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      02-14-2013, 05:00 PM   #6
DieselRocket
First Lieutenant
United Kingdom
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Drives: 435d M Sport
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Bristol

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Hi Derek,

Are you talking about the full-on M Performance brakes at circa £2,500 for the kit? If so, these are very serious brakes with big vented & drilled discs and 6-piston callipers. Great stuff, but I think you'd need to be looking at sustained periods of very hard driving to justify the cost over the much cheaper M Sport upgrade.

I went for the Sport brake upgrade and they're a big step up on the standard brakes fitted to M Sport cars (already very decent). The discs are still huge (370mm I think), vented but not drilled. You get beefier 4-piston callipers at the front. Slightly naff blue paint on the callipers, but you barely notice that. Compared to standard brakes, the feel is 100% improved, with a much firmer pedal and shorter travel. There is no grab whatsoever and I'd say these brakes feel more natural and easier to control than standard, so your wife will be happy.

BTW mine took a surprisingly long time to bed in, with the pedal feeling too soft for my taste in Eco Pro and Comfort and a little hard to feather smoothly to a stop until I got to 1500 miles. Totally smooth and rock solid now and I'm very impressed by how well they compare to much more expensive after market big brake kits. I fitted AP Racing big brake kits (similar level to the M Performance brakes) to my last two BMWs. They transform the feel of a car and I was worried about driving the F30 with lower spec brakes, but I don't miss the the APs with the M Sport upgrade.

The other nice thing on the M Sport brakes is that the pedal firms up more in Sport mode - superb feel, excellent control and more than enough stopping power. You won't need any more unless you're doing a runner from the fuzz.

The M Sport brakes are a £570 option - good value if you want excellent brakes without breaking the bank.
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