[Alpha_Onion]

I am looking at a complete brake upgrade package from Hart brakes, which includes drilled & slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads for the front and rear.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121044602639...84.m1423.l2648

Has anyone ever heard of this brand? I can't find any trace of them on Google. Or better yet, does anyone have any knowledge or experience with these?

[vasillalov]

At this price, all of those components are probably made in China with inferior raw materials. Stick with what is known to work for our cars, especially when it comes to critical safety components like the brakes.

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by Alpha_Onion

I am looking at a complete brake upgrade package from Hart brakes, which includes drilled & slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads for the front and rear.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121044602639...84.m1423.l2648

Has anyone ever heard of this brand? I can't find any trace of them on Google. Or better yet, does anyone have any knowledge or experience with these?

The best upgrade for a 335i in braking without spending mad cash is the Z4 35is rotors and stock rotors in the rear.

The Z4 rotor is a two piece rotor with an aluminum hat.
Nice thing it's a drop in OEM upgrade.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by techwhiz

The best upgrade for a 335i in braking without spending mad cash is the Z4 35is rotors and stock rotors in the rear.

The Z4 rotor is a two piece rotor with an aluminum hat.
Nice thing it's a drop in OEM upgrade.

The "two piece" Z4 rotor does nothing for performance. BMW probably made that rotor 2 piece to save some unsprung weight because these cars are getting insanely porky. For example, I replaced the brakes on my dad's E60 545i and the rotors, despite being SMALLER than my MZ4 Coupe rotors, weighs about 5 lbs MORE. BMW made a portion of the hub out of aluminum to keep those rotors from weighing up to 30 lbs each.

But as far as actual "upgrade" in performance, it doesn't do anything. There's no additional cooling, or additional unsprung weight saved by going to a fully aluminum hat, or the ability to expand independently (floating) from the hub to prevent premature cracking due to rapid heat expansion and contraction in real motorsport applications. There's nothing really "fancy" about the Z4 rotor except it's probably anywhere between 2-5 lbs lighter than the 335i rotors.

There's a HUGE difference between a 2 piece rotor and a FLOATING two piece rotor like the MZ4 Coupe rotor from the factory. HUGE. But if you're not going to use your BMW in a performance application (i.e. auto-cross or track), then it makes next to zero difference in performance since the additional thermal capacity, durability, and weight saving isn't really worth the extra cost.

IMO.

[Alpha_Onion]

Honestly, the main reason I'm doing this is for aesthetics. I hate how my wheels are always caked in brake dust so I'm switching to ceramic pads. I also hate how rusty my rotors are, plus I love the look of drilled/slotted rotors.

As for performance, I will most likely never track this car (I'm afraid to, it's my baby XD), so there is absolutely nothing to justify a BBK. I just want a noticeable upgrade over stock. The ceramic pads will create more friction resulting in better braking, and they last longer. The rotors will weigh considerably less, which is important considering that they're unsprung weight. They will also stay much cooler and perform better in wet conditions.

So it's pretty much an all-around upgrade that I'm not looking to spend an ungodly amount of money on. Down the road I'll probably also get some steel braided lines, as those seem to offer better braking response.

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by Alpha_Onion

Honestly, the main reason I'm doing this is for aesthetics. I hate how my wheels are always caked in brake dust so I'm switching to ceramic pads. I also hate how rusty my rotors are, plus I love the look of drilled/slotted rotors.

As for performance, I will most likely never track this car (I'm afraid to, it's my baby XD), so there is absolutely nothing to justify a BBK. I just want a noticeable upgrade over stock. The ceramic pads will create more friction resulting in better braking, and they last longer. The rotors will weigh considerably less, which is important considering that they're unsprung weight. They will also stay much cooler and perform better in wet conditions.

So it's pretty much an all-around upgrade that I'm not looking to spend an ungodly amount of money on. Down the road I'll probably also get some steel braided lines, as those seem to offer better braking response.

What's your definition of upgrade?

The newer BMW OEM pads are almost dust free; they came on my '11 and I just put another set on. The OEM pads generally have the most initial bite and have admirable performance on the street for all temperature ranges (consistent pedal pressure).

Your car will not necessarily perform better with the ceramic pads; braking performance is ultimately limited by the tires. No brake pad will change your coefficient of friction between the tires and the road. It's more or less a guarantee the ceramic pads won't match the bite of OEM.

A final note regarding the rotors: the drilled/slotted stuff will not be as street friendly as the OEM blanks, and chances are they won't last as long (I can pretty much guarantee that actually). That might be a reasonable compromise if you're after looks however.

Consider doing an OEM brake replacement and just painting the calipers/hubs in some neutral color (black, gray) to give it a cleaner look. It'd be a cost effective solution, especially considering how long the OEM rotors/pads last. And it removes the risk of trying an unknown product from the equation. The Z4 35is rotors are drop-in replacements and weight less, though I determined they weren't worth ~$100 more than the standard OEM front rotors (for two).

[Alpha_Onion]

Actually, since posting this I have decided to go for a higher quality just to try and get my money's worth, plus this is not the type of car that you install made-in-china bargain-brand parts onto. I'm going with the StopTech Powerslot complete kit for the 335i. It includes both front and rear applications of D/S rotors, performance pads and SS brake lines. Unfortunately the pads aren't ceramic the way I'd like, but they're damn close.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190886027578...84.m1423.l2648