325is brake upgrade?
 

Hey everybody,
I was thinking about getting 4 rotors and calipers off a 325is.
Do you guys know if it's a bolt on upgrade, or do i need to modify a few things?
I know that 2ndBimmer has a 325i brake upgrade on his car.
Is there a difference between 325i and 325is brakes?
I assume that there isn't any, but just wanna make sure.
Finally, do you guys think that the rear brakes will fit onto our cars?
Thanks guys
-Randy

Front will bolt up. The rears won't fit.

There is no difference between 325i/s or 328 i/s.

I believe the E46 32X rear rotor/caliper combo will work on the rear.

GDB, someone posted that at some point, i asked for more details and/or if anyone had done it and heard nothing. do we have proof that this works or is it only speculation at this point? because if it works, i think we'd have a good number of people who'd be willing to do it (vented rotors and all would be nice in the back). i HOPE it's true, i'd just like to know for sure :)

Several people have done it to regular E36s, so I see no reason that it would not work on the ti.

unfortunately, our rear is not the same as a regular e36, brakes aren't the same. if you know of someone who's done it though, i'd certainly like to hear details.

Okay cool, thanks guys. Do you guys think that it would be wise to put 325is brakes on the front and M roadster brakes on the rear (first of all, do they fit?)?
I need new brakes, so i figured "I might as well upgrade" haha
Thanks again guys
-Randy

M roadster or MZ3 rear brakes will not fit without the trailing arms (hub is different ... ask J!m for details as i'm going on what he has stated before). if you're getting the trailing arms, then you might as well get the whole subframe from the M donor and then you're looking at a whole lot more than a brake job :) since i'm not autocrossing or racing mine, i am planning to just do the 325/8 fronts and stock rears (calipers are at the powdercoaters now). even if you could put the M versions on the back, i would think you'd want to put the M versions on the front (need the M spindles, M calipers, M rotors, appropriate pads ...).

Not on a 138hp ti.
I can tell you that vented rotors up front and the stock solid rotors in the rear have performed very well at the track. I think one needs to be careful about mixing brake setups. I'd be concerned about brake bias. BMW engineers know a thing or two about brakes.

i think the last thing you want is your rear tires to lock up before your fronts. i think the last thing you want is your rear tires to lock up at all.

i can superglue a chair to my arse, but just because i can, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I was just thinking about that too. I wouldn't want to have the rears lock up haha.
I think I might just go and put the vented rotors on front and keep the solid ones on the rear.
Thanks again
-Randy

One of the race cars I take care of (87 Nissan turbo) has VERY similar
brakes to the 318(Size and caliper arrangement.).
It goes through about 5 sets of front pads to each
set of rear pads. Its a 2600 lb car and even with 900 lb springs in front
under hard braking you can't add much bias to the rear without locking
a wheel. And yes its bad if the rear locks first.... Wheeeeee spin wheeeeee

Dave

trust me on this, superglue takes forever to get off. :biggrin:

I am running cross drilled 325i/is rotors and calipers up front and stock 318ti rears. Stainless steal lines and Super Blue fluid were also added in the upgrade list... and I have plenty of brakes (even with out ABS).

So you guys think that it will be okay to put 325is brakes on the front and keep the stock ones on the back?
From what I've observed, I assume that that it's okay to put stronger brakes on the front and keep the regular ones on the back, or keep them equal to each other...and...it's bad to have stronger brakes on the rear. Is this right?
Also, I guess that it's hard (or impossible) to put the rear 325is rotors on...
Is that right also?
Thanks again guys,
Randy

YES!:rolleyes:

randy, many people have upgraded to 325/8 front brakes (you need calipers, brake carriers and rotors for the 325/8 ). i'm in the process of doing this myself. it will be fine. in fact, it'll be better than fine, you'll have vented rotors in the front :) this is basically the same setup as the 325/8s (vented front, solid rear) and the same as the later year 318ti's (they finally went vented in ... 98 i think). nothing to worry about.

post pics of the chair mod if you would!
 

let us know how the chair mod performs and by all means post pics! :evil_lau:

that was too funny aceyx, you brightened my ****ty day (see brake forum post "e-brake cable wearing through brake hose - neato!" for why i'm having a ****ty day).

Thank you everybody,
I'm kind of a newbie...so sorry for my lack of knowledge.
One last thing, That light on the dash indicating that the pads are wearing off is lit. If I get new pads with the rotors, will it automatically go off or is there a sensor that I would need to replace?
Sorry for the many questions...
Thanks again
-Randy

don't worry about the questions randy, everybody has 'em when they join here.

yes, there is a pad wear sensor, one each front and back. check the ETK for your particular model ( www.realoem.com/bmw, you'll need the last 7 digits of your VIN, hit the BRAKES section and then it should be fairly obvious from there :p ).

btw, a good place to get used front brake calipers (should come with the carriers too) would be bavarian auto recycling (since you're in CA), www.usedbmwparts.com. they clean and test 'em before they send 'em out. i got my spare rear set from them. when i disassembled them (before dropping them off at the powdercoater), the pistons looked good, no rust or scoring on the piston/bore. i would give them a call if you're thinking about the swap.

I'm getting vented rotors and calipers (front and rears from a 325is) from somebody at bimmerforums for $200 shipped, do you think that's a good deal, or should i pass this one up?
Now that I know that I can't fit the rears, I guess I might just go and try to sell them if I do get this set.
Besides the rotors,pads and calipers, do i need anything else? You said brake carriers earlier cali-ti. How much do they cost, and can I find them at usedbmwparts.com?
Thanks again
-Randy

carriers should be coming with the caliper. carrier bolts to the caliper, it holds the inner pad and is pushed against the rotor by the caliper piston. see this diagram ... brake carrier is #2 (collar screws hold it to the caliper and it moves on the guide bolts and bushings). you should be all set if someone is sending you a used set. i paid ~$55 for a used set of 325 front calipers, forget what i paid for stock rotors from the dealer. seems like a fairly reasonable price, i guess it depends on how many miles are on them, condition, etc. are the rotors new or used?

I paid I think $75 each from Zionsville several years ago. Sow ith shipping that is a good price. Just be sure it comes with the bracket. Fig 2. I would also suggest rebuilding them before installing.

thanks for actually posting the diagram steven, lol ... my mind is on my own brake problems, thanks for covering ;)

as far as rear brakes go: since the ti shares an almost identical rear suspension set-up as the e30, would rear brakes off a e30 work on the ti?

i think i looked up the e30 m3 and it had basically the same/very similar size solid rear rotors that we do. didn't see a point to it after that ...

Hey Steven,
What do you mean by rebuilding?
Do you mean resurfacing the rotors so they are smooth and even?
or is it something else?
thanks again
-Randy

rebuilding the calipers. there are rebuild kits which have new seals. i'll be going through this process soon (already started it).

remove the old pads, guide pins/bushings and carriers. then you need to pop the old pistons out with compressed air (be careful when you do this as when the piston does finally pop, it shoots out - you'll need to put a piece of wood on the other side so as not to damage the piston too). also make sure to wear eye protection when you do that, you don't want any brake fluid getting in your eyes. then you need to inspect the piston and the bore for any signs of scoring, etc. if the piston is damaged, you can't get a replacement and need to get another caliper :( clean everything up, if you want to sandblast the outside and/or paint it, now is the time to do that. i dropped mine off to be powdercoated (completely disassembled, they'll dip 'em, tape 'em off and powdercoat them with carriers for $200) and am still waiting for them to finish up. after that, you need to put in the new seals, get the piston back in the bore with the new seals, put in the new bushing kit you got (i went with bavauto's brass caliper bushing kits rather than the rubber), carriers and carrier guide bolts, new pads, bleeder (new recommended, old if you have to - i went with speed bleeders, we'll see how those work) and then you're basically ready to install. you may want to fill it up with new fluid before you put the bleeder in and tighten it just to speed the bleeding process up a bit.

now because my car has over 200k and i'm an anal retentive freak, i ordered all new hoses, mounting bolts, brackets, etc ... if it was on the diagram and was available, i pretty much got a new one :p

some good links covering this topic:

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/bra..._brake_it.html
http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/caliper.htm
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/arc...p/t-31491.html

I will be doing a brake upgrade soon, and this page has been most useful. I love this site!

just finished mine.

325 caliper
Brembo Sport Rotors(C/D)
BMW OE fluid flush
Gtech S/S brake lines.

The back rotors I am having problems with, as they are stuck to the hubs with SuperRustGlue....argh. I am going to have them done by a local BM shop here. Very good place in Orlando.

You did release the parking brake, right? Gotta give it some whacks with a dead blow hammer before giving up.

haha ... i was JUST going to say the same thing steven :) rotate the rotor with the parking brake off and whack the back side with the dead blow hammer, it'll come off. just did this when disassembling to replace the parking brake cables (a small hell within a much larger one). don't give up before buying a cheap dead blow hammer and whacking it good a few times.

I think this was posted earlier, but if I get M front brakes would it be direct bolt on like the 325 or would I have to modify? Would it be best to forget about the M brakes and just get the 325?

from what i remember of others, you also need the M spindles.

If I upgrade to 325i rotors and calipers, should I order stainless steel hoses for a 318ti? I'm assuming the 318ti and 325i hoses only differ in length, not in the size of the fittings, but wanted to make sure before ordering.

Thanks

Michael

318ti and 325i front are the same, but you need the 318ti rears, so order the 318ti set.

I just finished my upgrade to the 325 fronts, and I must say, IT IS GOOD! I can stop much quicker now. I've got a shimmy that gets worse with speed, but I think that's my alignment. I'm taking it to a friendly mechanic tomorrow to make sure I did everything right and tightened up everything properly.

Just did my 328 front brake upgrade today. I put vented brembo blanks, pbr pads, new sensor, and 328 calipers all for $170. It was an easy, cheap, and great mod. The only problem I had was the passenger rotor which was rusted and stuck to the hub, but I got it out. Anyone have that problem?

yeah ... couple whacks with a dead blow hammer (or rubber mallet) usually gets it off.

i was thinking about getting this........is this a good buy? http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=484611