E92 M3 AP Racing BBK Review (long)

[BimmerRob08]

ah, ok. I have the printed out templates and sized correctly from AP but I guess I would have to remove my front wheels and run the template around to make sure. But since it's a US spec M3, probebly comes with 219 style wheels then, it's safe to bet it'll rub and I'll need a 12mm spacer or 19" wheels. Which I'm leaning towards getting anyway.

[STALKER]

Originally Posted by BimmerRob08

ah, ok. I have the printed out templates and sized correctly from AP but I guess I would have to remove my front wheels and run the template around to make sure. But since it's a US spec M3, probebly comes with 219 style wheels then, it's safe to bet it'll rub and I'll need a 12mm spacer or 19" wheels. Which I'm leaning towards getting anyway.

I ordered EU spec 18s, but they are the same as US spec 18s now.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by STALKER

I ordered EU spec 18s, but they are the same as US spec 18s now.

Where did you order them? Did you receive them and check this or are you going by what has been said (that they started using the same ones everywhere)?

[STALKER]

Originally Posted by GewoW

Where did you order them? Did you receive them and check this or are you going by what has been said (that they started using the same ones everywhere)?

I ordered them from Tischer BMW with the correct part numbers. The wheels have the right part numbers on them and they were ordered from Germany.

They even have the the flat spot where the TPMS sensor gets mounted(where the air valve is), I posted a pic of it on this thread.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by STALKER

I ordered them from Tischer BMW with the correct part numbers. The wheels have the right part numbers on them and they were ordered from Germany.

They even have the the flat spot where the TPMS sensor gets mounted(where the air valve is), I posted a pic of it on this thread.

Im pretty sure they are indeed the Euro spec. I think they look very much like the US 18s, but look more different the further you stand.

So are you using these in the winter? Is there any way you can take a picture of how close they are indeed to the caliper?

Also, would you, or Chris by any chance weighed these?

[STALKER]

Originally Posted by GewoW

Im pretty sure they are indeed the Euro spec. I think they look very much like the US 18s, but look more different the further you stand.

So are you using these in the winter? Is there any way you can take a picture of how close they are indeed to the caliper?

Also, would you, or Chris by any chance weighed these?

Im going to be using them for winter. I will mount them in about a week or so, just before I make the drive up to Toronto from Atlanta. I can take a pic then. I don't have a scale, so I can't weigh them.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by STALKER

Im going to be using them for winter. I will mount them in about a week or so, just before I make the drive up to Toronto from Atlanta. I can take a pic then. I don't have a scale, so I can't weigh them.

awesome thx man

[STALKER]

I threw on my EU style 260 wheels today and they did indeed need a spacer. I used a 12mm spacer, but a 10mm should also work just find. Lots of clearance with the spacer but it was tight with out.
So it seems that the EU and NA versions of the OEM 18s are the same now.

[prodigue]

Hey guys I'm on the AP kit with the Mintex pads that came together. Has anyone tried other pads apart from this pad?

Car will be used mainly for spirited street driving.

[mastek]

Originally Posted by prodigue

Hey guys I'm on the AP kit with the Mintex pads that came together. Has anyone tried other pads apart from this pad?

Car will be used mainly for spirited street driving.

There are many pads that will fit this kit.
For street driving the Mintex are fine.
More critical if anything is a proper bleed after install for good pedal feel (if its soft then you need to bleed again - with a better tech)

You can get more aggressive pads, but they will wear your rotors a little faster and they will usually be more noisy (squeal)

[Jaypod]

Originally Posted by mastek

There are many pads that will fit this kit.
For street driving the Mintex are fine.
More critical if anything is a proper bleed after install for good pedal feel (if its soft then you need to bleed again - with a better tech)

You can get more aggressive pads, but they will wear your rotors a little faster and they will usually be more noisy (squeal)

+1

I have also found the Mintex pads fine for track days as well with a little management. I have not had any issues with them for 10+ track days on tracks that tend to heat up the brakes.

Based on how easy they are to swap out the pads, I am going to run a little more aggressive pad for the track this year.

[mastek]

Originally Posted by Jaypod

+1

I have also found the Mintex pads fine for track days as well with a little management. I have not had any issues with them for 10+ track days on tracks that tend to heat up the brakes.

Based on how easy they are to swap out the pads, I am going to run a little more aggressive pad for the track this year.

-1

I do not recommend these pads for the track, as I burned through a brand new set in 2 sessions at 1 track.

Its truly amazing that you spent 10+ days on these - I don't know what to say - but from 'personal' 1st hand experience these pads went down to the backing plate and disintegrated in 2 sessions.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by mastek

-1

I do not recommend these pads for the track, as I burned through a brand new set in 2 sessions at 1 track.

Its truly amazing that you spent 10+ days on these - I don't know what to say - but from 'personal' 1st hand experience these pads went down to the backing plate and disintegrated in 2 sessions.

I witnessed Jaypod on these pads for the 10+ days as he was at most of the same track days as myself.We lapped quite a bit together it was quite noticable visually and on video of how much deeper he could brake than myself on stock brakes with HP+'s or RS 19's.I would be overheating my fronts with Jay not having any braking issues and very little pad dust compared to my car.I think the Mintex's are fine for somebody who is agressive but not abusive on their brakes.
That being said my new car that will be here in March will have a BBK before it ever on the track as a BBK is proper way to go if you lap a lot but it does not mean that you can use the brakes at 100% every lap of a complete session even with race pads as heat management with this heavy a car is a huge problem for us.I do intend to run Pagid RS 19 or 29's for the track.

[AP Racing - Chris_B]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I witnessed Jaypod on these pads for the 10+ days as he was at most of the same track days as myself.We lapped quite a bit together it was quite noticable visually and on video of how much deeper he could brake than myself on stock brakes with HP+'s or RS 19's.I would be overheating my fronts with Jay not having any braking issues and very little pad dust compared to my car.I think the Mintex's are fine for somebody who is agressive but not abusive on their brakes.
That being said my new car that will be here in March will have a BBK before it ever on the track as a BBK is proper way to go if you lap a lot but it does not mean that you can use the brakes at 100% every lap of a complete session even with race pads as heat management with this heavy a car is a huge problem for us.I do intend to run Pagid RS 19 or 29's for the track.

The RS19 or RS29 are a good, all-around endurance race pad. They are made for lasting long runs (4-12 hours) with good friction. If you are looking for more of a sprint pad (more aggressive friction, less than 4 hour runs and good rotor life), try the Mintex F3R up front. These were developed for 3500 pound professional stock cars that have small brakes and drivers who want a very linear feel and great release characteristics. Since the Mintex MXM's that come in the rear kit have a similar response curve (just a little lower friction) they make a very good pairing with the F3R up front.

Chris

[Mtres]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I need some help.
I bought my AP kit in Europe through am online retail seller. After sales support was rubish.
The kit (E90 M3 19" wheels) is awesome. However, I was advised to get some RS29 pads.

Everything was fitted last December, except for the rear Pagid pads. The guys who did the install are a professional racing company.
IIrc they said the rear pads did not clear the brackets. They said it was the correct shape for the calipers but not for the brackets. Can this be?

Since I had booked a track day a couple of days after the install, they fitted the Pagids on front and the AP pads on the back.

So, does anyone know if the rear Pagid pads require some cutting?
Sorry if this has been answered before, but this post is huge!

Anyway, I have attended two track days since December. The kit behaved beautifully. I am extremely happy with it. The Pagid pads squeal a lot, so I might change them for the APs for road use.

Thanks in advance!

PS: Apparently, the picture is not loading. Pads reference is CP6600055 / 20345

[STALKER]

I think Im going to try the Mintex F3R up front this track season with the standard Mintex pad in the rear.
I wanted to get some RS29, but they are very difficult to find in North America.

[Jaypod]

Originally Posted by STALKER

I think Im going to try the Mintex F3R up front this track season with the standard Mintex pad in the rear.
I wanted to get some RS29, but they are very difficult to find in North America.

I am going to run the F3R and MX setup this year. Sounds like a good way to go. I still have a new set of rears so I am not going to play around with other pads yet.

[AP Racing - Chris_B]

Originally Posted by Mtres

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I need some help.
I bought my AP kit in Europe through am online retail seller. After sales support was rubish.
The kit (E90 M3 19" wheels) is awesome. However, I was advised to get some RS29 pads.

Everything was fitted last December, except for the rear Pagid pads. The guys who did the install are a professional racing company.
IIrc they said the rear pads did not clear the brackets. They said it was the correct shape for the calipers but not for the brackets. Can this be?

Since I had booked a track day a couple of days after the install, they fitted the Pagids on front and the AP pads on the back.

So, does anyone know if the rear Pagid pads require some cutting?
Sorry if this has been answered before, but this post is huge!

Anyway, I have attended two track days since December. The kit behaved beautifully. I am extremely happy with it. The Pagid pads squeal a lot, so I might change them for the APs for road use.

Thanks in advance!

PS: Apparently, the picture is not loading. Pads reference is CP6600055 / 20345

If you have the AP Racing Formula rear kit (CP6602 caliper), then you have the wrong pad trim. You would need a pad with a 51mm rubbing depth, not 55mm that the 20345 pad has. The deeper pad will crash into the rear hat (bell) if not trimmed.

I've got the Pagid catalog in front of me right now and I don't see a pad that does not require modification. However, things change all the time, so talk your Pagid distributor about any other possible options.

The pad in your picture (20345) fits the Stillen / AP Racing kit (CP5306 caliper) perfectly.

By the way, if you are set on using those RS29's, trace the original pad back plate onto the 20345 pad with a scribe. Take them to a band saw and trim them. It's really not too complicated to make them work, but they are not a drop in.

[Beedub]

awesome brakes... i have the AP racing front and rear kit on my Z4m ;-) im using pagid blue pads, these brakes will take lap after lap of hard use, and my z4m sure puts some hard use on these brakes :-)

[Mtres]

Originally Posted by AP Racing - Chris_B

If you have the AP Racing Formula rear kit (CP6602 caliper), then you have the wrong pad trim. You would need a pad with a 51mm rubbing depth, not 55mm that the 20345 pad has. The deeper pad will crash into the rear hat (bell) if not trimmed.

I've got the Pagid catalog in front of me right now and I don't see a pad that does not require modification. However, things change all the time, so talk your Pagid distributor about any other possible options.

The pad in your picture (20345) fits the Stillen / AP Racing kit (CP5306 caliper) perfectly.

By the way, if you are set on using those RS29's, trace the original pad back plate onto the 20345 pad with a scribe. Take them to a band saw and trim them. It's really not too complicated to make them work, but they are not a drop in.

Many thanks Chris!
I'll have them trimmed in time for my next track day.
No point in returning them if there is not a rear pad that does not require modification.

By the way, does it make sense using the AP pads that come with the kit on the road and the RS29 on the track? Seems to me the APs I've got on the rear squeal less than the front RS29s.

I take this opportunity to thank your continuous effort answering all the questions in this thread. There is a great deal of valuable information here.

[AP Racing - Chris_B]

Originally Posted by Mtres

Many thanks Chris!
I'll have them trimmed in time for my next track day.
No point in returning them if there is not a rear pad that does not require modification.

By the way, does it make sense using the AP pads that come with the kit on the road and the RS29 on the track? Seems to me the APs I've got on the rear squeal less than the front RS29s.

I take this opportunity to thank your continuous effort answering all the questions in this thread. There is a great deal of valuable information here.

No worries. We are all enthusiasts as well!

We don't run those pads in here in the USA, but I understand they are a high-performance Ferodo compound, like a DS2500HP upgraded to AP Racing specifications. I'm checking with the UK to see if they have heard about any transfer layer incompatibility issues, but I have not heard of any to this point.

Chris

[Mtres]

Originally Posted by AP Racing - Chris_B

No worries. We are all enthusiasts as well!

We don't run those pads in here in the USA, but I understand they are a high-performance Ferodo compound, like a DS2500HP upgraded to AP Racing specifications. I'm checking with the UK to see if they have heard about any transfer layer incompatibility issues, but I have not heard of any to this point.

Chris

Thanks again.
I thought kits were the same, even though it's written on the boxes "not to be sold outside the EU". I thought it was related to pricing other than different components like pads.
No need to waste your time on this issue. As soon as I get some spare time, I'll fit the front AP pads and report back.