brake upgrade clearance

[nyle]

Ok. I ran into a situation where i need to replace my calipers/rotors. I saw online that 97 318i calipers/rotors run about the same price. Is there a size difference here? worth the upgrade? I run the stock sport wheels 3 season, and in the winter i have 15" steels. I figure if it will cost the same I will upgrade, I just want to make sure it fits first.

[cooljess76]

Late '98 Ti's came with vented rotors. IIRC, they're the same size as the 325/328 rotors. Of course this would require calipers as well since the earlier model Ti's came with solid non-vented rotors and the calipers are smaller. I believe the 325/328 brakes will fit in a 15" wheel, but I'm certain that M3 brakes require 17" or larger. The vented rotors are a good and fairly easy upgrade. M3 brakes would require swapping spindles and caliper carriers as well as calipers and rotors. Also FWIW, non-M e46 brakes will bolt right up to the Ti, so if you wanted larger vented rotors the e46 330 brakes would be a nice setup, but keep in mind you'll need bigger wheels for them to fit. IMO, e36 M3 brakes are the best upgrade for the money. They use a thicker/beefier rotor and the calipers use larger pistons than the e46 330. The rotors are a couple mm's smaller in diameter, but the e36 M3 brakes will offer better performance.

[dave45056]

Don't forget the caliper carriers. Ti's use part no 34111164221 which is different than the 325/328 brakes. I think the width of the slot the rotor fits thru is narrower on the ti version.