[gr8one88]

i have about 40k miles on my m3 that has oem pads and rotors. it has been driven hard and its losing a lot of stopping power.
im looking to replace rotors pads and fluid flush on a budget.
im also looking to have good initial bite like oem pads but better overall stopping power.
for the rotors i would love to just operate cooler and be more resistant to fade. i live in south florida and the heat plays into the fade i am sure. so obviously i dont need to worry too much about having to wait long to heat up pads in my climate
TMS has their e46 m3 overhaul package with everything you need
my question is to anyone using hawk hps pbr metal masters or hawk HP PLUS on either oem/oem style blank rotors or TMS slotted rotors.
ANY input would be greatly appreciated. tell me your setup and your impressions of the performance differences.

[BendixAnswerMan]

gr8one88,
There are a few things to consider when choosing a more aggressive brake lining material. There is one fact you can't get away from. The more aggressive the stop, the more heat you generate. Braking isn't free. The higher the temp rating of the friction the more aggressive they will be on the rotor. If you liked the initial stopping power of the factory pads then that is a consideration. The next step up would be a semi-metallic lining such as Bendix MKD946IQ. The factory linings would be a lo-met design such as Jurid 571994JAS. The other issue you might come into is slight noise. The original pads and rotors are designed to control noise. As the pad becomes more aggressive the noise you experience could become more pronounced. A thorough brake job can help minimize it, but it could come in especially at easy lead-in stops coming to a stop. Slotted rotors will help a little in venting built up gasses, but usually in the 2-5% range. Every bit helps. I've included an attachment for you to use in making sure all the steps are performed to give you the best job you can get. Hope it helps.

[therealsullyz]

I've had a lot of success with OE style blank rotors, Centric premiums to be specific, and Axxis ULT pads. The pads have great initial bite and very good fade resistance. I've even tracked that setup with r compound tires without trouble... just don't late brake as much.
I've run Performance Friction pads and StopTech pads as well and I seem to keep coming back to the Axxis pads. I think they are great for a street/sport application.
http://www.axxisbrakes.com/ult.html

[gr8one88]

Originally Posted by therealsullyz

I've had a lot of success with OE style blank rotors, Centric premiums to be specific, and Axxis ULT pads. The pads have great initial bite and very good fade resistance. I've even tracked that setup with r compound tires without trouble... just don't late brake as much.
I've run Performance Friction pads and StopTech pads as well and I seem to keep coming back to the Axxis pads. I think they are great for a street/sport application.
http://www.axxisbrakes.com/ult.html

wow thanks i though the complaints about axxis were that they didnt have that same intial bite as the oem pads. and that they had equal stopping power just gotta push pedal further? i was going to get centric premiums and pbr metal masters or hawk pads from TMS do u have any opinion on those complaints about intial bite compared to oem pads? really if i just replace pads rotors and fluid flush i will be happy with any decent setup that can deliver good clean predictable stops

[gr8one88]

Originally Posted by BendixAnswerMan

gr8one88,
There are a few things to consider when choosing a more aggressive brake lining material. There is one fact you can't get away from. The more aggressive the stop, the more heat you generate. Braking isn't free. The higher the temp rating of the friction the more aggressive they will be on the rotor. If you liked the initial stopping power of the factory pads then that is a consideration. The next step up would be a semi-metallic lining such as Bendix MKD946IQ. The factory linings would be a lo-met design such as Jurid 571994JAS. The other issue you might come into is slight noise. The original pads and rotors are designed to control noise. As the pad becomes more aggressive the noise you experience could become more pronounced. A thorough brake job can help minimize it, but it could come in especially at easy lead-in stops coming to a stop. Slotted rotors will help a little in venting built up gasses, but usually in the 2-5% range. Every bit helps. I've included an attachment for you to use in making sure all the steps are performed to give you the best job you can get. Hope it helps.

thank you very much for your time. i do notice little differences in performance because i push it hard...I can tell differences in acceleration with just a 5-10 degree increase in ambient temp...etc so if i can get a setup that is 5-10% better overall than the oem pads and rotors than i will be very pleased. i like the intial bite of oem pads and do not mind a little extra noise. ive had bfg's kdw 2 rubber on the car and those tires are pretty loud for a street tire. its nice to have comfort and low noise but im running a pretty firm setup in suspension daily so as long it is not obnoxiously loud or impractical i wont mind THAT much. dust is more important to me than noise. and being in florida if i run a pad that needs a little heat to work at its peak than it wont take too long. any pads or rotors you have liked on your e46 m3????

[gr8one88]

so think im gonna go with TMS slotted F,R and axxis ultimates and the super blue fluid...does anyone know if they use blue or gold in production? as i want to alternate the color to gold or blue depending on what they do oem??? anyone have opinions on the slotted turner rotors vs the centric premium