E36 M3 Evo Discs / Pads

[alanruss]

Hi all,

Just wondering what to get as the prev owner of mine had discs fitted that have warped a bit it seems and they judder when warm, so best to get them whipped off (I think only the fronts) and changed. Greenstuff pads I assume for the reduction of brake-dust, are there any good non dealer sources of discs for the M3?

Cheers in advance!

[cosworth330]

Evo's have the floating discs, all the aftermarket stuff is best avoided unless your going for a big brake kit like AP etc, none of the aftermarket discs are of the floating type except Performance Friction discs which are about £500 or so from randbmotorsport. Your best bet is to buy the original BMW 2 piece floating discs or if you want to go more expensive then Performance friction discs which are better. Don't bother with EBC pads either. I have just bought Performance friction pads front & rear from ASP trading & will buy genuine evo discs from the dealer & rear discs from GSF.

Simon.

[dan101smith]

Seconded - go for OEM discs at around £100 each, then some decent pads.

What's your budget?

[alanruss]

I don't have a specific budget, but didn't want to buy discs from the main dealer and then be told, oh you could have got these better and cheaper ones here.

Why not GreenStuff? The alloys were reconditioned to an awesome standard just before I bought it and they get COVERED in brake-dust about 10 miles into any trip!

edit: Also is it ok to fit front discs by a seasoned home mechanic or are there any nightmares / special tools involved?

Edited by alanruss on Tuesday 23 September 11:34

[dan101smith]

Somewhere on the EBC website it recommends that Greenstuff pads be used in lightweight cars with less than 200bhp. They simply aren't man enough to stop an M3 at full pelt! I've tried them, they're crap, and you can get much better for similar money.

Fitting front discs and pads is so easy even I can do it! The only thing to watch out for is you need a 6mm or 7mm hex (can't remember which, sorry) for the calipers, which isn't in every set.

[teabagger]

if you drive your car hard and use your brakes hard, you need genuine evo discs.
if you take it easy and dont push the car very much, go for aftermarket discs

i have warped and cracked aftermarket discs. the evo discs i have fitted now are still doing the job just fine.

how you drive your car also has an effect on what pads you should fit.

[mpwr321bhp]

After 10 years for running E36 M3's I alwasy ran std disks and pads, and never had any issues, though I didnt track the car, I also didnt popper around ;0)

[martinnitram]

Dont go down the EBC route, the pads are not to bad but the discs warp badly. I had the red stuff pads with EBC discs and when the discs warped i put standard M discs on.
They warped and tried to get them replaced under BMW warranty but they refused because of "use of non standard pads".

Any way i now stick to original discs and Jurid pads and ive had no problems, even on track days and the braking is just as good if not better as the red stuff when hot, but you also get decent stopping from cold.

[Disco_Biscuit]

When i was chatting to a Ring Taxi driver he was saying they run standard disks and Pagid yellow pads, good enough for a Ring Taxi

[alanruss]

Cheers guys. I will prob go standard, just when I had a 944 (ok 2.5 Lux) I did the front brakes for about £100 by being smart about it rather than booking it in for £400 if you know what I mean.

I'm looking at £346.59 Inc Vat for parts including some little sensor wire they recommend (its only £11.46 so why not). I can fit it myself but just remember having a few probs on some previous cars which come to think of it were FWD hence the extra probs.

[cosworth330]

discs & pads are easy to fit no special tools needed, if you want to save a bit you could get the pads from GSF but get the floating discs from the dealers.

[M3John]

dan101smith said:

Fitting front discs and pads is so easy even I can do it! The only thing to watch out for is you need a 6mm or 7mm hex (can't remember which, sorry) for the calipers, which isn't in every set.

As mentioned above `tis an easy job to do. 7mm hex bit is what you need which is an unusual size - not included in allen key sets usually or most hex drive sets so check you have it before you whip the wheels off.


M3J.

[jamesm3]

I would stick to oem discs and pads. Iv'e tried allsorts and think that the original stuff is hard to beat.

[dan101smith]

jamesm3 said:

I would stick to oem discs and pads. Iv'e tried allsorts and think that the original stuff is hard to beat.

The standard pads are easy to beat, assuming you use the car hard or ever take it near a track.

[jamesm3]

dan101smith said:

jamesm3 said:

I would stick to oem discs and pads. Iv'e tried allsorts and think that the original stuff is hard to beat.

The standard pads are easy to beat, assuming you use the car hard or ever take it near a track.

Yes I would probably agree, however I never tracked mine. I just feel on the road the standard pads have a nicer progressive feel to them.

[alanruss]

I have decided to get myself the discs, pads and wire as an Xmas pressie to myself (the car isn't my daily driver, and is getting really quite juddery).

So I understand from the BMW Car Club GB when I talked to the guys that the discs can be sourced as BMW originals from eurocarparts a bit cheaper? I don't mind paying the full whack for my car for the bits.

Also, stopping power aside, I am lazy and within 10 miles my wheels are really quite filthy and I am jelous of people posting up pics of their cars looking ace with shiny wheels. So... any pads that don't hoof out quite so much dust?? I'd hate for them to squeal / not work from cold though..

[Loud Pedal]

Just in case you're interested, i've got a standard pair of z3mc discs(same as m3 evo) that are like new, having only done about 2000miles and are all straight etc, that i would sell for £100 plus postage.

[alanruss]

Loud Pedal said:

Just in case you're interested, i've got a standard pair of z3mc discs(same as m3 evo) that are like new, having only done about 2000miles and are all straight etc, that i would sell for £100 plus postage.

Hmmm v interested.. if you are in Surrey somewhere I might even be able to pick them up save the postage costs / hassle, I imagine they are fairly heavy! I will PM you aftr I have had a chance to mention it to the old man..

[ASBO]

Just to echo the sentiments here. Discs for the M3 are best kept OEM. I speak from experience and wouldn't ever go down the cheap, solid disc, aftermarket route. They can't cope with the heat and tend to warp or crack all too easily.

Best bet is to fit Pagid pads, braided hoses and uprated fluid. 25 fade free laps of the 'Ring can't be wrong.

[alanruss]

ASBO said:

Just to echo the sentiments here. Discs for the M3 are best kept OEM. I speak from experience and wouldn't ever go down the cheap, solid disc, aftermarket route. They can't cope with the heat and tend to warp or crack all too easily.

Best bet is to fit Pagid pads, braided hoses and uprated fluid. 25 fade free laps of the 'Ring can't be wrong.

I agree. I'm only going to clock 4000mls per year too so should last a long time so may as well go for quality. Mine vibrate like a bh under heavy breaking after a while. Not really going to drive it till I've done them. This is super lazt I know, how much are the braided hoses? Mine had 110K on it, so prob worth doing them at the same time, I'll have a look through the bill and see if they've been done recently though..

Pagid pads... do they work ok from cold and also what about the brake dust. I hate getting out after 20 mins and seeing my wheels all dusty. 200 miles fine.. not 20!