[Salt101]

Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well during these strange times.

I need some advice please. I've done some reading up so have some idea what this process but could do with some more guidance.

I currently have an F30 320d lci M Sport. I have the standard brakes on the car.

Below is my current front brakes - 312mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=34_2314


Below is my current rear brakes - 300mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=34_2315


I've considered a few options:

1. Upgrading to the M Sport brakes (blue ones) with 340mm front and 345mm rotors at the back. Locally (or importing) its a costly affair. I can get a pair of used calipers but I need to factor in new pads and rotors plus possibly the flexi hoses as well (some sets here are sold with the flexi hoses). Then I need to ask if coding will be required - I am guessing so?



2. Sourcing a set of F30 335i front brakes - I can get a set (calipers, pads and rotors with flexi hoses) for a very good price. This is the silver/grey set - also 4 pot Brembo (essentially the same as the blue M Sport set that uses the 340mm rotors - I know there is a range that uses bigger ones though). Plan would be to refurbish and paint them blue. Then relocate my existing front brakes to the rear. The F30 335i model here has my front brakes at the back as stock. The other question remains - coding?



The reason for my mission is two fold - ONE is looks as I recently put on a set of 405m reps and now the stock brakes are even more obvious. TWO small upgrade to the stopping power - I am not expecting a massive upgrade here but a small one will do for me. Reason I would like to relocate the fronts to the back is they are bigger and I just fitted a new set of EBC redstuff pads.

My question is if I have the 4 pot brakes from option 2(caliper, rotor and pads), can I do a direct swap with the current brakes - will everything fit physically? And if coding is needed (which I think it is) is there a tried and tested guide that someone can refer me to please? Secondly, can I swap my current rear brakes with the front ones - will it fit? Hoping someone has maybe seen this done or done it. Again I guess coding will be needed for the rear swap as well.

Any comments or advice is welcome - thanks in advance.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by Salt101

Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well during these strange times.

I need some advice please. I've done some reading up so have some idea what this process but could do with some more guidance.

I currently have an F30 320d lci M Sport. I have the standard brakes on the car.

Below is my current front brakes - 312mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=8C52-EUR-08-2015-F30N-BMW-320d&diagId=34_2314


Below is my current rear brakes - 300mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=8C52-EUR-08-2015-F30N-BMW-320d&diagId=34_2315


I've considered a few options:

1. Upgrading to the M Sport brakes (blue ones) with 340mm front and 345mm rotors at the back. Locally (or importing) its a costly affair. I can get a pair of used calipers but I need to factor in new pads and rotors plus possibly the flexi hoses as well (some sets here are sold with the flexi hoses). Then I need to ask if coding will be required - I am guessing so?



2. Sourcing a set of F30 335i front brakes - I can get a set (calipers, pads and rotors with flexi hoses) for a very good price. This is the silver/grey set - also 4 pot Brembo (essentially the same as the blue M Sport set that uses the 340mm rotors - I know there is a range that uses bigger ones though). Plan would be to refurbish and paint them blue. Then relocate my existing front brakes to the rear. The F30 335i model here has my front brakes at the back as stock. The other question remains - coding?



The reason for my mission is two fold - ONE is looks as I recently put on a set of 405m reps and now the stock brakes are even more obvious. TWO small upgrade to the stopping power - I am not expecting a massive upgrade here but a small one will do for me. Reason I would like to relocate the fronts to the back is they are bigger and I just fitted a new set of EBC redstuff pads.

My question is if I have the 4 pot brakes from option 2(caliper, rotor and pads), can I do a direct swap with the current brakes - will everything fit physically? And if coding is needed (which I think it is) is there a tried and tested guide that someone can refer me to please? Secondly, can I swap my current rear brakes with the front ones - will it fit? Hoping someone has maybe seen this done or done it. Again I guess coding will be needed for the rear swap as well.

Any comments or advice is welcome - thanks in advance.

You done a lot of homework and have asked a lot of good questions. I'll try to answer in sections.

1) The front 340/Rear 345 calipers is a great setup. Don't fixate on the rubber hoses. You'll want to replace them will stainless steel brake lines anyway. A full set of StopTech's are $110.

Coding is required to set a new front/rear brake bias, unless you already had Brembo calipers installed which you don't. Dealers are ripoffs. It's a quick thing if you can find a local enthusiast with E-Sys. This is not a BimmerCode type of coding.

Best rotors to get are crossdrilled which is why BMW puts crossdrilled on M3/M4. See what crossdrilled rotors you can find locally. StopTech are the best. Avoid dimpled and slotted- just BMW marketing nonsense. They are noisy and tear up pads.

Pads are the most important brake component. Hawk 5.0 are the best. If you can't find them and SS brake lines in South Africa try Zeckhausen Racing since they ship internationally from the US. Avoid ceramics and BMW OEM. They are no better than average.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by Salt101

Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well during these strange times.

I need some advice please. I've done some reading up so have some idea what this process but could do with some more guidance.

I currently have an F30 320d lci M Sport. I have the standard brakes on the car.

Below is my current front brakes - 312mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=34_2314
[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/9r0Hvrt/Whats-App-I...t-12-52-27.jpg[/IMG]

Below is my current rear brakes - 300mm rotors
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=34_2315
[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/n6wqZfV/Whats-App-I...t-12-53-07.jpg[/IMG]

I've considered a few options:

1. Upgrading to the M Sport brakes (blue ones) with 340mm front and 345mm rotors at the back. Locally (or importing) its a costly affair. I can get a pair of used calipers but I need to factor in new pads and rotors plus possibly the flexi hoses as well (some sets here are sold with the flexi hoses). Then I need to ask if coding will be required - I am guessing so?

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/tYZPLSg/Whats-App-I...t-21-17-35.jpg[/IMG]

2. Sourcing a set of F30 335i front brakes - I can get a set (calipers, pads and rotors with flexi hoses) for a very good price. This is the silver/grey set - also 4 pot Brembo (essentially the same as the blue M Sport set that uses the 340mm rotors - I know there is a range that uses bigger ones though). Plan would be to refurbish and paint them blue. Then relocate my existing front brakes to the rear. The F30 335i model here has my front brakes at the back as stock. The other question remains - coding?

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/qBYYG5t/Whats-App-I...t-21-23-44.jpg[/IMG]

The reason for my mission is two fold - ONE is looks as I recently put on a set of 405m reps and now the stock brakes are even more obvious. TWO small upgrade to the stopping power - I am not expecting a massive upgrade here but a small one will do for me. Reason I would like to relocate the fronts to the back is they are bigger and I just fitted a new set of EBC redstuff pads.

My question is if I have the 4 pot brakes from option 2(caliper, rotor and pads), can I do a direct swap with the current brakes - will everything fit physically? And if coding is needed (which I think it is) is there a tried and tested guide that someone can refer me to please? Secondly, can I swap my current rear brakes with the front ones - will it fit? Hoping someone has maybe seen this done or done it. Again I guess coding will be needed for the rear swap as well.

Any comments or advice is welcome - thanks in advance.

2) Your front calipers can NOT be placed on the rear whether you have front 312mm x 24mm or front 330mm x 24mm.

The rear grey brakes that come with the grey front 340 calipers are 330mm x 20mm. If you buy the front grey 340 calipers then make sure to buy the rear grey 330x20 calipers with them.

The blue 340 calipers and the grey front 340 calipers are identical except for color.

Check the part numbers in realoem. You will probably have to replace your metal brake dust shields with larger ones. The fronts are simple bolt on replacements. Technically the rear shields require expensive labor but mechanics have a quick work around. They trim the shield to make it an easy bolt on procedure. See photo.

Also rear rotors come in two different hat sizes with two different handbrake sizes machined into them, either 160mm or 185mm. The larger is more common. You MUST buy rear rotors that match the handbrake size originally installed on your car. From your photo I'm guessing that you have 185mm. But check using realoem and your VIN as in attached photo.

Either F340/R345 or F340/R330 will be an improvement for your car. I have had both on my car. Both brake strongly. F340/R330 tend to nose dive under heavy breaking while F340/R345 will make the car squat flat and be a little more controllable with your brake pedal mashed to the floor.

F370/R345 will brake the same as F340/R345. The improvement is cosmetic will the appearance of a larger front rotor. If you are tracking the 370mm rotors have more mass so they are slower to fade.

Note: You MUST have a minimum of 18" wheels if you upgrade either your front brakes to 370mm or your rear brakes to 345mm. Neither of those fit under 17" wheels.

So if you have 17" wheels, forget F340/R345 and focus on F340/R330. That would be as large as you can go with those wheels.

Hope this helps.

[Salt101]

johnung I want to thank you sincerely for the information. It has answered all of my questions. I now know exactly what my options are. For the time being I've put this project on ice, I have decided to prioritize a few smaller cost items and get them done first - one being a rear diff oil change and iDrive screen upgrade to an Android one. I am thinking in the end I will go for the M Sport (blue) brake upgrade. So what I'll do is keep my eye open for some good deals and start buying the list of parts as I go until I have everything. Again, thank you sincerely.

[cfm56d7b]

@Salt101, you have been assisted by johnung, one of the most helpful forum members.

[Onizukachan]

340/330 take off from someone who upgraded their 335 to the mperformance.
Same hoses can be used. Same shields are used, your LCI has the larger bearings, larger handbrake and larger shields already.

You can run plastic/Teflon lines if you want, many people do but I prefer not to for durability expense and street safety reasons. I don’t feel like proactively buying new sets of Teflon lines every 24-36 months.

[MacklinUSOB]

A very cheap way to upgrade from the base brakes is to find a set of P337A calipers off of an MSport 28i car to support 330mm rotors. I paid 130USD for a pair off of a 228i MSport. The Zimmerman blank rotors are just 5$ more than the 312mm from FCP Euro and the same pads can be used/reused.

The only other part needed to complete the conversion are dust shields, I had already removed mine. Coding P337A is easy since that option shares the same 300mm rear assembly.

[Salt101]

Hi all,

So finally managed to get most of the kit assembled. Its taken a while but almost there now. Had a run with an Audi A3 TFSI40 the other day and when the time came to brake...my brake fade was terrible. I have stock brakes with red stuff pads up front - there was never any improvement for me with the red stuff pads over OEM pads.

Anyway - the one items I am now waiting for are stainless steel hoses and trying to source rear protection plates. Mine are the smaller ones - I also have the smaller hand brake - even though mine is an Aug 2015 build. So I first bought the wrong discs for the rear and then had to get the right ones with the smaller hat. From what I know its actually quite important to get the right protection plates as they are part of the cooling system for the brakes. I am not 100% sure what car the front plates I have came from but hoping they fit.

I have someone that will do the coding for me. I was keen on doing it myself but since I am solo on this the brake bleeding is a challenge - and we don't have the fancy pressure bleeding systems the guys in the US get So will get my BMW Specialist mechanic to do the upgrade for me.

I got the 340mm front calipers - not the 370mm - but I am happy with the 340mm set up - still a big upgrade especially going from 1 piston to 4 up front and from 1 to 2 pistons at the rear.

The calipers can do with a new coat of paint/powder coating but will do that soon. Right now my rear brakes are very much due for replacement so need to get the upgrade done first.

[WagonHo]

Originally Posted by Salt101

Hi all,

So finally managed to get most of the kit assembled. Its taken a while but almost there now. Had a run with an Audi A3 TFSI40 the other day and when the time came to brake...my brake fade was terrible. I have stock brakes with red stuff pads up front - there was never any improvement for me with the red stuff pads over OEM pads.

Anyway - the one items I am now waiting for are stainless steel hoses and trying to source rear protection plates. Mine are the smaller ones - I also have the smaller hand brake - even though mine is an Aug 2015 build. So I first bought the wrong discs for the rear and then had to get the right ones with the smaller hat. From what I know its actually quite important to get the right protection plates as they are part of the cooling system for the brakes. I am not 100% sure what car the front plates I have came from but hoping they fit.

I have someone that will do the coding for me. I was keen on doing it myself but since I am solo on this the brake bleeding is a challenge - and we don't have the fancy pressure bleeding systems the guys in the US get So will get my BMW Specialist mechanic to do the upgrade for me.

I got the 340mm front calipers - not the 370mm - but I am happy with the 340mm set up - still a big upgrade especially going from 1 piston to 4 up front and from 1 to 2 pistons at the rear.

The calipers can do with a new coat of paint/powder coating but will do that soon. Right now my rear brakes are very much due for replacement so need to get the upgrade done first.

Nice looking collection of parts! Looking forward to hearing about it being finished. Double check part numbers on the rear dust shields. I think I recall the base brakes' dust shield is the same - happy to be corrected before I take mine in for installation, thought.

[Onizukachan]

South Africa must be different, amd in retrospect I remember earlier 3 and 5 oft being so back when they had local assembly, since they started with big handbrake in 2014 ROW. But glad you have what you need.

[dmanb2b]

You are going to love the 340/345mm upgrade. It was a significant improvement on my tuned 340, so you should feel a significant improvement.

Touch-up paint for the calipers is B45 - ESTORIL BLUE METALLIC

Here is a cheap vendor I picked mine up from, not sure if they ship to SA, but any paint shop should be able to sell you some.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/351265997432?var=620430436506

[Amazinjoey]

Hijacking this thread, but has anyone tried out calipers from other F series cars ? Such as 5 or 6 series ?

[Onizukachan]

They aren’t Bolton so no. If you are going to have tomake adapters go Porsche.

[Salt101]

Hey everyone. Thanks for the feedback. So the upgrade was done. The only part not 100% is the rear dust shields. I could not find a set in time so the installer just bent them back slightly to clear the calipers. I've read it's a mission to get them off as the whole hub needs to come off. I've seen a workaround by making two cuts so will look at that.

However, my biggest issue is a spongy pedal. Brakes work, I've tested ABS too - activates normally. But the pedal is too spongy. Car was at a BMW dealer after for a brake fluid service too (the upgrade installer did flush the fluid but the car was due for the service and I wanted it logged on the idrive) and still spongy which ruled out my suspicion that maybe there was air in the system still. Now I'm thinking the coding wasn't the done right. The installer is confident they got it right. Wondering if possible for someone that knows to remotely connect to me car to confirm?