[Tom Droze]

I am going to be doing a front brake upgrade and I need your thoughts on which way I should go, as both are priced about the same.

The 335i big brake upgrade:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E92-328...nce/ES2718596/

Or the BMW six piston BMW big brake upgrade:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E92-328...ance/ES205607/

Mostly it will be for street use with limited club track time, and aesthetics is important to me too. Of course, I could stay with the brakes I have now and just upgrade the pads, brake lines, fluid, and guide bushings but what fun is that?

[Three_thirty_I]

First option is a larger disk, but the second one is a better BMW performance 6 piston calliper, plus it has more eye candy to offer.

Probably can't go wrong either way, but hopefully someone with more knowledge/experience will chime in...

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

First option is a larger disk, but the second one is a better BMW performance 6 piston calliper, plus it has more eye candy to offer.

Probably can't go wrong either way, but hopefully someone with more knowledge/experience will chime in...

What makes you think the 135i caliper is better? First one is not just rotor upgrade but includes 335i calipers btw.

[superduty]

I went with the BMW Performance brakes (front/rear) plus braided SS hoses. I only have two complaints about this set up. The low speed modulation is not as good as the stock brakes. I'm OK with the gold calipers but I could do w/o the BMW branding.

[BudVlad]

I have BMW Performance front and back (Brembo branded BMW).
BTW: Front brakes are identical to 135i but rear 135i rotors have wider hand brake drums and will not fit.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

What makes you think the 135i caliper is better? First one is not just rotor upgrade but includes 335i calipers btw.

To be honest, mostly going according to my perception of it being a 6 piston calliper. This is also why I said "hopefully someone with more knowledge/experience will chime in..." - also I did see that the first one includes the 335i calliper as well as the larger disk (larger than the second option), just thought that the calliper on the second option would still provide a slight edge since it is a branded performance part. Anyway, I then stand corrected.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Three_thirty_I

To be honest, mostly going according to my perception of it being a 6 piston calliper. This is also why I said "hopefully someone with more knowledge/experience will chime in..." - also I did see that the first one includes the 335i calliper as well as the larger disk (larger than the second option), just thought that the calliper on the second option would still provide a slight edge since it is a branded performance part. Anyway, I then stand corrected.

The 135i calipers are more bling and less performance oriented than one would think (this coming from a 135i owner). It's been well documented that the calipers can't withstand heat from track use. Not to mention the rotors are way undersized for the caliper. The 335i brakes are indeed better; just don't look as pretty.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

The 135i calipers are more bling and less performance oriented than one would think (this coming from a 135i owner). It's been well documented that the calipers can't withstand heat from track use. Not to mention the rotors are way undersized for the caliper. The 335i brakes are indeed better; just don't look as pretty.

That's good to know. Thanks for clearing that up.

[jc5988]

it looks like brake disc from performance kit has same semi floating design as z4, which is a bit lighter.

[hassmaschine]

how much do the stock solutions cost vs aftermarket?

The stock stuff probably performs well, but typically aftermarket will weigh a lot less and the consumables (pads) are usually less expensive. I don't know what, if any, aftermarket BBK kits there are for the E90, but if you're looking at $1-2k for OEM stuff, I'd consider aftermarket instead.

Honestly, you probably won't notice much as far as braking performance if you're not tracking it, but the reduction in unsprung weight would be nice.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Tom Droze

I am going to be doing a front brake upgrade and I need your thoughts on which way I should go, as both are priced about the same.

The 335i big brake upgrade:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E92-328...nce/ES2718596/

Or the BMW six piston BMW big brake upgrade:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E92-328...ance/ES205607/

Mostly it will be for street use with limited club track time, and aesthetics is important to me too. Of course, I could stay with the brakes I have now and just upgrade the pads, brake lines, fluid, and guide bushings but what fun is that?

I had 335i calipers and z4 35is rotors until mid-last year. I used them on street and track. This is probably one of the best front brake set-ups besides BBK. The OEM BBK for 325/330 is not as good as mentioned already.

You can also look for pre-owned 335i calipers and carriers to save a bundle. It is a direct swap and pad choices are excellent.

I tested Textar 335i pads with the above mentioned set-up on track as I was wondering how they'd perform and it did fairly well until they got heat soaked. I also have SS braided lines. On street they were fantastic with very good modulation and the famous pit-bull like initial bite.

The one thing that caught me by surprise a bit was brake bias shift under heavy braking on track, for example going from 120 to 50. It was immediately apparent that rear brakes were undersized and the difference between front and rear bias was even larger thus causing a feeling as if the rear end was "floating" off the ground. It was unsettling. Of course this can be cured by less aggressive braking. Then I used PFC pads and it performed even better but the bias issue was still present.

Finally I decided to move onto BBK and correct the front vs. rear bias issue. The 335i calipers + z4 35is rotors is a very good set-up but you need to know it's limitation while driving on track. The z4 rotors are lighter as well. This set-up will outperform OEM Brembo BBK, you can search and will find documented results.

Hope this helps.

[Yury]

I use BMW Performance BBK. This BBK was not designed for use on track. But it is possible to make it good for track.
1. It is true that original front Performance rotors are weak, at high load they tend to warp, because it is only 26mm thick. This is why I switched to RB (RacingBrake) two piece rotors which have 28mm thickness and overall significantly better in performance and feel of the brakes, by the way cost about the same to compare with original.
2. It is true that on track teflon piston dust boots are burning, for that there the same RB offers stainless steel piston replacement, together with RB rotors it is guaranteed much less heat transfer to the pistons and brake fluid, making it very resistant to fade.
3. Use better pads, HAWK for example or even RB.
4. Looks - no comment.

All in all 335 brakes upgrade make sence if you find used set at very cheap price in good condition. If you buying new parts its is Perf BBK only. I have it on for couple of years and the feeling I get everytime I walk to my car and look at'em is priceless

[chris82]

335i brakes are a better upgrade, those things are tanks! I'd just be weary of the issue Smooth 330i was saying.

[bimmerquick43321]

ok so on a lesser extent lol, I was wondering what would be a good disc/pad combo for my rear brakes on the 330i, I've already bought zimmerman/HPS on the fronts and I'm more or less happy, initial bite is a little bit less than I wish and was used to, however after that they're quite good and obviously resist to heat well.

In theory, I should go with the same set-up as in front? or getting the same discs, but texar pads instead of the HPS for a better initial bite would be better, considering the rear brakes don't heat as much anyway right? Or would it debalance the braking? or won't change much either of them...

[neoduffer]

Originally Posted by mecbain

ok so on a lesser extent lol, I was wondering what would be a good disc/pad combo for my rear brakes on the 330i, I've already bought zimmerman/HPS on the fronts and I'm more or less happy, initial bite is a little bit less than I wish and was used to, however after that they're quite good and obviously resist to heat well.

In theory, I should go with the same set-up as in front? or getting the same discs, but texar pads instead of the HPS for a better initial bite would be better, considering the rear brakes don't heat as much anyway right? Or would it debalance the braking? or won't change much either of them...

If you're driving streets or autocross, you won't notice the difference. HPS front and OE rear pads will be fine. If you're starting off HPDE, you'll be fine as well. If you get super serious about HPDE, you'll skip right to race pads, BBK, or a track car.