Quote:
Originally Posted by ersin
I'm really surprised that some of you are saying the brakes suck even for street use. Edmund's did the fastest stop ever of any car from 60mph when they test drove the M3. (The review is here. Since then they've bettered it but very few cars are in this category.). Yes, Porsche (and Ferrari, and Lambo, etc.) has better brakes. And most BBKs (all?) will be an improvement, but you'll only ever realize the improvement on the track. Get Brembos if you're very serious about racing or want the good looks of the Brembos. Otherwise, the OEM brakes are still top notch. |
60-0 stops are not a reliable indication of true braking performance.
Magazines and auto manufacturers use this as a baseline because it's a repeatable test from one car to another, and appeals to consumers in the theory of a panic stop. It's a combination of the brakes, tires, and particular road conditions on that particular test day and time.The difference would become much more extreme if you were to repeat those 60-0 stops multiple times, or as you increase the speeds of each stop.
The inherent design differences between an M3 with a sliding caliper and a Porsche Turbo with an opposed piston caliper become much more obvious the harder you push the car. To say that improvements of a BBK are more noticeable and advantageous at the track is a better description than saying "you will ONLY notice the difference at the track". That statement is simply just not true. There are benefits in pedal feel, response, modulation, weight savings, repeatability & consistency, and longevity that all improve even in a daily driving scenario.
Of course it's not an upgrade that should be considered by every M3 owner, and the OEM brakes are quite good for more than 90% of BMW's demographic, but the remaining number of us who drive our cars harder, expect more from our cars, and are making other modifications and changes to our car, can and will greatly benefit from this type of upgrade. The car is capable of providing more horsepower than we will ever be able to maximize, and handles better than most peoples driving skills will ever be able to take full advantage of, yet most of us still add coilovers, stickier tires, lighter wheels, and other horsepower mods. I'm just surprised more people haven't realized that brakes make a more dramatic performance advantage than any of those other modifications.