[The Chaddening]

I am experiencing a problem that many have on here... the dreaded "steering wheel shaking like hell when braking from 80-40" problem.

Local shop told me my rotors are warped and the pads need to be replaced so I am looking to upgrade. They also mentioned a "wear sensor" which I was not familiar with. I found these on x-ph and they look pretty solid https://www.x-ph.com/r1-concepts-e-l...0-e91-e92-e93/

And then I found this set on amazon with rotors WAY CHEAPER. Plus I have a $75 gift card to Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/FRONT-Drilled...rilled+slotted

Do you think these are the same rotors or a cheaper quality set? I tried comparing manufacturer codes but the code is for the rotor and pad kit itself. I know very little about brakes in general. Any advice would be helpful as this will be my first time replacing these myself.

[AtlasM]

I'm not really a fan of drilled rotors. They may look cool but they don't have any real performance benefit and they can end up cracking along the holes. They don't all crack but with no performance gain they're just not worth the risk to me. If you want something other than plain rotors, do slotted.

Also, as far as I can tell, both of your links are for rotors only, not pads.

[The Chaddening]

Originally Posted by AtlasM

I'm not really a fan of drilled rotors. They may look cool but they don't have any real performance benefit and they can end up cracking along the holes. They don't all crack but with no performance gain they're just not worth the risk to me. If you want something other than plain rotors, do slotted.

Also, as far as I can tell, both of your links are for rotors only, not pads.

Thanks for the response.

This will be my first time changing my brakes, do I have the "bleed" the brake lines? Will I need anything else besides the rotors and pads?

[Yangorang]

I've never had to bleed the brake lines or do anything particularly special when changing my BMW brakes. I do, however, change out all of the bolts, spring, rubber guide bushings and all that which not everyone does.

My two go-to vendors for BMW parts are:
https://www.ecstuning.com
https://www.fcpeuro.com/
Between the two I think FCPEuro has better service overall, but their prices tend to be higher so I use their price match feature a lot.

I would recommend just using standard blank rotors to avoid any issues. I've used the cheap Meyle ones and they have worked perfectly fine. You'll need a wear sensor on these cars as well - these work with the CBS to estimate when to yell at you to change your brakes. There's one front and one rear - on my car I actually just shorted out the rear one and only replace the front one since I check periodically anyway.

There are a lot of options for pads - depends on how much bite and/or dust you want.

[The Chaddening]

Originally Posted by Yangorang

I've never had to bleed the brake lines or do anything particularly special when changing my BMW brakes. I do, however, change out all of the bolts, spring, rubber guide bushings and all that which not everyone does.

My two go-to vendors for BMW parts are:
https://www.ecstuning.com
https://www.fcpeuro.com/
Between the two I think FCPEuro has better service overall, but their prices tend to be higher so I use their price match feature a lot.

I would recommend just using standard blank rotors to avoid any issues. I've used the cheap Meyle ones and they have worked perfectly fine. You'll need a wear sensor on these cars as well - these work with the CBS to estimate when to yell at you to change your brakes. There's one front and one rear - on my car I actually just shorted out the rear one and only replace the front one since I check periodically anyway.

There are a lot of options for pads - depends on how much bite and/or dust you want.

What are issues associated with drilled/slotted rotors? I don't track the car at all, but I certainly don't baby it either. "Spirited driving" is a regular occurrence and I enjoy weaving down mountain roads. I am mainly looking for quiet brakes that stop fast, so I suppose a little "bite". My mechanic mentioned the wear sensors. Can I buy those on ECS?

Edit: I bought the car back in Feb with 40k miles and have not done any maintenance regarding brake fluid. The car is CPO and it was a one owner lease, seems pretty well maintained but I don't know what's been done with the brakes. Would this be a good time to change brake fluid? or is that a lot bigger project than I am thinking it is.

[Yangorang]

There's a general stigma that drilled rotors may crack and don't really offer any real benefits. If you like the looks I'd try to just go for one with less holes. The drilled rotors cost quite a bit more so I just don't see the point of them other than for aesthetics and maybe a bit of weight saved.

If you plug your exact car details into ECS their fitment guide is generally pretty good for brake parts. They have a couple different options for brake sensors - I bought the cheap $7 Uro one vs the $25 BMW genuine part and they don't look 100% the same but it seems to be working fine.

[The Chaddening]

Originally Posted by Yangorang

There's a general stigma that drilled rotors may crack and don't really offer any real benefits. If you like the looks I'd try to just go for one with less holes. The drilled rotors cost quite a bit more so I just don't see the point of them other than for aesthetics and maybe a bit of weight saved.

If you plug your exact car details into ECS their fitment guide is generally pretty good for brake parts. They have a couple different options for brake sensors - I bought the cheap $7 Uro one vs the $25 BMW genuine part and they don't look 100% the same but it seems to be working fine.

Thanks for your help!

[EvanTheBruce]

Perforated cast rotors - Yes. Drilled rotors - No!

As stated repeatedly above. Drilled rotors have a tendency to crack. Drilled and Slotted rotors also eat up pads quicker than blanks. If you buy the BMW perforated cast M performance rotors you won't have those issues.

I run Zimmerman coated rotors with Hawk HPS pads on my 335d. I also have UUC stainless steel brake hoses and ATE Typ 1 brake fluid. The car stops amazingly fast. Pedal feel is really firm whereas before it felt a bit soft on the initial bite. I take my car to local Autocross events so that's why I went with the HPS pad, it's also great for daily driving as I drive rather fast and mainly on the highway. But if you're a conservative driver and don't do a lot of spirited driving then you can probably find cost savings on other level pads.

Just my two cents.

[r1concepts]

Originally Posted by GirthBrooks

I am experiencing a problem that many have on here... the dreaded "steering wheel shaking like hell when braking from 80-40" problem.

Local shop told me my rotors are warped and the pads need to be replaced so I am looking to upgrade. They also mentioned a "wear sensor" which I was not familiar with. I found these on x-ph and they look pretty solid https://www.x-ph.com/r1-concepts-e-l...0-e91-e92-e93/

And then I found this set on amazon with rotors WAY CHEAPER. Plus I have a $75 gift card to Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/FRONT-Drilled...rilled+slotted

Do you think these are the same rotors or a cheaper quality set? I tried comparing manufacturer codes but the code is for the rotor and pad kit itself. I know very little about brakes in general. Any advice would be helpful as this will be my first time replacing these myself.

Here at R1 Concepts we have retailers that also sell our rotors too as well as we're on third party e-commerce websites such as Amazon. Since we are a vendor on this forum, I'll be able to get you the best deal with your forum discount on either my E-line or Premier Series rotors depending on what you're interested in. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!