[snipagang]

I am currently in the process of tuning my 320 all the usual bolt on stuff. Very good results.

Only problem with the faster car is that the brakes just arent holding up. I have done a lot of research on engine and exhaust mods but none on brakes. Say I wanted to begin the process of upgrading my brakes. Where do I start? Rotors pads and calipers? Brembos? How do I know what fits etc.

Anyone who has info would be helpful.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by snipagang

I am currently in the process of tuning my 320 all the usual bolt on stuff. Very good results.

Only problem with the faster car is that the brakes just arent holding up. I have done a lot of research on engine and exhaust mods but none on brakes. Say I wanted to begin the process of upgrading my brakes. Where do I start? Rotors pads and calipers? Brembos? How do I know what fits etc.

Anyone who has info would be helpful.

Mine came with 370mm Msport brakes.. so I haven't really looked into it... but this looks like a good place to start.... the aftermarket rotors aren't bad I read... since your a 320i you should be able to get a way with the 340mm size...

https://www.bimmerworld.com/About-Us...-Sport-Brakes/

[smak168]

There are quite a few options and combinations of calipers. rotors and pads to improve brake performance. Just note there are components that will improve performance and there are components that just look cool.
With a 320...to my understanding the most finicky piece to ensure combability is the size of the hand brake/rotor hat when looking at aftermarket rotors.

There are several very good threads about this...from members with a lot more knowledge...

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by snipagang

I am currently in the process of tuning my 320 all the usual bolt on stuff. Very good results.

Only problem with the faster car is that the brakes just arent holding up. I have done a lot of research on engine and exhaust mods but none on brakes. Say I wanted to begin the process of upgrading my brakes. Where do I start? Rotors pads and calipers? Brembos? How do I know what fits etc.

Anyone who has info would be helpful.

What's your budget for the brake upgrade?

[tpoddar]

I would recommend a set of EBC Slotted Rotors and Yellowstuff pads. If you have a big budget, go in for a complete 370mm M Performance brake kit.

[bheng89]

I would recommend at least brakes that offer better bite like EBC Yellowstuff/Redstuff. If you want a size upgrade, you can retrofit 335i brakes if your car did not come with the 4/2 pot brakes from the factory.

[snipagang]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

What's your budget for the brake upgrade?

I know so little about rotors calipers etc I couldn’t even give you a reasonable budget.


$2000? Is that way too much? Way too little?

[snipagang]

Originally Posted by FastF30

Mine came with 370mm Msport brakes.. so I haven't really looked into it... but this looks like a good place to start.... the aftermarket rotors aren't bad I read... since your a 320i you should be able to get a way with the 340mm size...

https://www.bimmerworld.com/About-Us...-Sport-Brakes/

You got the sports package?

Big mistake not searching for that. This was my first car purchase. Did not know what I was doing lol.

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by snipagang

You got the sports package?

Big mistake not searching for that. This was my first car purchase. Did not know what I was doing lol.

Yes I have sports package... I didn't know either what I was doing... when I was in the market for a used 335i I went to look at 2 other cars but this models sells so fast within hours they were sold... My current car came up and the salesman called me.. I told him I'll buy it unseen... when I got there I was surprised and very happy when I found out the car was like brand new and had the big brakes...

$2000 is in the ball park plus labor... might get lucky looking in the classifieds for used calipers...

[Z K]

Originally Posted by FastF30

Yes I have sports package... I didn't know either what I was doing... when I was in the market for a used 335i I went to look at 2 other cars but this models sells so fast within hours they were sold... My current car came up and the salesman called me.. I told him I'll buy it unseen... when I got there I was surprised and very happy when I found out the car was like brand new and had the big brakes...

$2000 is in the ball park plus labor... might get lucky looking in the classifieds for used calipers...

OP just needs more aggressive brake pads. Short of lapping a race track for hours at a time, that's all most cars ever need for more stopping power. Brake pads and sticky summer tires make the biggest difference.

[Gidimba]

So I also have a 320i (2014) and I have the standard brakes on it.
I want to replace my break discs and saw that there are several sizes there.
checked out Zimmermann and they have the standard size of 300/22
but they also have 312/24 and additional sizes listed for my car.

how do I know what is the maximum size I can fit on the current calipers that I have?

[Boostedphil698]

Originally Posted by snipagang

I am currently in the process of tuning my 320 all the usual bolt on stuff. Very good results.

Only problem with the faster car is that the brakes just arent holding up. I have done a lot of research on engine and exhaust mods but none on brakes. Say I wanted to begin the process of upgrading my brakes. Where do I start? Rotors pads and calipers? Brembos? How do I know what fits etc.

Anyone who has info would be helpful.

You could always purchase the M Performance brake kit in red, yellow or orange. I have the yellow one of my 435i. Couldn't be happier with the performance of the brakes.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by snipagang

I am currently in the process of tuning my 320 all the usual bolt on stuff. Very good results.

Only problem with the faster car is that the brakes just arent holding up. I have done a lot of research on engine and exhaust mods but none on brakes. Say I wanted to begin the process of upgrading my brakes. Where do I start? Rotors pads and calipers? Brembos? How do I know what fits etc.

Anyone who has info would be helpful.

Not sure by this thread if you have made any brake upgrades yet. If you have an F30 320i with grey brakes you likely have front 312mm and rear 300mm brakes.

Your simplest upgrade with noticeable improvement would be to install Hawk 5.0 pads. Pads are the most important brake component and unfortunately the most overlooked.

Next would be to install crossdrilled rotors since they have the best bite and best braking in rain. Avoid slotted which are noisy and tear up pads.

I have part numbers so let me know if I can help.

Below is a recent post that I wrote with an overview of F3x brake upgrade options.

"I've done several F3x brake upgrades.

No matter what you decide- get Hawk 5.0 pads. They are superior to any other street pad and will make the biggest difference in your street braking performance.

You mentioned the BMW M Performance Brake Kit. That's great to obtain brand new Front 370mm and Rear 345mm calipers, but the front dimpled/slotted rotors that come with the kit are noisy and don't have the bite or rain performance of true crossdrilled rotors. The front and rear MP pads that come with the kit are average at best and put out sticky dust.

Guys do buy the MP Brake Kit for the looks because the calipers come painted red, orange or yellow. But there is no performance upgrade over the blue M Sport Brakes in 370/345. Calipers are identical except for color. And as I mentioned, there are much better rotors and pads to maximize the performance of the MPBK.

You can buy the MP kit to get brand new calipers and then sell the new front rotors to someone local because they are costly to ship. And sell the F&R pads. But you'd probably save money overall by buying a used 370/345 caliper set for about $1,100 in excellent condition.

Below is a recent post that I did that may help with all of the F3x brake upgrade levels.

"Okay, you have the same brakes that my car started with from the factory:
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers over 340mm x 30mm plain rotors. Rear 1-piston Bosch over 330x20 plain rotors.

So you have three brake upgrade options while staying within the BMW F3x brake family.

1) Keep your stock F340/R330 calipers but upgrade your brake components to maximize their effectiveness. Prices are list to give you a budget ballpark. I have specific part numbers but it would take too long to write them all.

I'm also not going to do the full explanation of why each specific part. Trust me that these are the best parts by far. I've been doing F3x brake upgrades for three years. These are list prices so probably 10% could be saved by catching sales. Other prices such as used parts and labor are average prices based on my experience.

Guys might chime in saying that other parts could be had for less. Of course, they could but most are crap compared to these parts and won't meet the goal of maximizing the street performance and safety of each of these brake upgrade steps.

Keep the stock calipers- Front 340/ Rear 330 and maximize the other components.

$300 Hawk 5.0 Pads
$635 StopTech Crossdrilled
$110 Stainless Steel Lines
$52 wear sensors, SS screws
———-
$1,100 List for Parts
$500 Labor inc replace fluid
———-
$1,600 Approximate Total

Note: If someone was upgrading using stock 328i brakes that have F312mm/ Rear 300mm calipers, the pad and rotor part numbers are a little cheaper for the same exact brands and models. About $115 can be saved. So the approximate total would be just under $1,500 parts & labor.

2. Upgrade rear calipers from 330mm to 2-Piston Bosch over 345x24 rotors
The F340/R330 caliper combination tends to nose dive under heavy braking. Beefing up the rear brakes will eliminate the nose dive. Instead with F340/R345, when you push the brake pedal to the floor, the car will squat under control to a full stop.

Additional Costs Above #1
+$500 Used rear 345 calipers
+$50 Hawk 5.0 higher cost
————
+$550 to upgrade rear calipers

3. Upgrade Front Calipers from Brembo 340mm to 370mm
This doesn't add much actual stopping power since the 340 & 370 calipers are nearly identical. What it does do is supplies a larger rotor with more mass to soak up heat to prevent brake fade from hard use. This difference is really apparent when driving hard or tracking. The bigger 370mm front rotors appear more substantial so there's the bling aspect!

Additional Cost Above #1 & #2
+$600 Used 370 Calipers

Note: If you have stock grey or blue front 340mm Brembo calipers they can often be sold for $300-$400. The blue will probably fetch $50 more than grey.

4. Maximize 370 Calipers
The front brakes do most of the work under hard braking. Even more performance can be gotten out of the front brakes with a true racing type full floating crossdrilled front rotor. The bite of these rotors combined with the bite of the Hawk 5.0 pads is just amazing on the street.

Additional Cost Over #1/#2/#3
$1,250 StopTech Crossdrilled Full Floating

Note: Sometimes calipers need painting or refinishing. There are two good options:
1. G2USA Caliper Paint which can be easily applied on the car. The cost including cleaning supplies varies depending on stock or custom color from $85-$150
2. Powder Coating- involves complete removal from car, disassembly, media blasting, powder coating, rebuilding with new seals, caps, pins and clips. Plan on 2-3 weeks and roughly $350 total parts & labor.

TO SUMMARIZE:
Estimated Parts & Labor

$1,600 Keep Existing Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$2,150 Upgrade Rear Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$2,750 Upgrade Front & Rear Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$4,000 Maximize F3x Brakes with largest Brembo calipers, best street performance pads, front race style full floating crossdrilled rotors and stainless steel brake lines.

Just to put these costs in perspective, next level up F3x Big Brake Kits with 6-piston front calipers and 4-piston rear calipers from StopTech, BremboGT and AP Racing cost between $6,500-$8,500 installed.

Hope this is a helpful overview to understand the upgrade levels of F3x brakes and the approximate associated costs to upgrade for maximum street braking performance."

[SD Convert]

Originally Posted by Gidimba

So I also have a 320i (2014) and I have the standard brakes on it.
I want to replace my break discs and saw that there are several sizes there.
checked out Zimmermann and they have the standard size of 300/22
but they also have 312/24 and additional sizes listed for my car.

how do I know what is the maximum size I can fit on the current calipers that I have?

For base brakes (silver calipers) the rotors are 312/24 in the front and 300/20 (originally mistakenly entered 300/22) in the back. There are different sized parking brakes (rear rotor has a drum in the middle for that), so you might want to check it before you order the rotors. For 2014, it's probably the small drum, but it's always a good idea to verify.

If you have blue calipers (indicates M-Sport brake option), the front rotors are 340/30 for the 4-cylinder cars but I don't know what the rears are.

I converted my 430i from base brakes to 370/30 & 340/24 (M-Sport on 340i/440i or M-Performance). This cost only a bit more than going to M-Sport brakes. Lots of details can be found here:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1747129

My suggestion depends on your goal. If you want a bit better braking, replace the pads and rotors. If you want a lot better braking, look at the thread I linked above.

In all cases, your brake lines are 7 years old. If the calipers are coming off, it might be time to replace the brake lines. Go with the braided-steel lines for a firmer pedal. In general, brake lines should be replaced every 10 years or so. The rubber lines are starting to flex a bit too much by then and the braided stainless are getting to the point where the wire braid might be getting weak due to metal fatigue. As cheap as they are, replacing them before they fail is probably a good idea.

As a general reminder, the more work you can do yourself, the farther your budget will reach.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by SD Convert

For base brakes (silver calipers) the rotors are 312/24 in the front and 300/22 in the back. There are different sized parking brakes (rear rotor has a drum in the middle for that), so you might want to check it before you order the rotors. For 2014, it's probably the small drum, but it's always a good idea to verify.

If you have blue calipers (indicates M-Sport brake option), the front rotors are 340/30 for the 4-cylinder cars but I don't know what the rears are.

I converted my 430i from base brakes to 370/30 & 340/24 (M-Sport on 340i/440i or M-Performance). This cost only a bit more than going to M-Sport brakes. Lots of details can be found here:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1747129

My suggestion depends on your goal. If you want a bit better braking, replace the pads and rotors. If you want a lot better braking, look at the thread I linked above.

In all cases, your brake lines are 7 years old. If the calipers are coming off, it might be time to replace the brake lines. Go with the braided-steel lines for a firmer pedal. In general, brake lines should be replaced every 10 years or so. The rubber lines are starting to flex a bit too much by then and the braided stainless are getting to the point where the wire braid might be getting weak due to metal fatigue. As cheap as they are, replacing them before they fail is probably a good idea.

As a general reminder, the more work you can do yourself, the farther your budget will reach.

FYI- the rear base brakes are 300mm x 20mm, not 22mm.

The F-Series brakes use a handbrake that is built inside the rear rotors like an old fashioned drum brake. Some earlier models use a 160mm handbrakes, while most use 185mm.

Rear rotors must be installed that match the size of handbrake that came on the car from the factory. See photo for simple way to know the correct size using the car's VIN.

[snipagang]

Originally Posted by johnung

Not sure by this thread if you have made any brake upgrades yet. If you have an F30 320i with grey brakes you likely have front 312mm and rear 300mm brakes.

Your simplest upgrade with noticeable improvement would be to install Hawk 5.0 pads. Pads are the most important brake component and unfortunately the most overlooked.

Next would be to install crossdrilled rotors since they have the best bite and best braking in rain. Avoid slotted which are noisy and tear up pads.

I have part numbers so let me know if I can help.

Below is a recent post that I wrote with an overview of F3x brake upgrade options.

"I've done several F3x brake upgrades.

No matter what you decide- get Hawk 5.0 pads. They are superior to any other street pad and will make the biggest difference in your street braking performance.

You mentioned the BMW M Performance Brake Kit. That's great to obtain brand new Front 370mm and Rear 345mm calipers, but the front dimpled/slotted rotors that come with the kit are noisy and don't have the bite or rain performance of true crossdrilled rotors. The front and rear MP pads that come with the kit are average at best and put out sticky dust.

Guys do buy the MP Brake Kit for the looks because the calipers come painted red, orange or yellow. But there is no performance upgrade over the blue M Sport Brakes in 370/345. Calipers are identical except for color. And as I mentioned, there are much better rotors and pads to maximize the performance of the MPBK.

You can buy the MP kit to get brand new calipers and then sell the new front rotors to someone local because they are costly to ship. And sell the F&R pads. But you'd probably save money overall by buying a used 370/345 caliper set for about $1,100 in excellent condition.

Below is a recent post that I did that may help with all of the F3x brake upgrade levels.

"Okay, you have the same brakes that my car started with from the factory:
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers over 340mm x 30mm plain rotors. Rear 1-piston Bosch over 330x20 plain rotors.

So you have three brake upgrade options while staying within the BMW F3x brake family.

1) Keep your stock F340/R330 calipers but upgrade your brake components to maximize their effectiveness. Prices are list to give you a budget ballpark. I have specific part numbers but it would take too long to write them all.

I'm also not going to do the full explanation of why each specific part. Trust me that these are the best parts by far. I've been doing F3x brake upgrades for three years. These are list prices so probably 10% could be saved by catching sales. Other prices such as used parts and labor are average prices based on my experience.

Guys might chime in saying that other parts could be had for less. Of course, they could but most are crap compared to these parts and won't meet the goal of maximizing the street performance and safety of each of these brake upgrade steps.

Keep the stock calipers- Front 340/ Rear 330 and maximize the other components.

$300 Hawk 5.0 Pads
$635 StopTech Crossdrilled
$110 Stainless Steel Lines
$52 wear sensors, SS screws
———-
$1,100 List for Parts
$500 Labor inc replace fluid
———-
$1,600 Approximate Total

Note: If someone was upgrading using stock 328i brakes that have F312mm/ Rear 300mm calipers, the pad and rotor part numbers are a little cheaper for the same exact brands and models. About $115 can be saved. So the approximate total would be just under $1,500 parts & labor.

2. Upgrade rear calipers from 330mm to 2-Piston Bosch over 345x24 rotors
The F340/R330 caliper combination tends to nose dive under heavy braking. Beefing up the rear brakes will eliminate the nose dive. Instead with F340/R345, when you push the brake pedal to the floor, the car will squat under control to a full stop.

Additional Costs Above #1
+$500 Used rear 345 calipers
+$50 Hawk 5.0 higher cost
————
+$550 to upgrade rear calipers

3. Upgrade Front Calipers from Brembo 340mm to 370mm
This doesn't add much actual stopping power since the 340 & 370 calipers are nearly identical. What it does do is supplies a larger rotor with more mass to soak up heat to prevent brake fade from hard use. This difference is really apparent when driving hard or tracking. The bigger 370mm front rotors appear more substantial so there's the bling aspect!

Additional Cost Above #1 & #2
+$600 Used 370 Calipers

Note: If you have stock grey or blue front 340mm Brembo calipers they can often be sold for $300-$400. The blue will probably fetch $50 more than grey.

4. Maximize 370 Calipers
The front brakes do most of the work under hard braking. Even more performance can be gotten out of the front brakes with a true racing type full floating crossdrilled front rotor. The bite of these rotors combined with the bite of the Hawk 5.0 pads is just amazing on the street.

Additional Cost Over #1/#2/#3
$1,250 StopTech Crossdrilled Full Floating

Note: Sometimes calipers need painting or refinishing. There are two good options:
1. G2USA Caliper Paint which can be easily applied on the car. The cost including cleaning supplies varies depending on stock or custom color from $85-$150
2. Powder Coating- involves complete removal from car, disassembly, media blasting, powder coating, rebuilding with new seals, caps, pins and clips. Plan on 2-3 weeks and roughly $350 total parts & labor.

TO SUMMARIZE:
Estimated Parts & Labor

$1,600 Keep Existing Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$2,150 Upgrade Rear Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$2,750 Upgrade Front & Rear Calipers- maximize street braking performance

$4,000 Maximize F3x Brakes with largest Brembo calipers, best street performance pads, front race style full floating crossdrilled rotors and stainless steel brake lines.

Just to put these costs in perspective, next level up F3x Big Brake Kits with 6-piston front calipers and 4-piston rear calipers from StopTech, BremboGT and AP Racing cost between $6,500-$8,500 installed.

Hope this is a helpful overview to understand the upgrade levels of F3x brakes and the approximate associated costs to upgrade for maximum street braking performance."

thank you for this