[juice13]

I think I'm going to try this kit for the Miata first. Same seller and looks like the same rotors/pads.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda...ht_5416wt_1165

I also found a 'review' on a Evo? forum:
http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-tir...ds-review.html

Of course we all know the holes and slots are worthless and may even degrade braking performance (less surface area), but man they are cheap.

[Glim]

Don't put you or your families safety at risk, personally I buy OEM or better from an authorized reseller.

[PSU335i]

I decided to go with www.bimmerzone.com package. OEM pads from Textar and rotors from Zimmermann plus sensors for $470 shipped although they are only 30 min from me. Trusted retailer with a local office and warehouse.

[firechicken99]

Nice. Personally my mentality has changed over the last several years. Especially back in HS my primary concern was always price over anything else. I have slowly moved to have more of an eye on quality/performance with price becoming the second consideration. I know for a fact (I have a 99 trans am with no name drilled/slotted rotors i got from summit) that have gotten some pretty moderate/heavy use over the past 4 years and they are great. Another buddy of mine had ebay rotors on his TA and warped them within a year. Kind of hit or miss! Nice find!

[wrickem]

Brakes are definitely not where I would want to save money and cheap out on. But good luck, I hope you're always in front of me on the road

[juice13]

Originally Posted by PSU335i

I decided to go with www.bimmerzone.com package. OEM pads from Textar and rotors from Zimmermann plus sensors for $470 shipped although they are only 30 min from me. Trusted retailer with a local office and warehouse.

Thanks for the link. That looks like the perfect blend of aftermarket/OEM/price. You have them installed? Same braking behavior as stock? (quiet, dusty and linear pedal feel?)

[hun77777]

these are unbeliveably cheap but these are OE rotors...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[1bad335]

I have in fact bought brake pads and rotors from Ebay for my old 5 series. They worked and performed great for about a year. After that I wound up with a serious shimmy in the front from out of round rotors. The pads began to squeal after apprx. 3000 miles. In the end I wound up changing everything out after about 14 months. If you add the cost to replace the Ebay stuff, I wound up losing. It's your car but sometimes the old saying, "Pay now or Pay later" does apply. Stick with OEM or high performance stuff if your looking for a real upgrade.

[PSU335i]

Originally Posted by juice13

Thanks for the link. That looks like the perfect blend of aftermarket/OEM/price. You have them installed? Same braking behavior as stock? (quiet, dusty and linear pedal feel?)

I'm hoping to put them on this weekend. Once I do, I'll let you know how it feels. From what I read, Textar/Jurid etc are OEM for BMW pads and Zimmermann/ATE are OEM for BMW rotors so I'm hoping they feel the same. I'll report back then.

[landau88]

How many miles are you at? How many miles do OEM e90 brakes typically last?

[juice13]

Originally Posted by landau88

How many miles are you at? How many miles do OEM e90 brakes typically last?

I'm at 54k and bought the car at 29k. I'm betting fronts had been replaced before since they wear 2X as fast as the rears and both front and rear are down to minimum thickness.

That being said I am notoriously hard on brakes/rotors. I used to get the fronts changed on every other oil change on my '95 M3 (apprx 12k miles).

[juice13]

Originally Posted by hun77777

these are unbeliveably cheap but these are OE rotors...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

I did not infer from the description that they are Original Equipment or even Original Equipment Manufacturer.

QUOTE:
A high quality, OE replacement brake disc. This REPLACEMENT brake disc is made from premium material for optimum disc wear and manufactured to OE comparable design, fit and specifications for balance and reliability.

[Chowbow]

The rears usually wear faster than the fronts on these cars, especially if driven somewhat aggressively because the car brakes one of the rear wheels individually to simulate an LSD. On a car without LSD that gets track time, the rears will wear quite a lot faster than the fronts.

[juice13]

Originally Posted by Chowbow

The rears usually wear faster than the fronts on these cars, especially if driven somewhat aggressively because the car brakes one of the rear wheels individually to simulate an LSD. On a car without LSD that gets track time, the rears will wear quite a lot faster than the fronts.

Aaahhh. Good point. Considering my silly DSC light flashes all the time this would make sense. And that's with the first level of defense disabled - one quick button press of the DSC.

Wait, so investing in a true LSD would save money on rear brake pads? Perfect excuse to get one!

[PSU335i]

Originally Posted by landau88

How many miles are you at? How many miles do OEM e90 brakes typically last?

I have about 67k miles on the original pads and rotors. Just started to squeal little. I drive mainly highway and I am pretty easy on my brakes.

[Str8EJ]

I recently did both the fronts and rears on my 328xi, OE discs & sensors/Akebono pads.
The price listed for the ebay kit is ridiculously low. So low, in fact, that I wouldn't even think about putting this stuff on my car. I did my own work and was still in it for ~600.

On a different topic, cheap cross drilled rotors = inevitable disappointment.

[juice13]

Another vendor I found with Google:


http://brakeperformance.com/brake-ro...ake-Rotors.php

Some of those rotors look mighty familiar.

I'm guessing most rotors are coming from the same places and vendors are charging wildly different markups.

[juice13]

Originally Posted by juice13

Another vendor I found with Google:


http://brakeperformance.com/brake-ro...ake-Rotors.php

Some of those rotors look mighty familiar.

I'm guessing most rotors are coming from the same places and vendors are charging wildly different markups.

To clarify, I suspect the "OE comparable" rotors are coming from the same place. China.

[juice13]

If anyone is interested:

I ended up getting the BRAKEMOTIVE eBay rotors and PBR/Axxis metal master pads. The 'ceramic' powerstop pads that came with the full Brakemotive kit were too unknown for me. I've used metal masters before and have been pleased.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ht_4448wt_1165

Pads and sensors:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/

The eBay rotors were the cheapest plated or coated or painted rotors I could find. The REALLY cheap ones were 'raw' finish and would probably be okay, but would rust like crazy.

So I think the car still had stock rotors (55k miles). When removing them each time I whacked them with a mallet my garage floor was showered with rust. I mean like a quarter cup per rotor. Maybe these were the 'raw' ones? It was a CT/NY car before I bought it, but wow lots of rust.

New front rotors are definitely plated - even the surface. The new rears had an additional finishing (hatched design) process done on them. Not sure why the fronts were any different.

They all installed with a perfect fit.

Followed the Powerstop brake pad/rotor bedding process found here. Lots of tiny metal dust off the front on the first run. After a few runs the become much more normal in feel.

After a week the pedal feel is great and very low dust. I even like the look of the drilled/slotted (how gauche, I know).

So out the door price of $423. $233 for all 4 rotors and $190 for pads/sensors/fluid from Turner.

For a price comparison:

Same parts from Turner with their rotors (crossed drilled) was $570ish shipped. So the eBay rotors really aren't too cheap compared to a more reputable BMW source.

My local independent shop quoted $850 out the door all OE/OEM parts.

I didn't even bother calling the dealer.

Feel free to flame/comment/ignore.

[fdriller9]

I paid about $600 for centric black rotors and Hawk HPS ceramic pads.

[Outlaw 06]

I'd never knowingly put cheap Chinese-made parts on my cars. The Chinese have proven that they can't make toothpaste, pet food or children's toys correctly, so why would anyone trust them to make one of the most important components on a car correctly? I also don't like the thought of sending American dollars (and jobs) to communist China in order to "save" a few bucks on shoddy products that break or wear out and need to be replaced much sooner than higher quality American, European or Japanese products. It's been my experience that you usually get what you pay for...

[BBS]

In most aspects of life, you get what you pay for. Ceramic pads are meant for rotor longevity, not stopping power. Also, you have to consider if you even need drilled/slotted rotors. Besides looking cool, they are more prone to damage than a plain blank steel rotor. Stick with a plain/quality steel rotor unless you absolutely need the heat dissipation.