Cooking my brakes!!!
Cooking my brakes!!!
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Discussion

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
I have a 320td compact. whenever im canein it the brakes over heat. i cooked my pads and warped the standers disks. so spent around 200 on esp grooved and drilled disks and grrenstuff pads. bedded them in for 300 miles and then went for a burn to c what the new brakes were made of!
after about 3 miles they where smoking again!!
And here is the question_ if i drive with the elecrtonic aids on. does the traction light in the middle of the dash flicker when the stability controle is acting ( appling brakes to different wheels) hense over heating my brakes??

would appreciate some opinions

cheers

chris

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all

It's more likely you pressing the pedal than the DSC.

Warping isn't normally caused by use/overuse. It's normally when the brakes are hot and are pressed against the disc at rest. Don't use the handbrake or sit at lights on the foot brake when the discs/pads are hot.

Smoking isn't necessarily a problem either. The real issue is fade. Are you finding the brakes less effective under hard use. I.e. the pedal travel gets further and the braking ability less?

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
The mind boggles at how you are driving a 320d sufficiently hard to cook the brakes.

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
Zod said:
The mind boggles at how you are driving a 320d sufficiently hard to cook the brakes.
+1

Which brakes are smoking? If it's a rear or one front it's more likely that you have a sticking caliper...

chazzer

383 posts

225 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
^^^^^^^^ yes even after a few laps of the track my standard brakes hold up very well with no after effects

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
noumenon said:
It's more likely you pressing the pedal than the DSC.

Warping isn't normally caused by use/overuse. It's normally when the brakes are hot and are pressed against the disc at rest. Don't use the handbrake or sit at lights on the foot brake when the discs/pads are hot.

Smoking isn't necessarily a problem either. The real issue is fade. Are you finding the brakes less effective under hard use. I.e. the pedal travel gets further and the braking ability less?
Yes the they fade alot. when i first had the car the brake pedal was solid and very strong but since i cooked the pads with the old disks and pads the brakes seem week. could it be anything to do with the brake fluid or....

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
Zod said:
The mind boggles at how you are driving a 320d sufficiently hard to cook the brakes.
lol true but tuned it a little and 200 brake and 325 Ft/Lb is quit enough to do the brakes in dont you think??

bimmer_87

205 posts

217 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
I think its the fact that you are using greenstuff, don't get me wrong, they're fairly good pads, i have a set on the front of mine, but they're not upto the job of hard use, try upgrading to red stuff pads, they're the next one up from green stuff.

Also a point to note, you have drilled rotors aswell, from what i've heard, under heavy use, they develop microfractures around the drilled holes and weaken the structure of the rotor, i suppose the severity of it would depend on manufacturer,

Shropshiremike

24,475 posts

233 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
Try bleeding the brakes through with Motul RBF600 or Castrol SRF, get some Pagid yellows on ......and then see what they're like.
If you've got 17" wheels you could perhaps go for 330 discs, calipers and master cylinder ( although I'm not sure if the E46 320td would need all those components swapped in ).

Either that or look at a BBK...............or how you brake!

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
Zod said:
The mind boggles at how you are driving a 320d sufficiently hard to cook the brakes.
lol true but tuned it a little and 200 brake and 325 Ft/Lb is quit enough to do the brakes in dont you think??
Track driving, certainly. Road driving, I'd be surprised.

dan101smith

17,050 posts

241 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
My M3 doesn't cook its brakes on the road with >300bhp and 260lb/ft so you shouldn't be.

Having said that, greenstuff pads are st, so first job is to bin them.

Second job is to look at your driving style to see whether you're braking effectively.

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
Yes the they fade alot. when i first had the car the brake pedal was solid and very strong but since i cooked the pads with the old disks and pads the brakes seem week. could it be anything to do with the brake fluid or....
If they are weak from cold, they're probably just glazed. Try deglazing them first. If that doesn't work, upgrade the pads. I prefer carbotech over EBC xxxx-stuff.

Fluid doesn't tend to deteriorate rapidly. If you're getting the pads to smoke, there is nothing wrong with the fluid!

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
noumenon said:
cthomas0305 said:
Zod said:
The mind boggles at how you are driving a 320d sufficiently hard to cook the brakes.
lol true but tuned it a little and 200 brake and 325 Ft/Lb is quit enough to do the brakes in dont you think??
Track driving, certainly. Road driving, I'd be surprised.
Planning on taking it to track days soon, only unitl i can get a half decent e36 m3 and the funding to do so, because lets be honest who want to take a deisel around a track ey. but i would be happy to take you out on the road in the old girl to ( in your words) supprise you when the damn things fade and smoke like no ones buisness.

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
dan101smith said:
My M3 doesn't cook its brakes on the road with >300bhp and 260lb/ft so you shouldn't be.

Having said that, greenstuff pads are st, so first job is to bin them.

Second job is to look at your driving style to see whether you're braking effectively.
Seems like thats what im gonna have to do then.. and get what pads thou. red stuff?

I think i brake effectivly, buts thats just my opinoin. whats your take on braking effectivly?

Going off on a tangent here but do you take the m3 to trackdays?

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
Planning on taking it to track days soon, only unitl i can get a half decent e36 m3 and the funding to do so, because lets be honest who want to take a deisel around a track ey. but i would be happy to take you out on the road in the old girl to ( in your words) supprise you when the damn things fade and smoke like no ones buisness.
How about some brake cooling ducts? Could be cheaper than big brakes.

Also as mentioned above, get an instructor to look at your technique.

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
I think i brake effectivly, buts thats just my opinoin. whats your take on braking effectivly?
Where do I start? Try this:
http://www.bentleypublishers.com/gallery.htm?code=...

Best way is to get out with a good instructor and he'll tell you straight away.

cthomas0305

Original Poster:

208 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
noumenon said:
cthomas0305 said:
Planning on taking it to track days soon, only unitl i can get a half decent e36 m3 and the funding to do so, because lets be honest who want to take a deisel around a track ey. but i would be happy to take you out on the road in the old girl to ( in your words) supprise you when the damn things fade and smoke like no ones buisness.
How about some brake cooling ducts? Could be cheaper than big brakes.

Also as mentioned above, get an instructor to look at your technique.
I thought they where standard on my car. there are ducts that run from the front bumper to inside the arch.?????

noumenon

1,282 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
I thought they where standard on my car. there are ducts that run from the front bumper to inside the arch.?????
Not sure that's going to work. The air needs to be pointed at the disc for it to work properly. Plenty of info out there for adding them to M3s.

e.g.
http://home.comcast.net/~biodan/cooling.html

dan101smith

17,050 posts

241 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
quotequote all
cthomas0305 said:
Seems like thats what im gonna have to do then.. and get what pads thou. red stuff?

I think i brake effectivly, buts thats just my opinoin. whats your take on braking effectivly?

Going off on a tangent here but do you take the m3 to trackdays?
Depends on your budget. I use Pagid RS29s, and for my M3 they're about £140 for a set of fronts.

Yes, I track my M3. It's an E36, with RS29s all round, standard discs, braided lines and uprated fluid. No fade at all, ever.

Forget brake ducts, it's the pads that are causing you problems.