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01-25-2025LAST POST
KevM3UK wrote
Hi , just joined so i can post this, i fitted these to my car back in August

Ok then, bought these back in August , a full set of F8* M3/M4 brakes , consisting of 370mm rear discs with 2 pot calipers ,380mm front discs with 4 pot calipers and also the front spindle/hub assembie's too, you need those for the front calipers as the pitch betwwen mounting lugs is smaller on the M4 as opposed to the E92 M3, I was assured from theseller that they would just bolt on so after many messages back and forth I took the plunge and bought them, I dont think anyone has done a detailed write up about fitting this brake set up so here goes

the full set along with spindles

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


so with the car on axle stands for a few days I stripped my front hubs/spindles off to compare to the M4 set.

back to back measuring to compare the centreline ,angle and height of how the damper will sit , its exactly the same

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

carefull measurements of the centrelines and angles of the balljoint holes, if this is different then its game over ! indeed they are exactly the same

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Now this is the one where its slightly different, note the four holes for the wheel bearing , they sit around 4-5 mm lower on the M4 spindle, making the length from the strut top mount to the wheel centre 4-5mm longer, this will raise the car's ride height ever so slightly, we'll see later on!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

also the E92 wheel bearing fits exactly to the m4 spindle, i tried it off the car first then bolted the disc on and caliper, its plug and play with no altering of the track ,the wheels sit exactly the same and i still use my 10mm spacer with no ill affect.

old spindles and front arms removed for cleaning and painting
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

removing bushes ready for powerflex items
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


painted

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc




spindles cleaned up ready for painting, can you see where this is leading to?

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



coat of 2k primer


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


painted silver


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

bushes fitted

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


arch liners cleaned up

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


back on and bolted up, I marked the damper with a line around the top of the old spindle , its the same with the M4 spindle

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

caliper on and bled

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc




Rears now, I measures the thickness of the discs from the mating face to the inner surface, i can comfirm they're the measuremnt on both sets of discs, the rears are plug and play with the handbrake shoes lining up perfect too!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


the only thing thats required for the caliper fitment is these spacer washers between caliper and hub to centralise the caliper on the disc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


caliper bolted on and bled

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

use also use the E92 brake hoses as theyre a direct fit
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Also fitted these, a set of competition pack springs

this is how it sits with the comp pack springs and m4 brakes

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

I'd say its a little high in the front ,maybe due to that measurement I talked about earlier, making the centre of the wheel to the strut top 4-5mm longer due to the wheel bearing mounting holes, it was on eibachs for a bit and looked good with them fitted but the comp springs handle far superior!

bought some used Intrax springs , have to say they handle really well but a very hard ride, this is how it looks with those fitted, I think the drop is a bit low, even with the M4 spindles!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


so to conclude , Im happy with the M4 brake set up, a nice solid feel with no exceess pedal travel the some BBk's can give, only thing is im looking for the holy grail of springs to give me that perfect stance with comp pack ride/handling , dont say eibachs as ive had those, KW has set maybe on the cards!
would i reccommend the M4 set up ? Yes! allthough I may paint the calipers Austin yellow one day!
GreatWhiteM2's user avatarGreatWhiteM2
Bee Pee wrote
KevM3UK wrote
Hi , just joined so i can post this, i fitted these to my car back in August

Ok then, bought these back in August , a full set of F8* M3/M4 brakes , consisting of 370mm rear discs with 2 pot calipers ,380mm front discs with 4 pot calipers and also the front spindle/hub assembie's too, you need those for the front calipers as the pitch betwwen mounting lugs is smaller on the M4 as opposed to the E92 M3, I was assured from theseller that they would just bolt on so after many messages back and forth I took the plunge and bought them, I dont think anyone has done a detailed write up about fitting this brake set up so here goes

the full set along with spindles

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


so with the car on axle stands for a few days I stripped my front hubs/spindles off to compare to the M4 set.

back to back measuring to compare the centreline ,angle and height of how the damper will sit , its exactly the same

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

carefull measurements of the centrelines and angles of the balljoint holes, if this is different then its game over ! indeed they are exactly the same

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Now this is the one where its slightly different, note the four holes for the wheel bearing , they sit around 4-5 mm lower on the M4 spindle, making the length from the strut top mount to the wheel centre 4-5mm longer, this will raise the car's ride height ever so slightly, we'll see later on!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

also the E92 wheel bearing fits exactly to the m4 spindle, i tried it off the car first then bolted the disc on and caliper, its plug and play with no altering of the track ,the wheels sit exactly the same and i still use my 10mm spacer with no ill affect.

old spindles and front arms removed for cleaning and painting
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

removing bushes ready for powerflex items
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


painted

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc




spindles cleaned up ready for painting, can you see where this is leading to?

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



coat of 2k primer


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


painted silver


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

bushes fitted

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


arch liners cleaned up

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


back on and bolted up, I marked the damper with a line around the top of the old spindle , its the same with the M4 spindle

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

caliper on and bled

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc




Rears now, I measures the thickness of the discs from the mating face to the inner surface, i can comfirm they're the measuremnt on both sets of discs, the rears are plug and play with the handbrake shoes lining up perfect too!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


the only thing thats required for the caliper fitment is these spacer washers between caliper and hub to centralise the caliper on the disc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


caliper bolted on and bled

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

use also use the E92 brake hoses as theyre a direct fit
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Also fitted these, a set of competition pack springs

this is how it sits with the comp pack springs and m4 brakes

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

I'd say its a little high in the front ,maybe due to that measurement I talked about earlier, making the centre of the wheel to the strut top 4-5mm longer due to the wheel bearing mounting holes, it was on eibachs for a bit and looked good with them fitted but the comp springs handle far superior!

bought some used Intrax springs , have to say they handle really well but a very hard ride, this is how it looks with those fitted, I think the drop is a bit low, even with the M4 spindles!

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc



Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc


so to conclude , Im happy with the M4 brake set up, a nice solid feel with no exceess pedal travel the some BBk's can give, only thing is im looking for the holy grail of springs to give me that perfect stance with comp pack ride/handling , dont say eibachs as ive had those, KW has set maybe on the cards!
would i reccommend the M4 set up ? Yes! allthough I may paint the calipers Austin yellow one day!
GreatWhiteM2's user avatarGreatWhiteM2
Cheers mate :thumbsup:
Thread referenced by tdott in F8x M brakes (Help) 02-07-2020
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
Great info looking to do this in the future.
Viper4 wrote
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
I doubt you're going to notice any differences on the street. Tires are the limiting factor in braking performance 9 times out of 10.
Viper4 wrote
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
I'm also looking for a solution that is not using the M4 spindels but I don't think that a bracket is a working solution since the only dimensional difference seems to be the bolt pattern (122mm M4 vs. 138mm M3).
An excentric sleeve/bushing (whatever the technical term is) should be sufficient but I have not yet found a matching one.

If some of the folks who mentioned they used a worling brakcet solution has pictures or links, let us know ;)
dparm wrote
Viper4 wrote
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
I doubt you're going to notice any differences on the street. Tires are the limiting factor in braking performance 9 times out of 10.
I track the car a fair amount. I have the luxury of living close to the Nurburgring. ;)
Viper4 wrote
I track the car a fair amount. I have the luxury of living close to the Nurburgring. ;)
Then I would just look at an actual BBK...
Viper4 wrote
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
I don't know of an adaptor for the blue m4 calipers, but there is one for the CCB or M2 Comp calipers.
https://futureclassic.us/collections/e9x-3-series-m3-1/products/novelli-competizione-f8x-brake-retrofit-bracket-set

But it's $1350 for just the adapters, whereas the spindles are only about $750ish.
I don't know if adapters will work with the blue m4 calipers because the bracket is fixed unlike the CCB and M2comp calipers where it is removable and can be replaced with the adapter.

I went with the spindles to have everything be OEM.
Long term driving impressions are good, high speed braking feeds much more stable. I got to do 1 track day before things shut down and it went well.

Plus the rotor size, rotor hats with M stamp, and calipers all look better so that's a good improvement.
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc
tdott wrote
Viper4 wrote
Reviving the forum here. Does anyone have a lead on where I can buy a bracket for the F80 M3 front brakes? I found a complete set of F80 M3 brakes, and I'd like to make the swap on my E90 M3. The bracket option seems really straight forward and easier than replacing the spindle. My brakes need an overhaul and I'd rather spend money on something better than original. I'm not spending BBK money right now.

Also, any long-term driving impressions from those that made this swap a while ago? Any noticeable changes to performance over stock? TIA!

-Tom
I don't know of an adaptor for the blue m4 calipers, but there is one for the CCB or M2 Comp calipers.
https://futureclassic.us/collections/e9x-3-series-m3-1/products/novelli-competizione-f8x-brake-retrofit-bracket-set

But it's $1350 for just the adapters, whereas the spindles are only about $750ish.
I don't know if adapters will work with the blue m4 calipers because the bracket is fixed unlike the CCB and M2comp calipers where it is removable and can be replaced with the adapter.

I went with the spindles to have everything be OEM.
Long term driving impressions are good, high speed braking feeds much more stable. I got to do 1 track day before things shut down and it went well.

Plus the rotor size, rotor hats with M stamp, and calipers all look better so that's a good improvement.
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc
It looks great! Yeah I saw that one bracket. Outrageous price haha. Maybe I'll press with spindles. Nice review. Seems like a worthwhile replacement until I go BBK. I'll pretty much be able to do this for the price of new E92 rotors plus 600 bucks.
dparm wrote
Viper4 wrote
I track the car a fair amount. I have the luxury of living close to the Nurburgring. ;)
Then I would just look at an actual BBK...
Ah yes. I would too. One of these days. Many priorities... Anyways, the speed limfac is still the driver 😆
I compiled everything into 1 post including a part list, so that it is easier to follow vs this huge thread where the long picture post keeps getting quoted.
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=26082424

Hopefully that will cut down on the PMs and questions I get.
tdott wrote
I compiled everything into 1 post including a part list, so that it is easier to follow vs this huge thread where the long picture post keeps getting quoted.
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=26082424

Hopefully that will cut down on the PMs and questions I get.
Great post. Thanks! These brackets are elusive! Haha. Spindles it is.
Viper4 wrote
Ah yes. I would too. One of these days. Many priorities... Anyways, the speed limfac is still the driver
A good braking system will give you more confidence to drive harder and faster. You'll be kicking yourself next year once you realize this system is getting overwhelmed.


Seriously, I would not do this swap for any sort of track driving -- especially something as fast as the Nurburgring. Even a basic StopTech ST40 kit will be better. Even the F8x M3 guys who track their cars swap these things out.
ornicar wrote
Speed sensor Exx match 100% on M Fxx knuckles without issues.
EDIT :

it is an old thread but i have to correct my post.

my mistake: i have checked with INPA and i had an error

O05DA6 wheel speed sensor : direction of rotation front right
So i have turn the two front wheel sensors of 90° and now these are OK.

However, i have now a problem on the rear axle,
the sensors indicate the wrong direction of rotation / front...

anyone know if it is maybe possible to code it ?

Thanks a lot
Attached image
Post referenced by ornicar in 135i rear calipers for 128i 05-10-2020
ornicar wrote
EDIT :

it is an old thread but i have to correct my post.

my mistake: i have checked with INPA and i had an error

O05DA6 wheel speed sensor : direction of rotation front right
So i have turn the two front wheel sensors of 90° and now these are OK.

However, i have now a problem on the rear axle,
the sensors indicate the wrong direction of rotation / front...

anyone know if it is maybe possible to code it ?

Thanks a lot
Read back a few pages.
tdott wrote
Read back a few pages.
i have read all the pages ;)

you are talking of the 15° offset location?

i have tried it but it wasn't better than the 90° location --> my rear sensors always displayed the wrong direction when the front were 90° or 15°

Thanks
Drive the car and look at it again. I can't see why the rear sensor would not read the correct direction u less you changed something.

The front sensors are the ones that read the incorrect direction because the orientation is different on the f80 sensor. The pictures a few pages back so where they should be oriented for the front to read correctly.
tdott wrote
Drive the car and look at it again. I can't see why the rear sensor would not read the correct direction u less you changed something.

The front sensors are the ones that read the incorrect direction because the orientation is different on the f80 sensor. The pictures a few pages back so where they should be oriented for the front to read correctly.
OK,

i have not change anything to the rear.

I will give it a try tomorrow with the 15° location.

Thanks for your help
tdott wrote
That is a good point, that picture shows the right side. Which turning the sensor to the right turns it towards the outside of the center which is what you want.

For the Left side (Driver), you want to turn it to the left which is again towards the outside of the center because the sensor location is different.

The key thing is you want the hole that the screw usually goes in to be pointing toward the outside of the center as much as possible.

I don't have a picture of both sides, but this is how I left one side for now, it is pretty snug in there and has stayed in place for a week, but I do plan on securing it somehow or I am hoping my plan below works.
Image hosted on: i.postimg.cc

I found a pair of F8x sensors, my plan is to try to splice them into the E9xm connectors since they are different, then I'll be able to secure them properly and the F8x sensor is in the correct orientation. I am not yet sure the sensors are compatible but they look the same minus the orientation and connector. So it will be trail and error, but I'll report back in a few weeks when I get around to it.
Did you make the test with the F8x sensor??? it seems to be the "cleaner" solution.
ornicar wrote
Did you make the test with the F8x sensor??? it seems to be the "cleaner" solution.
Yes I now have F8x sensors and it have been holding up with no issues even after a track day.

You can try this approach, but it requires cutting the sensor, the above was just a temp solution and testing to find the right orientation.

Image hosted on: www.m3post.com
tdott wrote
ornicar wrote
Did you make the test with the F8x sensor??? it seems to be the "cleaner" solution.
Yes I now have F8x sensors and it have been holding up with no issues even after a track day.

You can try this approach, but it requires cutting the sensor, the above was just a temp solution and testing to find the right orientation.

Image hosted on: www.m3post.com
thank you for this detail.
one thing i can think of, is our set up have some differences.

i have fitting M3 Fxx bearing With standard (no M) Exx wheel sensor.

you have an M3 so front bearing are specifics to this and wheel sensors too.

it may be why i have some issues...

the good news is that Fxx sensor could be a fix. or maybe fit some M3 Exx wheel sensor.

it is of course only assumptions.

EDIT :

i have tried to test Without the front sensors (harness unplugged) & the rear sensors always indicate the wrong direction. see photo.

help & advice are welcome.

Thanks
Attached image