New E46 M3 owner - brakes?
Discussion
Pround new owner of my E46 M3 and have a question about the brakes if anyone can answer?
My other previous cars have been more modern (3 years old max) but the brakes on the E46 feel well below par and really have to stamp on them - is this a normal trait for a 7 year old car/E46?
They work ok but they just dont seem to bite half as good as my other cars.
Admittedly my previously car was almost 500kg lighter so the weight of the E46 is going to take some getting used to.
Car has full BMW service history and MOT until Dec.
My other previous cars have been more modern (3 years old max) but the brakes on the E46 feel well below par and really have to stamp on them - is this a normal trait for a 7 year old car/E46?
They work ok but they just dont seem to bite half as good as my other cars.
Admittedly my previously car was almost 500kg lighter so the weight of the E46 is going to take some getting used to.
Car has full BMW service history and MOT until Dec.
My firsts thoughts are that a previous owner may have fitted rubbish pads. In my experience these have the biggest single impact on brake performance. Fluid could also be past it's best or need bleeding.
My personal course of action would be to get the brake fluid changed for something decent as it could be past it's best.
I'd then change the front pads for something known to be good. Even the standard BMW pads aren't great.
For general fast road use I'd recommend Performance friction Z rated pads. Not overly expensive, work well from cold, can handle some heat without fading, low dust and low noise.
For the cost of a couple of tanks of fuel, your brakes should hopefully feel significantly better.
My personal course of action would be to get the brake fluid changed for something decent as it could be past it's best.
I'd then change the front pads for something known to be good. Even the standard BMW pads aren't great.
For general fast road use I'd recommend Performance friction Z rated pads. Not overly expensive, work well from cold, can handle some heat without fading, low dust and low noise.
For the cost of a couple of tanks of fuel, your brakes should hopefully feel significantly better.
When i first got my M3 i thought there was too much bite from the brakes,almost as if they were over assisted! Are you sure they are the oe pads? Maybe a harder pad has been fitted as the oe stuff can suffer from fade if used hard.I find the standard stuff fine with plenty of bite,feel and stopping power for normal road use.
Nedz said:
When i first got my M3 i thought there was too much bite from the brakes,almost as if they were over assisted! Are you sure they are the oe pads? Maybe a harder pad has been fitted as the oe stuff can suffer from fade if used hard.I find the standard stuff fine with plenty of bite,feel and stopping power for normal road use.
Agree with this. Standard pads are fine. It could just need a good clean up of the caliper slides which may be sticky.+1, the OE pads are the best for normal daily use. I run them in the CSL & they are great.
In my other M3 i have the PF pads & new OE discs & have to say that the feel is not that great, a bit wodden, lacking feel.
Avoid the Pagid pads unless you track the car or are deaf. They work well, but the squeal at low speed will drive you mad. I lasted a month & put OE pads back in.
In my other M3 i have the PF pads & new OE discs & have to say that the feel is not that great, a bit wodden, lacking feel.
Avoid the Pagid pads unless you track the car or are deaf. They work well, but the squeal at low speed will drive you mad. I lasted a month & put OE pads back in.
stabilio said:
Thanks all. After more time with car, brakes seem fine over 30 mph and have good bite. Its just a low speed they dont seem as good and have no idea how to check what pads they are!
Sounds like you have aftermarket pads. Get some oem pads in there along with a good clean up of the caliper and you should be more than happy.I'm not sure new rear discs alone will improve things that much but may help.
I would recommend a good clean up of the calipers, put some fresh OEM pads in, make sure the front discs are in good order (replace if they are worn too far ie, have significant 'lip' on the edge), fit some braided stainless steel brake hoses and fill with decent brake fluid (you won't go wrong with ATE super blue, available from Euro car parts for a ridiculously reasonable price).
The brakes should feel great after that. It could be that coming from newer cars, you are used to the over servoed brake feel that newer cars seem to be designed with. More bite for less effort but will not actually make them more powerfull.
One thing though. Don't be fooled by all the talk of upgraded pads. The OEM pads offer good performance for the road and have excellent bite, feel and retardation from cold. Many supposed upgrade pads don't offer the above, only increased resistance to fade when hot. In my view, the other traits mentioned are just as important (if not greater) for road use. Only on seriously tracked cars do this type of pad warrant use.
I would recommend a good clean up of the calipers, put some fresh OEM pads in, make sure the front discs are in good order (replace if they are worn too far ie, have significant 'lip' on the edge), fit some braided stainless steel brake hoses and fill with decent brake fluid (you won't go wrong with ATE super blue, available from Euro car parts for a ridiculously reasonable price).
The brakes should feel great after that. It could be that coming from newer cars, you are used to the over servoed brake feel that newer cars seem to be designed with. More bite for less effort but will not actually make them more powerfull.
One thing though. Don't be fooled by all the talk of upgraded pads. The OEM pads offer good performance for the road and have excellent bite, feel and retardation from cold. Many supposed upgrade pads don't offer the above, only increased resistance to fade when hot. In my view, the other traits mentioned are just as important (if not greater) for road use. Only on seriously tracked cars do this type of pad warrant use.
Edited by JTR32 on Tuesday 17th May 20:41
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