[steelerfan]

For as long as i could remember, i have wanted a Big Brake kit. I love nothing more than seeing a nice big caliper behind a nice wheel. It's just one of my favorite looks. And this might crazy, but many years ago when i was looking to changes cars, i thought it was pretty cool that BMW sold an OEM big brake kit.. And after I drove my 1st E46 BMW, it was a done deal. Fast forward many years later, I have finally installed a Big Brake Kit on one of my cars... It's not the 6piston/4piston setup I would have loved... but i'm really happy with the way this came out. And also, about 1/3 of the cost of a Stop Tech kit. You can find good deals if you look hard enough...

i really wished i had taken more photos during the install so i could share with you what i learned doing this install. I searched & searched & searched for a DIY & there really isn't one. I was really hoping to document this & create a DIY but the problem is, brakes are really freaking messy so i would have had to constantly be changing my gloves to grab my phone to take photos. And not only that, with a 1 year old & work travel schedule like mine.. getting 2 days to work on your car is next to impossible if i'm trying to keep the wifey from divorcing me (let me tell you, she was thrilled to have to move the brakes off the front porch b/c i was traveling when the second set arrived (i bought phoenix yellow 1st & them sold them... after i ordered the Red... . I find the best to ask for forgiveness method when i find a deal too good to pass up on.

i can answer any question you guys may have about install the brakes as I learned a lot researching this project & during the install itself. Install Rheingold, that really helped too.

Here is the front passenger caliper after I moved over the brake line:



Here is the front caliper installed with the front rotor. I had a really bad scrapping sound on my 1st test drive... oddly enough even though i swapped dust shields on the front... the new one got bent somehow & was rubbing the rotor on the back side. So after i bent that sucker away from the rotor, all was good.



That rear was a complete biatch to get off.. have no idea how mine could have been that stuck which my car has never seen the snow & i don't drive it when they salt the roads. Plenty of anti-seize will ensure that doesn't happen again. Now i had read some post about cutting the rear dust shield to accommodate the larger rotor.. I didn't have to touch the rear dust shield & the new one looked like the exact same (the front was definitely the same). I'm not sure if it's b/c i had a 335 or what but i was able to skip that whole part of the install which i wasn't sure how the heck i was going to get those off anyway. The electronic brake is built into the hub.

Unfortunately I didn't get any additional photos during the install, but here is a teaser of the post... I hope to get some good photos this week. They look absolutely amazing, and other than the OEM 437M wheels, by far my favorite mod.

:


It's hard to say at this point how the brakes are performing b/c i haven't properly bed them or coded them, compare to stock i don't think there is as much initial bite.. i'm trying not to step on them until i properly bed them & code the car. It's too early to judge, i just finished the rears today.

[lens]

Originally Posted by steelerfan

For as long as i could remember, i have wanted a Big Brake kit. I love nothing more than seeing a nice big caliper behind a nice wheel. It's just one of my favorite looks. And this might crazy, but many years ago when i was looking to changes cars, i thought it was pretty cool that BMW sold an OEM big brake kit.. And after I drove my 1st E46 BMW, it was a done deal. Fast forward many years later, I have finally installed a Big Brake Kit on one of my cars... It's not the 6piston/4piston setup I would have loved... but i'm really happy with the way this came out. And also, about 1/3 of the cost of a Stop Tech kit. You can find good deals if you look hard enough...

i really wished i had taken more photos during the install so i could share with you what i learned doing this install. I searched & searched & searched for a DIY & there really isn't one. I was really hoping to document this & create a DIY but the problem is, brakes are really freaking messy so i would have had to constantly be changing my gloves to grab my phone to take photos. And not only that, with a 1 year old & work travel schedule like mine.. getting 2 days to work on your car is next to impossible if i'm trying to keep the wifey from divorcing me (let me tell you, she was thrilled to have to move the brakes off the front porch b/c i was traveling when the second set arrived (i bought phoenix yellow 1st & them sold them... after i ordered the Red... . I find the best to ask for forgiveness method when i find a deal too good to pass up on.

i can answer any question you guys may have about install the brakes as I learned a lot researching this project & during the install itself. Install Rheingold, that really helped too.

Here is the front passenger caliper after I moved over the brake line:



Here is the front caliper installed with the front rotor. I had a really bad scrapping sound on my 1st test drive... oddly enough even though i swapped dust shields on the front... the new one got bent somehow & was rubbing the rotor on the back side. So after i bent that sucker away from the rotor, all was good.



That rear was a complete biatch to get off.. have no idea how mine could have been that stuck which my car has never seen the snow & i don't drive it when they salt the roads. Plenty of anti-seize will ensure that doesn't happen again. Now i had read some post about cutting the rear dust shield to accommodate the larger rotor.. I didn't have to touch the rear dust shield & the new one looked like the exact same (the front was definitely the same). I'm not sure if it's b/c i had a 335 or what but i was able to skip that whole part of the install which i wasn't sure how the heck i was going to get those off anyway. The electronic brake is built into the hub.

Unfortunately I didn't get any additional photos during the install, but here is a teaser of the post... I hope to get some good photos this week. They look absolutely amazing, and other than the OEM 437M wheels, by far my favorite mod.

:


It's hard to say at this point how the brakes are performing b/c i haven't properly bed them or coded them, compare to stock i don't think there is as much initial bite.. i'm trying not to step on them until i properly bed them & code the car. It's too early to judge, i just finished the rears today.

Nice!

I'm assuming when you do the brakes, you should apply a ton of anti-seize on the hubs? Anywhere else in particular you should put some more?

And what brand/type (copper/silver) anti-seize?

[ShawnOST]

Nice man! Looks great! That yellow kit is looking pretty good too...

[x328x]

Originally Posted by ShawnOST

Nice man! Looks great! That yellow kit is looking pretty good too...

looks nice especially behind the black rims

BTW did you have to bleed the brakes. whats the steps in regards to removing the brake line off the caliper

[VividRacingII]

They look really nice!

[steelerfan]

Originally Posted by chaungo

Nice!

I'm assuming when you do the brakes, you should apply a ton of anti-seize on the hubs? Anywhere else in particular you should put some more?

And what brand/type (copper/silver) anti-seize?

I did apply a nice thin coating of Anti-seize to the hub & that ring the wheel sits on if that make sense. I used the silver stuff you pick up at autozone

Originally Posted by ShawnOST

Nice man! Looks great! That yellow kit is looking pretty good too...

Thanks buddy.. hope your doing good.. Can't wait to see your ride in person, get those wheels on....

Originally Posted by x328x

looks nice especially behind the black rims

BTW did you have to bleed the brakes. whats the steps in regards to removing the brake line off the caliper

Thanks man.. they definitely stand out with the contrast. So we did bleed the brakes. I used one method in the front & one in the back. I have a motive self bleeder, wasn't really a one person job. It wasn't until i pumped the brakes did the fluid start really flowing.. then my buddy tightened the bleed screw as i was pumping the brake.. i could also tell when he tightened the screw mid pump, i could not longer press the gas pedal. Did the same in the rear except skipped the motive tool.

Here is a really good tip to do before you remove the brake line. i got this from Rheingold, BMW uses a special tool to lodge between the brake & front seat allowing you to press the brake pedal BEFORE you disconnect the brake from the caliper, almost no fluid leaks out that way. My special BMW tool was a push broom w/o the handle installed... I was so worried about that step b/c i thought brake fluid was just going to get everywhere, but as i stated, almost no fluid came out with the brake pedal pressed down

Here were the steps i did after getting the car on jack stands & wheels off:

1. Use tool/wedge to press down brake pedal
2. Remove brake sensor wire (on the two sides that have it installed)
3. While the caliper & pads are still holding the rotor, loosen the set screw holding the rotor (otherwise, the rotor will just spin once the caliper is off). Loosen screw but don't remove it
4. Remove old caliper off rotor & suspend with a hanger (do not disconnect the brake line just yet)
5. remove old rotor
6. remove dust cover backing plate
7. clean off the round hub with sand paper, spray down with brake cleaner
8. Now you have plenty of room to spin the old caliper off the brake line... Remember the exact position just before the caliper comes off the brake line.. set the old caliper down on the ground or your fluid catch tray in that exact orientation... this will allow you to start threading the new caliper without putting an twist in the brake line
9. Spin/Thread on the new caliper starting in the same position as the old caliper on the ground
10. Suspend the new caliper using the same hanger
11. For the 2 sides that have the brake sensor wire, now is a good time to remove the old cable & route the new brake sensor wire while you have the most room
12. Install new dust shield (my dust shields were the exact same btw)
13. Apply anti-seize to the hub
14. Install new rotor
15. Spin new rotor to make sure it does NOT contact the new or old dust shield... really wish i had done that step on the front driver side, would have save me a lot of time
16. Grease the pistons & non powder coated surfaces on the caliper BEFORE mounting the new caliper (Rheingold tells you to grease where the piston contacts the back of the pad & where the metal sides of the pads contact the rotor
17. Bolt on new caliper
18. Apply brake grease to the new pads
19. Connect brake sensor wire to the new brake pad
20. Install the brake pads in the caliper
21. Grease the new set pins
22. Run the top set pin through the holes & the brake pads
23. Install anti-rattle clip
24. Run the bottom set pin through the holes & the brake pads
25. Align anti-rattle clip in the middle, this will allow you to get the set pins all the way tapped in
26. I used a large allen driver as something to put on the pins so I could hammer them in from the back side. You have very little room to swing a hammer to get those pins all the way in the correct position
27. Tighten all bolts to the appropriate specs (on the front you can remove the brake line guide to give you room to get a torque wrench back there on the top bolt
28. bleed brakes (on the front you have 2 sides to bleed
29. stand back & admire you work...

Originally Posted by VividRacingII

They look really nice!

Thanks man!!!

[steelerfan]

I had a chance to code the car yesterday... I thought the brakes were improved until i had to really get on them yesterday. I definitely have air in my lines. i'm debating if i try to flush the system one more time in the proper order or take it to the dealership & have them flush it electronically & be done with it. Brakes are kind of an important thing. In fact, i think i'm gonna call them now to see if they can work me in this afternoon.

Took a few photos just before the BMW CCA meet last night





I was photo bombed by this chic walking by...

[ShawnOST]

Originally Posted by steelerfan

...In fact, i think i'm gonna call them now to see if they can work me in this afternoon...

Your car can hang with mine! Hendrick was slammed this morning, dropped my car off for them to take a look at the mushy pedal post BBK upgrade. Did you notice an improvement when you coded?

[yoandry]

Looks nice man. Im getting there to be ur twin. I need some of those wheel but 19"s

Also for you guys with the m performance brakes. I have this constant fluttering/ticking noise while driving. Very notice with the windows down and driving next to road dividers and walls. Went to the dealer today and they told me is normal as the rotors are drilled/dimples and air pass through. Pretty annoying. Here is the thread about it.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=826559

[steelerfan]

took some photos over the weekends while visiting the family for Easter...

[steelerfan]

Originally Posted by ShawnOST

Your car can hang with mine! Hendrick was slammed this morning, dropped my car off for them to take a look at the mushy pedal post BBK upgrade. Did you notice an improvement when you coded?

What's up Shawn... i was hoping you were going to be at the dinner last week. I didn't really notice much after coding but I did have the dealership do a brake fluid flush.. i did have air in my lines. They seem much more responsive now. Did they get you straightened out?

Originally Posted by yoandry

Looks nice man. Im getting there to be ur twin. I need some of those wheel but 19"s

Also for you guys with the m performance brakes. I have this constant fluttering/ticking noise while driving. Very notice with the windows down and driving next to road dividers and walls. Went to the dealer today and they told me is normal as the rotors are drilled/dimples and air pass through. Pretty annoying. Here is the thread about it.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=826559

What's up twin..lol.. my wheels are 19's... they are OEM 437M wheels. 19x9 et29 & 19x10 et40. New wheels will def. change the look of your car all though i will always like the 403m's

The weather has been great in NC the last few weeks & i've actually been home. Since i installed the Dinan CAI & Exhaust, i rarely ride around town with music on, i love listening the CAI spool up & the blow off valve releasing that air & the burble of the exhaust... I have not noticed any ticking noise what so ever.. I'm wondering if they didn't grease everything? i greased every thing as per the Rheingold instructions. Might could be the Anti-rattle clip???? Whatever it is, it's not normal & the dealership needs to find the source of that noise & fix it. Good luck & keep us posted.

[ShawnOST]

Originally Posted by steelerfan

What's up Shawn... i was hoping you were going to be at the dinner last week. I didn't really notice much after coding but I did have the dealership do a brake fluid flush.. i did have air in my lines. They seem much more responsive now. Did they get you straightened out?

Unfortunately I couldn't make it out this past week (think I finally have the invites sorted out as well).

They haven't fixed things just yet and they had my car all day Friday and Saturday and are still reporting the "mushy" pedal. They have informed me that they bled the system 2 additional times and the issue is still there. I am going to go tomorrow and ask to see the ISTA/P report showing that they ran the measures plan for the sport brake retrofit.

At this point, I'm wishing I had the OBD cable to do my own damn coding...

[Justinandwhat]

Originally Posted by steelerfan

For as long as i could remember, i have wanted a Big Brake kit. I love nothing more than seeing a nice big caliper behind a nice wheel. It's just one of my favorite looks. And this might crazy, but many years ago when i was looking to changes cars, i thought it was pretty cool that BMW sold an OEM big brake kit.. And after I drove my 1st E46 BMW, it was a done deal. Fast forward many years later, I have finally installed a Big Brake Kit on one of my cars... It's not the 6piston/4piston setup I would have loved... but i'm really happy with the way this came out. And also, about 1/3 of the cost of a Stop Tech kit. You can find good deals if you look hard enough...

i really wished i had taken more photos during the install so i could share with you what i learned doing this install. I searched & searched & searched for a DIY & there really isn't one. I was really hoping to document this & create a DIY but the problem is, brakes are really freaking messy so i would have had to constantly be changing my gloves to grab my phone to take photos. And not only that, with a 1 year old & work travel schedule like mine.. getting 2 days to work on your car is next to impossible if i'm trying to keep the wifey from divorcing me (let me tell you, she was thrilled to have to move the brakes off the front porch b/c i was traveling when the second set arrived (i bought phoenix yellow 1st & them sold them... after i ordered the Red... . I find the best to ask for forgiveness method when i find a deal too good to pass up on.

i can answer any question you guys may have about install the brakes as I learned a lot researching this project & during the install itself. Install Rheingold, that really helped too.

Here is the front passenger caliper after I moved over the brake line:



Here is the front caliper installed with the front rotor. I had a really bad scrapping sound on my 1st test drive... oddly enough even though i swapped dust shields on the front... the new one got bent somehow & was rubbing the rotor on the back side. So after i bent that sucker away from the rotor, all was good.



That rear was a complete biatch to get off.. have no idea how mine could have been that stuck which my car has never seen the snow & i don't drive it when they salt the roads. Plenty of anti-seize will ensure that doesn't happen again. Now i had read some post about cutting the rear dust shield to accommodate the larger rotor.. I didn't have to touch the rear dust shield & the new one looked like the exact same (the front was definitely the same). I'm not sure if it's b/c i had a 335 or what but i was able to skip that whole part of the install which i wasn't sure how the heck i was going to get those off anyway. The electronic brake is built into the hub.

Unfortunately I didn't get any additional photos during the install, but here is a teaser of the post... I hope to get some good photos this week. They look absolutely amazing, and other than the OEM 437M wheels, by far my favorite mod.

:


It's hard to say at this point how the brakes are performing b/c i haven't properly bed them or coded them, compare to stock i don't think there is as much initial bite.. i'm trying not to step on them until i properly bed them & code the car. It's too early to judge, i just finished the rears today.

Did u o through ABS bleeding on istad on your own? I had to go to dealer lol. The procedure on ISTAD was confusing.

[steelerfan]

Originally Posted by Justinandwhat

Did u o through ABS bleeding on istad on your own? I had to go to dealer lol. The procedure on ISTAD was confusing.

Now did you really have to quote the entire 1st thread to ask that question.... Sorry i couldn't resist...lol.. just busting your balls

You know man, i ended up having the dealer bleed my brakes. It wasn't worth me trying to get my car back up on jack stands, remove all my wheels again & risk a scatch... With the m performance front spoiler, I don't have racing ramps so I can't just drive up on my ramps that I have. It takes me just as long to get the car up on jack stands as it would to bleed the brakes. Sure you can do it with the wheels on but I just get frustrated trying to work on the brakes with the wheels still on.

I had an $100 service credit at the dealership so I just had them do it & happy I did.

[Justinandwhat]

Originally Posted by steelerfan

Now did you really have to quote the entire 1st thread to ask that question.... Sorry i couldn't resist...lol.. just busting your balls

You know man, i ended up having the dealer bleed my brakes. It wasn't worth me trying to get my car back up on jack stands, remove all my wheels again & risk a scatch... With the m performance front spoiler, I don't have racing ramps so I can't just drive up on my ramps that I have. It takes me just as long to get the car up on jack stands as it would to bleed the brakes. Sure you can do it with the wheels on but I just get frustrated trying to work on the brakes with the wheels still on.

I had an $100 service credit at the dealership so I just had them do it & happy I did.

Sorry bro. Just tried to make sure u got notification hahah. Yeah I tried but gave up.. Cost me like 220 though

[steelerfan]

Originally Posted by Justinandwhat

Sorry bro. Just tried to make sure u got notification hahah. Yeah I tried but gave up.. Cost me like 220 though

hahaha.. it's all good man.. that is just my pet peeve so i had to mess with you a little... guess i don't like scrolling through all the photos twice...lol...

Hey but look at all the money you saved from the actual install... wished i knew if they used the software to flush the fluid or just bleed the brakes like we would.

[M4_GTS]

Others have reported that the dimpled rotors make a noise when driving the car. Have you also noticed it?

[daberlin]

Originally Posted by M4_GTS

Others have reported that the dimpled rotors make a noise when driving the car. Have you also noticed it?

They definitely make noises; most noticeable when driving close to barriers/walls/other cars etc. It really doesn't bother me. Add it to all the wind noise, high pitched buzzing and door creaks, it fits in perfectly in the F30.

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by daberlin

They definitely make noises; most noticeable when driving close to barriers/walls/other cars etc. It really doesn't bother me. Add it to all the wind noise, high pitched buzzing and door creaks, it fits in perfectly in the F30.

I am trying to decide if I should install the set with the dimpled rotors or order an extra set of blank rotors. Too bad there is no one in my area with the kit that I can take a ride in to determine if I can put up with the noise.

[cncmastr]

I too always wanted a bbk and was so excited to have them on my F31. Congrats, it looks great. Have you noticed a braking difference?

I too have a toddler and a new born, to get the wife to let me spend a few hours on the car is mission impossible.

[wsoto]

I completed my swap in the weekend, but only had one issue. How adjust de manual brake?

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by wsoto

I completed my swap in the weekend, but only had one issue. How adjust de manual brake?

The rotors are the same as stock, so you shouldn't need to adjust the parking brakes. There are 2 different part number for the rear rotors (ending 598 and 600). The difference between the 2 is the size of the inner drums for the parking brakes.