Budget friendly brake options for DD and track duty?

[kaiv]

Hey fellas!

Got my wheel/tires/suspension dialed in so I'm now looking at brakes.

I have to admit the stock E9x M3 brakes are light years ahead of what we got on the US Spec E46 M3; but still, they're not cutting it.

So what are the options?

I'm pricing BBKs and they are ridiculously expensive. I remember when a Stoptech ST40 4 wheel kit for E46M3/Z4M was $3.5k if you shopped around.

I was extremely pleased with that setup; pretty much as close as you can get to a dual purpose setup. They lasted, didn't fade, replacements were cheap etc.

Now I've been getting quotes from vendors and that same kit for the E9x is over $4k - hell some vendors want almost $5k! What gives?!

This is really stretching my budget.

Are there any other alternatives? Can somebody give me a good deal?

I looked at keeping the stock calipers but if you add good rotors (like the PF direct drive), good pads, lines etc it adds up pretty quick and it certainly not as versatile and convenient as a BBK (nor does it have as much potential).

Any suggestions?

TIA!

Kevin

[Erhan]

Are you getting front and rear? AFAIK, you don't really need the rears.

From TMS:
StopTech Front Big Brake Kit (355mm) 4-Piston - E9X M3 $2800
StopTech Front Big Brake Kit (380mm) 6-Piston - E9X M3 $3400

[wwjd15]

If it's only for normal HPDE's which runs less than 20 minutes in a session and you don't mind doing a cool down lap sometimes. Then:

Endless pads
Fluid
Brake cooling duct
That's it.

Buy front rotors when you are done with the stock ones.

[THE TECH]

Yeah you definitely don't have to do front and rear. Do the fronts first and then the rears down the road.

[kaiv]

Originally Posted by erhanh

Are you getting front and rear? AFAIK, you don't really need the rears.

From TMS:
StopTech Front Big Brake Kit (355mm) 4-Piston - E9X M3 $2800
StopTech Front Big Brake Kit (380mm) 6-Piston - E9X M3 $3400

I agree the rears are not necessary but I'll still eventually need rotors, and of course upgrade the pads and lines. With the ST kit I can be happy running the Street Performance pads and not have to swap them. And they are super cheap (like $60 per axle). Not sure if I can get away running those pads on the stock rotors/calipers.

Originally Posted by wwjd15

If it's only for normal HPDE's which runs less than 20 minutes in a session and you don't mind doing a cool down lap sometimes. Then:

Endless pads
Fluid
Brake cooling duct
That's it.

Buy front rotors when you are done with the stock ones.

I hear you but Stoptech pads (good enough for me) on the BBK are like 10 times cheaper than endless pads for stock calipers...

Are the Endless pads good for daily driving too?

And good aftermarket rotors (performance friction) or even OEM are more expensive than replacement Stoptech rotor rings

What kind of cooling duct setup do you recommend, Ricky?

[yyoo]

Originally Posted by wwjd15

If it's only for normal HPDE's which runs less than 20 minutes in a session and you don't mind doing a cool down lap sometimes. Then:

Endless pads
Fluid
Brake cooling duct
That's it.

Buy front rotors when you are done with the stock ones.

Can we do a brake cooling duct without doing a front lip on our cars?

What's the cheapest way to get some cooling?

Thanks.

[persian54]

I have SS lines FS
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641984
hehe

and rear ST Street Perf pads

[wwjd15]

Originally Posted by kaiv

I hear you but Stoptech pads (good enough for me) on the BBK are like 10 times cheaper than endless pads for stock calipers...

Are the Endless pads good for daily driving too?

And good aftermarket rotors (performance friction) or even OEM are more expensive than replacement Stoptech rotor rings

What kind of cooling duct setup do you recommend, Ricky?

Endless pads are street friendly but depending on the models. I use Endless because all my cars are street cars, and I HATE noise.

The best way to go is still BBK. You can re-sell them in the future with very little lose.

Cooling duct will be depending on what set up you have. They are custom anyways.
If you don't have a proper lip then we have to run it from in the front bumper or underneath.

Originally Posted by yyoo

Can we do a brake cooling duct without doing a front lip on our cars?

What's the cheapest way to get some cooling?

Thanks.

Put the brake cooling duct on front. It depends on how you want it to be set up too, we can also put in underneath and use NACA ducts.

[dapopa9]

Start with just Stoptech Fronts.

[von_zoom]

I still run stock calipers with PC race pads, steel brake lines, and blue fluid. No issues, and they perfrom well. I use them for DD also. Squeek a lot, but work fine.
vz

[kaiv]

Originally Posted by dapopa9

Start with just Stoptech Fronts.

Might just do that, yeah.

When's your next track day, Clint?

Originally Posted by von_zoom

I still run stock calipers with PC race pads, steel brake lines, and blue fluid. No issues, and they perfrom well. I use them for DD also. Squeek a lot, but work fine.
vz

I don't want it to squeak

[Richbot]

In my opinion, the only things the car *needs* from a brake standpoint for track day duty is a set of ducts and good pads/fluid.
IMO putting a big brake kit on a car for occasional track days is solving a $500 problem with a $3000+ check but I understand why people do it. Expensive but effective. Whether you *want* a big brake kit is totally up to you and is certainly the easy button.

Once you start running timed laps in a TT or road racing scenario where you need to be able to push the car as hard as possible every lap, the expensive brake kits make a lot of sense, but either way you need good cooling so you might as well start there.

[Slapshot9]

Hawk HP Plus pads should be here tomorrow for this Saturdays PBIR driving event, I'll let you know how it goes.

[yyoo]

The guys who don't have a BBK, what are you doing for rotors?

I ask because my stock rotors are getting uneven wear thanks to the cross drilling. Where the holes are is wearing less than where the holes aren't.

[EAS]

We've had good feedback from customers with Endless and project Mu pads for the e9x M3s! Check your PM soon Kevin

[von_zoom]

Hawk HP Plus pads should be here tomorrow for this Saturdays PBIR driving event, I'll let you know how it goes.

There was a complaint a whle back that Hawks eat up rotors. I use Hawk Gold H10s on my 525 and am very pleased with them and have had no issues, but I went with PF for the E92 due to earlier reports. Would be very interested in your results with the Hawks. Thanks.
vz

[Bubbles]

OP

Do yourself a favor and buy the Stoptech BBK for the front. I ran Pagid yellows with the stock calipers and rotors, the pads arn't cheap but I didn't want to trash my rotors. The brakes performed well, but on a tough track like Sebring, I ended up burning through a front pad set every 2 track days (4+ hours of driving per day). Ended up buying new front rotors (backs are still ok) after 20k. It would have been cheaper for me to start with a BBK and likely recover most of the cost on resale.

In the long run, BBK is definitely cheaper.

[yandy]

Originally Posted by Slapshot9

Hawk HP Plus pads should be here tomorrow for this Saturdays PBIR driving event, I'll let you know how it goes.

Sweet, I'll be there as well. It'll be my first time at PBIR, so I'm running novice just to get an instructor to show me around (135i person trolling the M3 boards)

[FrenchBoy]

Find who else interested in a BBK on this forum (I'm sure they are plenty), and then contact a vendor for a group discount. That's what I did. Active Autowerk took good care of us.

BTW, I have 4-pot StopTech all around. They work amazingly well and the pads are super cheap. Plus same pads are used front and rear.

[rod1]

I'd be interested in a group buy.

[Richard@M-World]

To me, safety always comes first. Yes, it's an investment initially, but compared to your $60k M3 and, most importantly, being able to go home safely to your family at the end of the day, it's the smart thing to do.

[kaiv]

Originally Posted by Bubbles

OP

Do yourself a favor and buy the Stoptech BBK for the front. I ran Pagid yellows with the stock calipers and rotors, the pads arn't cheap but I didn't want to trash my rotors. The brakes performed well, but on a tough track like Sebring, I ended up burning through a front pad set every 2 track days (4+ hours of driving per day). Ended up buying new front rotors (backs are still ok) after 20k. It would have been cheaper for me to start with a BBK and likely recover most of the cost on resale.

In the long run, BBK is definitely cheaper.

Originally Posted by FrenchBoy

Find who else interested in a BBK on this forum (I'm sure they are plenty), and then contact a vendor for a group discount. That's what I did. Active Autowerk took good care of us.

BTW, I have 4-pot StopTech all around. They work amazingly well and the pads are super cheap. Plus same pads are used front and rear.

I agree 100%. I had this exact setup on the E46.
And yes it is indeed cheaper in the long run. The initial cost is where my problem lies