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Old 11-26-2008, 07:20 PM   #8
lpcapital
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingSimple View Post
As far as wheel size, I wonder if a 15" wheel would fit under a E46 325 300 mm rotor? Didn't 15" come stock or was that just in the early E46 base sedans?
Not on 300mm. I know that the Z3 3.0i with 300mm front rotors has a 16" spare tire as opposed to the traditional 15" of all the other Z3. I actually tried to rescue a friend with a flat on his Z4 3.0i with 294mm rear rotors and the caliper was rubbing against the rim (I had to run on the donut and give him one of my 16"). Same with all E46: they have a 16" spare. The 323i sedan is the only one that lists 15" as alloy or spare rim.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingSimple View Post
So the E46 325 with the 300 mm vented has the exact same caliper as all E36 325/328 models? Good info.
Yes: the thickness of the rotor is the same for the 286mm and the 300mm as well as the breaking surface. Same braking surface of the 286mm solid which means same pads as the 318ti. The only difference between the 286mm vented and the 300mm vented setup is the carrirer: on the 300mm the carrier is larger and relocate the caliper 7mm outer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingSimple View Post
I am currently looking at a great condition used set of E46 325 calipers/carriers for under $100. I assume I will just order the 300 mm vented E46 blanks for front rotors. By assume, I mean I doubt the 286 mm vented fit right?
286mm won't fit if you're using the 300mm carrier. I would actually recommend using the Z3 3.0i rotors as the front wheel hub of the Z3 is the same of the 318ti. They will fit for sure. E46 rotors might not fit... But I never tried it; I came to this conclusion by comparing parts number on RealOEM; I'm not sure if it's just a BMW thing or also aftermarket rotors are different.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingSimple View Post
EDIT: It seems the 323ci coupes do not use the 300 mm larger front rotors. The only 323 E46 models to do so are the convertible and the touring.
You're right, I was looking at the wrong printout.

I didn't go any larger than 300mm cuz I have 16" on my Z3 and not planing to go any bigger, so 300mm was all I could fit. However keep in mind that going any larger in the front would probablly mess up the front/rear bias and known working options for the rear are limited to the ///M roadster. This upgrade, however requires replacing several other parts in the rear axle as well as the master brake cylinder that on the ///M is bigger. If you touch the mater cylinder, the bleeding would require using the GT1 to activate the ASC pump...

On day I would like to remove the rear brakes from the Z4 and see how they fit on the Z3. I'm just curious to see if there's any way to make it work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingSimple View Post
EDIT(2): I took your advice and totally redid the chart. This has taken me some time, so I hope all of you get some use out of it.
Thanks!!! I can email a spreadsheet I did
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