[Grassimo]

So I'm starting a bunch of upgrades now and currently want to get bigger brakes, mainly because my current stock non m sport ones are rusted everywhere.

Also going to be increasing power to stage 2 eventually so seems like big brakes is the best option.

My euro shop is looking for M sport blue caliper ones used but so far no luck.

My question is are there any other alternatives that perform as well for same size brakes?

[cfm56d7b]

Grassimo, what's your budget for the brakes project?

[SD Convert]

For M-Sport brakes:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1747129

For the even larger M-series brakes:
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1905900

Both of these use the same calipers. If you can find them used at a reasonable price and rebuild them, that's the way to go. If you can't, the M-Performance kit is probably the best path, but blue calipers aren't available (same caliper but different colors).

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by SD Convert

For M-Sport brakes:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1747129

For the even larger M-series brakes:
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1905900

Both of these use the same calipers. If you can find them used at a reasonable price and rebuild them, that's the way to go. If you can't, the M-Performance kit is probably the best path, but blue calipers aren't available (same caliper but different colors).

Awesome thank you. Had some good luck though they just found them lmao... got a full set of blue second hand

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

Awesome thank you. Had some good luck though they just found them lmao... got a full set of blue second hand

your 440i front grey calipers are the same as the used m-sport blue front calipers you have obtained. you will need to obtain 345mmx24mm rear rotors for the m-sport blue rear calipers and appropriate pads.

[SD Convert]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

Awesome thank you. Had some good luck though they just found them lmao... got a full set of blue second hand

The front blue calipers are available in both 340MM and 370/380MM. The base front brakes on a 440i would have been 340MM. Please check the casting information on the back of the caliper to see which size they're for.

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by SD Convert

The front blue calipers are available in both 340MM and 370/380MM. The base front brakes on a 440i would have been 340MM. Please check the casting information on the back of the caliper to see which size they're for.

Yeah I'm getting the bigger ones as mine are the smaller grey ones, I have no track package on my car

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

your 440i front grey calipers are the same as the used m-sport blue front calipers you have obtained. you will need to obtain 345mmx24mm rear rotors for the m-sport blue rear calipers and appropriate pads.

They are selling me Zimmerman disks and akibono pads iirc

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

Yeah I'm getting the bigger ones as mine are the smaller grey ones, I have no track package on my car

the base 440i has 340mm rotors with grey calipers, they are the same size and use the same pads as the blue calipers. the same caliper is used for the blue w/340mm or m-perf w/370mm rotor, except there's a different mounting bracket when the caliper is used with the 370mm rotor.

because the 370mm diameter has more mass, it is better for managing heat while circuit tracking, however if you aren't doing that 340mm is plenty for spirited w/ocnl dig race, as it's using the same pads. however if you like the 370mm aggressive appearance behind the spokes, i understand.

They are selling me Zimmerman disks and akibono pads iirc

fyi, zimmerman 1-piece are heavy. the 370mm 1-piece is super heavy at 29lbs, albeit reasonably priced. that mass increases rotating and unsprung weight, something to think about. for pads consider hawk street 5.0 pads.

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

fyi, zimmerman 1-piece are heavy. the 370mm 1-piece is super heavy at 29lbs, albeit reasonably priced. that mass increases rotating and unsprung weight, something to think about. for pads consider hawk street 5.0 pads.

I'm not to bothered by weight unless it bad for the car? I prefer the look and in Canada we got crazy winters so I prefer the anti rust about Zimmerman.

And yeah I really want the bigger disks for look as well, I prefer when the wheel is filled fully or close too.

Also my current ones have rust all over in the back and they said they can't powercoat those because they're open calipers or something?

I much prefer them for looks anyways as well as getting a bit better performance so I'm ok with that.

Hawk streets are the best pads?

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

I'm not to bothered by weight unless it bad for the car? I prefer the look and in Canada we got crazy winters so I prefer the anti rust about Zimmerman. And yeah I really want the bigger disks for look as well, I prefer when the wheel is filled fully or close too. I much prefer them for looks anyways as well as getting a bit better performance so I'm ok with that.

weight is always bad, but sometimes you have to compromise if you desire appearance in this case. i like the filled look of the 370mm as well. the braking performance gain is negligible except if circuit tracking.

Hawk streets are the best pads?

imo, OEM semi metallic work the best but they have a lot of dust. i believe hawk street 5.0 are the best aftermarket for sporty+daily with low dust. as always you should do your own research on the matter. if you decide on akebono, give us some feedback about'em later.

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

imo, OEM semi metallic work the best but they have a lot of dust. i believe hawk street 5.0 are the best aftermarket for sporty+daily with low dust. as always you should do your own research on the matter. if you decide on akebono, give us some feedback about'em later.

Heavy disks are bad for the car health or just for performance?

I'll look into the pads in that case, but what other option would you recommend for disks?

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

Heavy disks are bad for the car health or just for performance? I'll look into the pads in that case, but what other option would you recommend for disks?

heavy is bad for just performance and more weight for the shock/spring. you won't be able to notice this so don't worry too much about it.

some other rotor options are bmw genuine plain 370mm or M-performance dimpled+slotted. they are lighter and cost a lot more than zimmerman, though. if you go on ECS tunings site and insert your car, you can see other rotors available.

also you'll need to see what calipers you have. if your shop got them from a 340/345 setup you'll need different caliper brackets to run the 370mm rotor. the brackets essentially move the caliper radially outward 15mm to accomodate the 370mm diameter.

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

heavy is bad for just performance and more weight for the shock/spring. you won't be able to notice this so don't worry too much about it.

some other rotor options are bmw genuine plain 370mm or M-performance dimpled+slotted. they are lighter and cost a lot more than zimmerman, though. if you go on ECS tunings site and insert your car, you can see other rotors available.

also you'll need to see what calipers you have. if your shop got them from a 340/345 setup you'll need different caliper brackets to run the 370mm rotor. the brackets essentially move the caliper radially outward 15mm to accomodate the 370mm diameter.

They got me the big calipers so I'll look into the difference of OEM. Dimple and slotted don't make noise do they?

And I'll be adding springs and bilstein coilovers eventually, will that help with the higher weighted zimmerman disks?

Thanks a bunch for all the info btw man, super helpful!

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by Grassimo

They got me the big calipers so I'll look into the difference of OEM. Dimple and slotted don't make noise do they? And I'll be adding springs and bilstein coilovers eventually, will that help with the higher weighted zimmerman disks? Thanks a bunch for all the info btw man, super helpful!

awesome, no need to worry about the bracket.

i believe slots are slightly noisier and may wear your pads faster, but it may afford better performance from a cleaner pad face and less chance of grooving from trapped contaminants. a cross drilled only 370 would be the best, but i don't think it exists.

a stiffer suspension will help offset weight but lighter is better, regardless. i'm a weight fanatic so don't worry about my opinion on weight. enjoy your bbk and post pics after install.

[Grassimo]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

awesome, no need to worry about the bracket.

i believe slots are slightly noisier and may wear your pads faster, but it may afford better performance from a cleaner pad face and less chance of grooving from trapped contaminants. a cross drilled only 370 would be the best, but i don't think it exists.

a stiffer suspension will help offset weight but lighter is better, regardless. i'm a weight fanatic so don't worry about my opinion on weight. enjoy your bbk and post pics after install.

Amazing thanks again man.

I havent posted any pics cause of all the rust on the brakes before but after upgrades I definitely will haha.

Have a good one man!

[SD Convert]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

the base 440i has 340mm rotors with grey calipers, they are the same size and use the same pads as the blue calipers. the same caliper is used for the blue w/340mm or m-perf w/370mm rotor, except there's a different mounting bracket when the caliper is used with the 370mm rotor.

Almost but not quite.

There are two different castings (actually, 2 right and 2 left) for the front 4-piston calipers.

One casting is used for 340MM rotors and has "340" cast into the back. This caliper is available in blue and grey. The grey caliper is the base caliper on the 335i, 340i, 435i and 440i cars. The blue caliper is the M-Sport caliper on 320i, 330i and a few others.

The other casting is used for 370MM rotors on non-M cars and 380MM rotors on M cars, and has "370/380" cast in the back. The blue caliper is the M-Sport caliper on the 335i, 340i, 435i and 440i cars, and is used on the M3/4 cars. It's also available in red and yellow as part of the M-Performance kit.

The knuckle on the M cars moves the caliper mount 5MM away from the hub, allowing the larger rotor. There's an aftermarket adapter bracket that can be purchased for non-M cars to allow the 380MM rotors to be used.

I don't know what the M2 cars use for calipers/rotors.

[alohasurftoad]

Ah...thx for the info. So the 370/380 calipers are larger. I was informed the 340 and 370 use the same pads. Is this still true?
.

[SD Convert]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

Ah...thx for the info. So the 370/380 calipers are larger. I was informed the 340 and 370 use the same pads. Is this still true?
.

The difference is that the mounting ears on the caliper for the 370/380 rotors are longer than on the calipers for the 340 rotors. They all use the same pistons, pads and related parts.

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by SD Convert

The difference is that the mounting ears on the caliper for the 370/380 rotors are longer than on the calipers for the 340 rotors. They all use the same pistons, pads and related parts.

thanks for clarifying SD. important to divulge accurate info to those inquiring in the future.

[danb1979]

IMO if you can get the 370/345 brake set up it's worth going for.. I run this (factory fitted) on my F31 with OEM M Performance discs (slotted / dimpled) with OEM pads and have found the braking to be superb...

Yes there's a slight noise when braking hard but it's hardly there and there's a bit more dust. But ceramic coated wheels aid a lot towards that as they need a simple rinse to be clean again...

But the same discs or blanks with more aggressive pads (ie Ferodo DS2500s as an example) with braided lines and a decent fluid flush and refill will soon have you're brakes working superbly...

Personally I'd avoid anything EBC pads wise. They're crap and I've never had any good experience with their pads over the years.

Pagid RSL29s are meant to be superb. I've never run them but a lot of folk I know who do track days in their road cars swear by them (with OEM discs or the likes of Zimmerman, ATE etc)