy and straight forward. It helps that the car was brand new with no rusted on bolts!

I decided to keep the front heat shields and I modified them with a Dremel to allow enough clearance for the calipers. I have read there is potential for the hot brakes to melt the front tie bar bushes/covers. I imagine this is probably not true but given that my car will see the track, I figured why take the chance.

Here is the cut heat shield. Note the oxidation already forming on my 600 mile wheel hubs.

IMG_0139 by JMEllis, on Flickr

I painted the cut edge of the heat shield with black caliper paint and then installed the Brembo Caliper bracket. This is one of the areas where I paid attention to torque values. I purchased a relatively inexpensive torque wrench from Home Depot to ensure this portion of the install was done correctly.

IMG_0137 by JMEllis, on Flickr

Here is the finished product. I decided to loop the OE brake sensor wire to avoid getting the code or installing them into the Brembo caliper. I followed the DIY in the DIY section which was helpful. Also, notice the nice and clean hubs! I used a product called "Fluid Film". Its a rust preventative liquid that comes in a spray can. I got the idea from someone else on this website. Apparently it has been used for years to prevent farm equipment from rusting. So far its working like a charm, however, it smells horrible!

IMG_0145 by JMEllis, on Flickr
Next up, wheels and test a drive!

Jason

04-21-2013, 11:04 AM	#38
JEllis Major General 532 Rep 5,498 Posts Drives: E36 M3, E92 M3 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth iTrader: (4)	With the clear bra, vents, RE SSK and full exhaust system on, it was time to move to the suspension and brakes. I have never installed a big brake kit and to be honest I was not looking forward to it. Again, there are quite a few good DIYs on the forum with regards to changing brake setups ect... I used one of European Cars E90 M3 technical articles for the BBK. I could not find an actual KW Clubsport DIY but I have done a few suspension setups before and in the end the Clubsport install was fairly straight forward. Its also worth mentioning that all the modifications in the build came from manufacturers that were trusted/respected and I was confident would work. I tried to avoid the newest gadgets and stick to parts that were reliable. I chose Brembos 380mm front and rear kit. The kit uses 6 piston calipers in the front and 4 piston calipers in the rear to maintain the correct balance and bias. Given the color of the car and green wheels with gold accents, IND and I decided it would be best to keep the brake calipers subtle. The calipers are gloss black with classic black chrome brembo logos. Time to say goodbye to the OE wheels! Sad day because I actually like the OE 18s, especially in silver. I need to turn one of them into a coffee table or wall art or something! IMG_0130 by JMEllis, on Flickr For the suspension/brake install I obviously needed to get the car all the way in the air to get to all four corners at the same time. For jack points, I used the front center jack point and the rear portion of the rear subframe (not the diff). IMG_0134 by JMEllis, on Flickr I focused on the suspension first. The KW Clubsport kit is extremely well built. Having had Bilstein Damptronics and Moton Clubsports on my 997, the KW meets or exceeds the quality of those two kits. Of course that is just my humble opinion after holding all three in my hands. The kit comes with everything you need with the top mounts already installed! IMG_0135 by JMEllis, on Flickr As I stated previously, the install of the suspension was very straight forward. Remember to always support the hub when removing the suspension components. I failed to do this once and I am surprised I did not break anything. Also, I was an idiot and assumed the KW sway bar links utilized the OE nuts for mounting (I missed the KW nuts in the box). I ended up having to cut the nut off of the sway bar link and then replace the chewed up link. I have to say that KW US customer service was great and they overnighted me a new link (helps I am in CA). IMG_0142 by JMEllis, on Flickr With the suspension installed I moved on to the Brembo BBK. Again, I was not looking forward to this install. But, with the technical article from European Car, I found the install rather easy and straight forward. It helps that the car was brand new with no rusted on bolts! I decided to keep the front heat shields and I modified them with a Dremel to allow enough clearance for the calipers. I have read there is potential for the hot brakes to melt the front tie bar bushes/covers. I imagine this is probably not true but given that my car will see the track, I figured why take the chance. Here is the cut heat shield. Note the oxidation already forming on my 600 mile wheel hubs. IMG_0139 by JMEllis, on Flickr I painted the cut edge of the heat shield with black caliper paint and then installed the Brembo Caliper bracket. This is one of the areas where I paid attention to torque values. I purchased a relatively inexpensive torque wrench from Home Depot to ensure this portion of the install was done correctly. IMG_0137 by JMEllis, on Flickr Here is the finished product. I decided to loop the OE brake sensor wire to avoid getting the code or installing them into the Brembo caliper. I followed the DIY in the DIY section which was helpful. Also, notice the nice and clean hubs! I used a product called "Fluid Film". Its a rust preventative liquid that comes in a spray can. I got the idea from someone else on this website. Apparently it has been used for years to prevent farm equipment from rusting. So far its working like a charm, however, it smells horrible! IMG_0145 by JMEllis, on Flickr Next up, wheels and test a drive! Jason __________________ Instagram: jellismotorwerks Last edited by JEllis; 11-29-2014 at 08:25 PM..
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