breaks- upgrade vs stock? waht should i do?

[toast27]

Hi, new here with a question,
time for new rotors and pads for my totally stock 95 318ti with 80k miles.
could anyone recommend if I should go with oem replacement parts of opt for so called performance parts?
after reading here I will stay away from cross drilled because I understand it diminishes stopping power.

I don't mind something that works better that stock and looks trick but not willing to give up rereliablity.

has anyone had problems with the zimmerman or brembro rotors? i also see ebc makes a set with green pads. another site is tring to sell rotors that were cryo-frozen and say that enhances wear and resists warping.

thanks for any help.

[CirrusSR22]

I would stick with some OEM rotors and get a quality set of pads. For the street, I'm pretty skeptical of the whole cross drill/slotted bit.

The only real "upgrade" I would recommend is a vented rotor set-up like the +4/98' 318ti's came with. That would require new calipers and carriers as well as rotors and pads.

[L84THSKY]

Here is what I just did 2 days ago

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6460

Hi, new here with a question,
time for new rotors and pads for my totally stock 95 318ti with 80k miles.
could anyone recommend if I should go with oem replacement parts of opt for so called performance parts?
after reading here I will stay away from cross drilled because I understand it diminishes stopping power.

I don't mind something that works better that stock and looks trick but not willing to give up rereliablity.

has anyone had problems with the zimmerman or brembro rotors? i also see ebc makes a set with green pads. another site is tring to sell rotors that were cryo-frozen and say that enhances wear and resists warping.

thanks for any help.

[1996 328ti]

And it is BRAKES for God's sake!
Oh, welcome to the site.:redface:

[stormos]

breakes? i recommend upgrading to pg tips tea bags, little milk and 2 sugars accompanied by a few biscuits :)

[angel318ti]

Lol!!!!! :evil_lau:

[H3_2.1-ti]

Hi, new here with a question,
time for new rotors and pads for my totally stock 95 318ti with 80k miles.
could anyone recommend if I should go with oem replacement parts of opt for so called performance parts?
after reading here I will stay away from cross drilled because I understand it diminishes stopping power.

I don't mind something that works better that stock and looks trick but not willing to give up rereliablity.

has anyone had problems with the zimmerman or brembro rotors? i also see ebc makes a set with green pads. another site is tring to sell rotors that were cryo-frozen and say that enhances wear and resists warping.

thanks for any help.

If cross-drilled rotors are so bad, why is BMW equipping all their new M cars with them? Porsche, Ferrari, AMG, supplied by Brembo, all use drilled rotors. True they are prone to hairline cracks under extreme situations like in race cars where they now use slotted rotors.

I have never had any problems with cross drilled rotors. I ran Zimmermann for years.

Cheers,

[toast27]

thanks for the replies,

looks like this is a good deal. includes the sensors also for $299.00.


http://www.bimmerspecialist.com/cgi-bin/store/store.cgi?shop=usa&cart=40172161x22973&session=42ecf52859bdfa81&L=eng&Category=335300

i wish they would list the brands of the parts without having to e-mail them but for oe replacment i think i will go with this.

has anyone bought from this place before?

also are the sensors molded into the pads or do they sit in a pocket in the pad?

thanks again

[1996 328ti]

If cross-drilled rotors are so bad, why is BMW equipping all their new M cars with them? Porsche, Ferrari, AMG, supplied by Brembo, all use drilled rotors. True they are prone to hairline cracks under extreme situations like in race cars where they now use slotted rotors.You simply need to know who you are buying them from. You don't want someone drilling them on a press.

[1996 328ti]

thanks for the replies,

looks like this is a good deal. includes the sensors also for $299.00.That seems very cheap. A good deal depends on the quality.

The ti uses different front rotors depending on the year.
Pre 4/96 is solid. After are ventilated.
BMW rear rotors list for 60.90 x2
Front solid are 56.42 x2
Front ventilated are 76.58 x2
Sensor is 14.00 x2
Front pads 91.56
Rear pads 80.08
Assuming you use solid rotors that is $434.28.
If you find a dealer that gives you a 20% BMW CCA discount, that is $86.85 off, bringing the cost to $347.43. So yes, they are giving you a good price. But that is not GENUINE BMW parts. Some rotors are better than others. I don't know what kind of pads they are supplying. I buy all my parts from the dealer at 20% off list except for brake pads.

Do you even need rear rotors? They last a loooong time.
The pad sensors clip on the brake pad. Front left, right rear.

[stormos]

i've got the crappy things known as drums/shoes! aaaahhhhhh

[H3_2.1-ti]

Steven is absolutely right.
You must make sure of the quality and who is the manufacturer of the components.If you want cross drilled rotors only buy from companies that cast them with the holes; like Zimmermann and Brembo. Why don't you email the guys at VITESSE TUNING (http://www.vitessetuning.com) They only sell O.E. quality or better. Ate, Jurid, Pagid, Mintex, Zimmermann, etc... I'm sure they will steer you in the right direction.

Cheers,

[toast27]

thanks again for the help, i am gald i found this site,i look foward to exchanging infomation here.

as for my question ,i decided to go with stock oem rotors and pads, new sensors and all. in the future i can may upgrade to zimmermann and some trick pads but for now stock will do .i think i should replace my clutch and t/o bearing before it goes completly. i want to do intake and cat back exhaust so i better start saving some cash.

thanks

[1996 328ti]

You only have to replace your sensors if they are bad.

[tiger318]

so it sounds like, it there was a choice between:
slotted vs. drilled vs. slotted AND drilled vs. OEM; OEM would be the preferred choice?

i'm in the same boat where I'm not sure whether to upgrade or replace with OEM rotors and pads.

thanks,

[toast27]

i am just happy to not have the warning light on anymore. the oem rotors turned out to be ate brand. i did the sensors even though steven brought up a good point that i dont have to change them unless they are bad but since i was in there anyway i did them.i hope these new brakes last for a while so i can replace the clutch and mabey a cat back and free flowing intake set up.bye the time i get all that done mabey it will be time to do the brakes again and i will consider sloted, mabey the zimmermann driled.for me since the car is basicly stock and i only drive only some what hard on the street/highway i think i would have wasted money on upgraded brakes right now.
thats just what i think, i did notice here and on other threads there are some good questions and thoughtful replies by readers that seem have a lot of experince wiht the 318ti. again i am glad i found this place.hope you get an anwer that helps you out.

[aceyx]

If cross-drilled rotors are so bad, why is BMW equipping all their new M cars with them? Porsche, Ferrari, AMG, supplied by Brembo, all use drilled rotors. True they are prone to hairline cracks under extreme situations like in race cars where they now use slotted rotors.
because people want the look?

the porsche rotors are cast ceramic, and most people who track their cars regularly switch to solid rotors. because even with aerospace technology, the laws of physics prevail.

race cars use solid rotors. LeMans, F1, et. al.


cross-drilled rotors aren't bad, nor are slotted. they're just designed to fix problems that no longer exist, and are therefore merely for aesthetic purposes, at the same time lowering repeated braking ability. they do nothing to increase your braking ability.

there is an old thread from altimas.net that everyone should read. i just have to find it, since it was removed in shame.

[H3_2.1-ti]

because people want the look?

the porsche rotors are cast ceramic, and most people who track their cars regularly switch to solid rotors. because even with aerospace technology, the laws of physics prevail.

race cars use solid rotors. LeMans, F1, et. al.


cross-drilled rotors aren't bad, nor are slotted. they're just designed to fix problems that no longer exist, and are therefore merely for aesthetic purposes, at the same time lowering repeated braking ability. they do nothing to increase your braking ability.

there is an old thread from altimas.net that everyone should read. i just have to find it, since it was removed in shame.

Sorry, to contradict your reply, but all the racing you mentioned use slotted rotors. No aesthetics there.

Cheers,

[aceyx]

Sorry, to contradict your reply, but all the racing you mentioned use slotted rotors. No aesthetics there.
slotting rotors was a means to de-glaze asbestos-based pads so that they could bite the rotor better. if you properly run in modern pads, this won't be a problem.


and how exactly do you "slot" a carbon/carbon composite rotor?


the thread from altimas.net is archived here:
http://corner-carvers.com/altimathread.php.html