BIG brake kits?

[Bluebimma]

....and E36 m3 brakes go for about 300$. Im not seeing the real logic behind all of this?!?!?! Please enlighten me.

[Jean H.318TI]

so ur saying that e36 m3 brakes are better than e46 330/m3

[Bluebimma]

Yes, and unless you can do machine work, the e46 m3 brakes arent going to be a cheap install, nor will they be all that cheap.

[Jean H.318TI]

ok and the rotora or brembo?

[Bluebimma]

If theyre real BBKs then expect to pay the $$ for them and upgrade whatever components they say to replace.

[Jean H.318TI]

dude take a look of the 2 brake kits for the TI on bavauto.com rotora, and brembo 1 piece and tell me if work the money or no

[Bluebimma]

If theyre going on a 138-150hp, most likely not. If you want to throw a lot more power at the car or have a real need for them, then im sure theyre fine. If youre looking for a decent upgrade over your stocks, which are solid and small, the E36 m3 ones are the most bang for the buck.

I picked these up for 350. New pads, slightly used rotors, comes with everything including the spindles.

[rikdee]

Originally Posted by Jean H.318TI

dude take a look of the 2 brake kits for the TI on bavauto.com rotora, and brembo 1 piece and tell me if work the money or no

Unless you're building a high powered street rod or plan to seriously track the car, these large, IMHO costly front brake systems are a waste of money. Yet, while it makes perfect sense to upgrade the fronts for any Tee built prior to 4/98, you need to keep in the mind the whole idea of brake system bias. Huge upgrades to the front are going to require a rework of the rears to maintain proper bias.
A basic front fitment such as the Zionsville plus one at $375 is a nice, quality upgrade that'll give you all the brakes you'd ever need for street use and at the same time maintain bias.

[mohaughn]

You can get the UUC wilwood kit for the same cost as buying any of the M3 conversion kits new. And still 600$ cheaper than Brembo. Uses e46 M3 rotors so you get 325x28 and you can run the floating euro's if you want. Pretty much a straight bolt on. No spindle changes, and no MC changes.

There are a lot of cars running in prepared class in BMW CR that are doing very well with this kit.

[cev12]

Originally Posted by rikdee

A basic front fitment such as the Zionsville plus one at $375 is a nice, quality upgrade that'll give you all the brakes you'd ever need for street use and at the same time maintain bias.

Will that kit be enough if you are planning an engine swap? Also, Bluebimma, you said that M3 and 330 brakes will fit 16" wheels. Can the Zionsville plus 2 kit fit on 16"? The site says at least 17", but if 330 brakes fit on a 16" wheel, why wouldn't this fit?

[rikdee]

Originally Posted by cev12

Will that kit be enough if you are planning an engine swap? Also, Bluebimma, you said that M3 and 330 brakes will fit 16" wheels. Can the Zionsville plus 2 kit fit on 16"? The site says at least 17", but if 330 brakes fit on a 16" wheel, why wouldn't this fit?

Just my opinion: If you're building a race car, spec it for the track. If you're driving a street car don't construct a race car. Unless you're prone to triple digit speeds and feel the continual need for theshold braking at major intersections, a modest front brake upgrade is more than sufficient. I have two 1998s one of which was built 4/98 with the 3xx brakes. I recently purchased a Z-ville plus one and then fit the 4/98 brakes onto the pre-4/98 car. I'm quite happy with both using them as street cars only. There was an interesting post made here some time back that detailed brake upgrades for Tee's and spoke about the notion of bias. You might try a search for "big brakes".

Separately, I believe you'd need 17" or greater to accommodate a Z-ville plus two.

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by cev12

Will that kit be enough if you are planning an engine swap? Also, Bluebimma, you said that M3 and 330 brakes will fit 16" wheels. Can the Zionsville plus 2 kit fit on 16"? The site says at least 17", but if 330 brakes fit on a 16" wheel, why wouldn't this fit?

It really depends on the wheels themselves. There are some 16" wheels that will clear larger calipers that normally need 17" wheels. It really depends on the wheel, and how it is constructed. For instance, with my brake kit I needed 5mm spacers up front because there was not enough clearance between the back of the wheel, and the front face of the caliper.

Any of the brake kits shown would be more than enough with a swapped car.

[Jean H.318TI]

Originally Posted by mohaughn

You can get the UUC wilwood kit for the same cost as buying any of the M3 conversion kits new. And still 600$ cheaper than Brembo. Uses e46 M3 rotors so you get 325x28 and you can run the floating euro's if you want. Pretty much a straight bolt on. No spindle changes, and no MC changes.

There are a lot of cars running in prepared class in BMW CR that are doing very well with this kit.

so i just need the kit for the e36 and is going to fit perfect?

[mohaughn]

Pretty much. I say almost a bolt on application because in some cases you have to grind off this little nub on the top of the spindle where the adaptor mounts. Took about 5 minutes per side with a good angle grinder.



These have a center brace bolt where the other ones don't. They are also forged, which should be stronger than billet. These are not as good as the high end rotora, stoptech, or brembo calipers. But that is not what you had asked about. The good calipers run anywhere from 500 to 1000 for each caliper or more. Not really what we are looking for here. I've been able to find stoptech/centric rotors for this fitment at 86$ per rotor. Which is pretty cheap. Hawk HT10 pads are about 80$ as well. I think hawk hp+ were a bit less. So the price for replacement parts is pretty cheap.

A stock vs E46 M3 and caliper comparison photo. I don't think my original thread on this still has a good link.





I think they look great, and work very well. If you shop around smartly you can get an M3 conversion cheaper. But if you want new stuff with good support, I was very happy with the purchase.

[Jean H.318TI]

well im looking for something like rotora or brembo cause i want excellent performance and good looking but the wilwood looks hella nice 2, but i dont have a angle grinder so i think that is not an option i need something that fits perfect with no modifications.