Quick brake question re '06 e61 530i

[callahan]

Apologies for the common question on brakes, but the advice given on here, owner forums etc is pretty varied and I'm not sure what to buy.

I need front discs and pads in about 1000 miles and was thinking of going for the EBC Red Stuff pads and basic discs. However, ECP have a decent 50% off brakes until midnight which brings Brembos into the mix.

The car is used mostly by Mrs C for driving round town and the occasional fast road drive by me, but I thought new parts are always an opportunity to upgrade.

Any thoughts on the options available? I can probably stretch to £250 - 300 for the parts if necessary, but would rather spend less if possible. Cutting down the massive amount of brake dust, and therefore regular wheel cleaning, would be good.

[d_a_n1979]

callahan said:

Apologies for the common question on brakes, but the advice given on here, owner forums etc is pretty varied and I'm not sure what to buy.

I need front discs and pads in about 1000 miles and was thinking of going for the EBC Red Stuff pads and basic discs. However, ECP have a decent 50% off brakes until midnight which brings Brembos into the mix.

The car is used mostly by Mrs C for driving round town and the occasional fast road drive by me, but I thought new parts are always an opportunity to upgrade.

Any thoughts on the options available? I can probably stretch to £250 - 300 for the parts if necessary, but would rather spend less if possible. Cutting down the massive amount of brake dust, and therefore regular wheel cleaning, would be good.

I run Mtec grooved discs and EBC Yellowstuff pads on my 530i touring pal; even for every day road driving, they're very good indeed with solid braking, no squealing and great bite from cold

Mtec Brakes have been around a long time now; they offer great prices for discs and a good discount on EBC pads too, worth looking into IMO

Paired with decent braided lines (HEL, Goodridge etc) and a fluid flush and refill; you'll have a solid braking set up, with great brake pedal feel and confidence to boot

FYI Brembo blank discs are fine, their pads however are crap and very dusty. If I were to go 'ECP cheap' I'd look at Brembo blank discs and Mintex or Textar pads

[callahan]

Thanks, I'll have a look at them, not a brand I'd heard of before.

[thebraketester]

I have just done the same with ECP and got 50% of rear discs and pads. I went brembo discs because they are high quality material and come with painted bells, and pagid pads. ECP discounting is fantastic, you just have to be semi aware of the exact parts you are buying

Edited by thebraketester on Monday 4th November 00:02

Edited by thebraketester on Monday 4th November 00:02

[d_a_n1979]

thebraketester said:

I have just done the same with ECP and got 50% of rear discs and pads. I went brembo discs because they are high quality material and come with painted bells, and pagid pads. ECP discounting is fantastic, you just have to be semi aware of the exact parts you are buying

Edited by thebraketester on Monday 4th November 00:02

Edited by thebraketester on Monday 4th November 00:02

It can be; that's if they've not upped the prices beforehand which is a very common tactic of theirs

Also very much worth checking GSF and Carparts4less on their eBay stores, they can be even cheaper again and that's after the ECP discount code!

[callahan]

Thanks, that’s given me a few options to shop around and get a decent combo that’s an improvement over standard.

[callahan]

After much trawling through ebay I think these discs look good: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

I can't see where you can add Yellow Stuff pads, but could just get them direct.

[d_a_n1979]

callahan said:

After much trawling through ebay I think these discs look good: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

I can't see where you can add Yellow Stuff pads, but could just get them direct.

https://www.mtecbrakes.com/

Buy all from their website pal; you'll get their discounts then

Personally I'd stay away from drilled discs, just go for grooved or C Hook. More than adequate for road going cars and they help cooling and to keep the pad faces clean from any glazing after hard braking

To ensure you get the right size discs; put the last 7 digits of your VIN into the RealOEM website and it'll bring up your exact car; go to front axle and rear axle diagrams and it'll show you your parts, find the relevant front/rear discs and confirm their sizes (324mm or 348mm)

IIRC car will be 348mm, but best to confirm

Edited by d_a_n1979 on Thursday 7th November 14:00

[callahan]

Excellent, thanks. I'll get onto that tonight.

[Thepaperboy]

Worth checking carparts4less.co.uk. This is ECP but under a different name and is usually cheaper.