Finally wore out the original brakes!...BBK time?

[dparm]

I was at Autobahn CC today (full circuit) with Laps Inc and my original pads and rotors have FINALLY been worn out after 64,000 miles.

I was rather amused how right in the middle of a session, the CBS warning came on and said the front pads were 1,300 miles overdue. About two laps later the stopping power dramatically fell off and I had to do some unscheduled agricultural duty. I had a nice little smoke show coming from the rotors, but after cooling off it was fine for a few more laps...then the fluid boiled and I pulled in and called it a day.

By the time I had pulled into the paddock, my iPhone was already showing an automated email from BMW Telematics reminding me to schedule an appointment for front brakes.

Sadly, the drive home was annoying since the pads and rotors were grinding like a beater.

I was quite impressed with how well they did during the day. This was my first real track day with the car (stock, PSS tires). We were doing 30 minute sessions on the full 3.56 mile course, easily doing 110mph+ on the three longest straights. The brakes didn't give out until the third 30 minute session.

The car is going into winter storage next weekend and I'll just be replacing the brakes come spring, though I am pondering if a BBK might be in the cards rather than shelling out a few grand for new OEM rotors and whatever pads I settle on.

(I'll post video later tonight, it's still converting/uploading)

[gimmethemuumuu]

I've got a nearly brand new set of pads, if you decide to stick with OEM. PM me if you're interested

[dparm]

See if you can spot the two times my brakes went out! (hint: it's right after I was pressuring a 997 Turbo and F10 M5 pretty heavily)

The first 90 seconds are just warm-up. Camera is a GoPro Hero 3+ Silver with an Audio-Technica lapel mic taped to the rear bumper.

[dparm]

After seeing the replacement costs for the front rotors and front +rear pads, I'm really thinking long and hard about a BBK.

Are the long-term pad & rotor replacement costs on the BBKs much lower than stock? My thinking here is that although there's a bigger upfront investment, the pad and rotor destruction that comes from track days will be much cheaper to fix than constantly getting the OEM blanks. It would also open the door to a wider pad selection.

[mkPOTO]

Hey! I was that at event as well.

I had a similar fork in the road as well. I needed to replace my rotors and after having a bit of a sticker shock I decided to go with a set of BBKs. Yes the initial cost is high, but they pay off at the end of the day.

But if your rotors are in decent shape I would just get a nice set of pads. All depends on what you are looking to spend. I might be selling car so my BBKs might be up for sale.

[tdott]

Yikes, on your last 'off' did the wheels actually lock up? It sounded like it could have been squealing.

I'm facing the same debate also, whether or not to run street/race pads with OEM rotors and switching pads before track days, or go BBK. I'm tempted to try the street/race pad swapping before going to a BBK so that I can see the progression.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by tdott

Yikes, on your last 'off' did the wheels actually lock up? It sounded like it could have been squealing.

I'm facing the same debate also, whether or not to run street/race pads with OEM rotors and switching pads before track days, or go BBK. I'm tempted to try the street/race pad swapping before going to a BBK so that I can see the progression.

No, but since the front brakes were cooked and I had a mic on the rear bumper, you were hearing the rears working quite hard. The stock brakes were actually pretty good for the first 15-20 minutes, but started falling off very quickly after that (hence the two offs).

[dparm]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

Hey! I was that at event as well.

I had a similar fork in the road as well. I needed to replace my rotors and after having a bit of a sticker shock I decided to go with a set of BBKs. Yes the initial cost is high, but they pay off at the end of the day.

But if your rotors are in decent shape I would just get a nice set of pads. All depends on what you are looking to spend. I might be selling car so my BBKs might be up for sale.

Awesome! I was in the beginner (purple) group. I did see some other M3s there as well. Too bad we didn't get a chance for introductions.

The front rotors are the originals with 65k and they look like shit after this event. I suspect I cooked some of the pad material on there, and they're likely nearing minimum thickness.

How much do the replacement rotors for some of those BBKs cost? Turner has pairs of Zimmerman OEM blanks for $540 and OEM blanks for $600. Turner is also running up to 20% off StopTech BBKs right now, which is an awesome deal.

[Helmsman]

Nice rum Dparm! And how did the PSS hold up mate?

[swartzentruber]

If you can swing the upfront cost of a BBK, and think you are going to be tracking pretty regularly (i.e. more than once a year), I'd say it's definitely a worthwhile upgrade, probably one of best things you can do for a car that's going to see the track. I run a Trophy ST-60f/ST-40r, and it's pretty awesome, but definitely overkill, and I only did it because it was close to half price buying off a friend getting rid of his M3 (I think new that set goes for 8k at msrp).

If you get a Stoptech BBK, you can run their street performance pad, which I think is very good as a street pad, can handle light track duty, and is dirt cheap. You should be able to get an ST-40 front and leave rears alone, and costwise shouldn't be terrible. In addition to better braking, another pretty big side benefit is that pad changes are really easy, so you can switch between street and track pads if you want to run both. Track pads may not be absolutly necessary at beginner level with a BBK, but certainly something you'll want to look into more as your skill progresses, or something you may want to do if you ever run at a brake heavy track like Road America.

As far as rotor replacement cost, the Stoptech Aerorotor replacements are ~$600-700 for 2.

[///Mobbin]

^ Agreed.

A BBK gives you more confidence that your brakes will be there when you need them. I ran a 380mm Trophy BBK on my last car and while it was great to look at I think it may be a bit overkill here (a front and rear pair must look amazing though). I just picked up and installed a black/slotted Stoptech ST-40 kit from Joe at Trinity Autosport for a great price (fronts only). And then I put a new set of Stoptech Street Performance pads in the rear that will do dual duty (picked up from Rockauto), I also got some PFC '08 front pads from Joe that I plan to rotate with the Stoptech Street pads that come with the BBK. I haven't hit the track with this setup yet but will be there in 3 weeks and can give my impressions.

Also keep in mind that you can sell the BBK when you sell your car and recoup some of the expense. I kept my OEM front setup to reinstall when the time comes.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Nice rum Dparm! And how did the PSS hold up mate?

Even with about 16k on them (including burnouts, several autocrosses, and hard street driving in downtown Chicago), they are still awesome. They're so predictable and communicative.

They still have decent tread left, probably enough for another 4-5k. Once they're worn out, I'll just buy another set.

[dparm]

Great perspective, thanks guys.

There's such a huge range of kits! I'd really just want something that can handle track days (a few per year), autocrosses (a few per year), but also be streetable and not cost a damn fortune. I am still running street tires and this is not a track-only car.

Is a 4-pot 355mm setup going to be fine ($3000ish), or should I just pony up a bit extra for a 6-pot 380mm ($4000ish)?

Originally Posted by swartzentruber

If you can swing the upfront cost of a BBK, and think you are going to be tracking pretty regularly (i.e. more than once a year), I'd say it's definitely a worthwhile upgrade, probably one of best things you can do for a car that's going to see the track. I run a Trophy ST-60f/ST-40r, and it's pretty awesome, but definitely overkill, and I only did it because it was close to half price buying off a friend getting rid of his M3 (I think new that set goes for 8k at msrp).

If you get a Stoptech BBK, you can run their street performance pad, which I think is very good as a street pad, can handle light track duty, and is dirt cheap. You should be able to get an ST-40 front and leave rears alone, and costwise shouldn't be terrible. In addition to better braking, another pretty big side benefit is that pad changes are really easy, so you can switch between street and track pads if you want to run both. Track pads may not be absolutly necessary at beginner level with a BBK, but certainly something you'll want to look into more as your skill progresses, or something you may want to do if you ever run at a brake heavy track like Road America.

As far as rotor replacement cost, the Stoptech Aerorotor replacements are ~$600-700 for 2.

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

^ Agreed.

A BBK gives you more confidence that your brakes will be there when you need them. I ran a 380mm Trophy BBK on my last car and while it was great to look at I think it may be a bit overkill here (a front and rear pair must look amazing though). I just picked up and installed a black/slotted Stoptech ST-40 kit from Joe at Trinity Autosport for a great price (fronts only). And then I put a new set of Stoptech Street Performance pads in the rear that will do dual duty (picked up from Rockauto), I also got some PFC '08 front pads from Joe that I plan to rotate with the Stoptech Street pads that come with the BBK. I haven't hit the track with this setup yet but will be there in 3 weeks and can give my impressions.

Also keep in mind that you can sell the BBK when you sell your car and recoup some of the expense. I kept my OEM front setup to reinstall when the time comes.

[redpriest]

How much pad did you have left on your OEM brake pads? I might have to emergency use my OEM set this weekend with a new set of OEM rotors if my front brackets don't arrive in time. Good to know that it survived at least a couple laps, lol.

Also, if you're going to spend 3k-4k, just go for the best and use an AP Racing set from Essex, IMO.

[roastbeef]

op, check out the essex ap kit- its a chunk of change, but well worth it. these brakes don't quit.

Originally Posted by redpriest

I might have to emergency use my OEM set this weekend

are you coming to speed district on sunday? (i'm gunna be there)

[dparm]

Originally Posted by redpriest

How much pad did you have left on your OEM brake pads? I might have to emergency use my OEM set this weekend with a new set of OEM rotors if my front brackets don't arrive in time. Good to know that it survived at least a couple laps, lol.

Also, if you're going to spend 3k-4k, just go for the best and use an AP Racing set from Essex, IMO.

Dunno, but ironically I had asked a month ago about how trustworthy the CBS was on that -- it showed like 11k left on the front pads, then after 80 minutes of track time (2x 30 minute sessions and then 20 minutes into the third) it showed 1,300 miles OVERDUE. I remember looking in the spring when my winter tires came off and there was plenty of pad. Now it's about 3/16".

The rears also went from 13k remaining to 2,300 remaining in that same time.

And yes, I have been eyeing the Essex/AP one and an Alcon Club Race kit, in addition to the Brembo and StopTech.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

op, check out the essex ap kit- its a chunk of change, but well worth it. these brakes don't quit.



are you coming to speed district on sunday? (i'm gunna be there)

Yep - will be there. Might not have the fronts done though - brackets are coming in hot.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by dparm

Dunno, but ironically I had asked a month ago about how trustworthy the CBS was on that -- it showed like 11k left on the front pads, then after 80 minutes of track time (2x 30 minute sessions and then 20 minutes into the third) it showed 1,300 miles OVERDUE. I remember looking in the spring when my winter tires came off and there was plenty of pad. Now it's about 3/16".

The rears also went from 13k remaining to 2,300 remaining in that same time.

And yes, I have been eyeing the Essex/AP one and an Alcon Club Race kit, in addition to the Brembo and StopTech.

Yeah, it's just an estimate. It'll say overdue but when you actually have the brake sensor cut, you will get the nice red car on a lift icon when you first start the car. Ironically, I had tons of pad left when this happened and it was just the fact that the tied off sensor got clipped off somehow.

[mkPOTO]

I have ST40 and they are holding up nicely. I would just do the 40s unless you want the beefy ST60s

[M3 Number 86]

just wondering why stock pads?

[mkPOTO]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

just wondering why stock pads?

I am assuming that he can run stock pads as he is new to tracking and the stock pad can hold up fine.

[dparm]

Using stock pads because that's what came on the car when I bought it. :-)

They actually did just fine for the first 15-20 minutes, even though I was doing hard stops from 110mph at least 2-3x per lap. Will not be putting stock pads back on even if I don't get a BBK, though.