F31-Best brake upgrade for the money?

Maxwagen · 10-04-2018, 08:30 AM

So I have the standard bone-stock brakes on my F31 330i. My last car was a Focus ST which had enough pedal feel and brake bite to put your passenger's teeth into the dashboard. This is my first BMW, and I'm rather underwhelmed by the brake performance, particularly because I had always heard that BMWs had pretty legendary braking feel. I like a stiff brake pedal, but these just don't seem to have a lot of power.

If I were to ever upgrade, other than just putting on performance pads (which I'm fairly certain could be the best performance/$ solution) what are the gains/feel like when going > M-sport brakes (340mm gray ones on the 340i) or all the way to the 370mm M-performance brakes?

Car won't forseeably be tracked, so I'm mostly interested in street performance. More initial bite over long-term heat dissipation.

D041987 · 10-04-2018, 02:27 PM

I am in the same boat as you. Got the standard brakes and I know they are not meant for performance but looking for brake pads that might give best of both worlds to hold me over till next year and than upgrade to M-Performance 370MM Front 345mm rear brakes.

Solidjake · 10-04-2018, 02:28 PM

Can't tell you which pads give the best bite but I would get stainless steel lines and flush the entire system with new brake fluid with a power bleeder.

tpliquid · 10-04-2018, 04:36 PM

cheaper to get the 340 brakes.

bigger rotors going to caus your car to accelerate slower.

Maxwagen · 10-04-2018, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpliquid

cheaper to get the 340 brakes.

bigger rotors going to caus your car to accelerate slower.

Do you know if there is an appreciable braking effect from upgrading to the 340i brakes? I mean they don't look terribly hot so it can't be just for looks. 😂

tpliquid · 10-04-2018, 06:26 PM

Maybe initial grab would be better. Other than that nope.

Bigger brakes good for when you do multiple hard braking. More surface area to absorb /heat so they won't fade.

FaRKle! · 10-04-2018, 06:43 PM

The pedal feel with the larger brakes is worse IMO. With the stock brakes the pedal goes firm pretty quickly, and is easy to modulate from there. With the Brembos the pedal is mushier and overall has less feedback. It doesn't firm up like the standard brakes do till much later in the travel (when you're stopping HARD). Yes, I coded the larger brakes appropriately when I did the swap on my car.

Unless you're tracking, you probably won't notice any difference between the 340 and 370mm brakes.

nissanite · 10-04-2018, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwagen

So I have the standard bone-stock brakes on my F31 330i. My last car was a Focus ST which had enough pedal feel and brake bite to put your passenger's teeth into the dashboard. This is my first BMW, and I'm rather underwhelmed by the brake performance, particularly because I had always heard that BMWs had pretty legendary braking feel. I like a stiff brake pedal, but these just don't seem to have a lot of power.

If I were to ever upgrade, other than just putting on performance pads (which I'm fairly certain could be the best performance/$ solution) what are the gains/feel like when going > M-sport brakes (340mm gray ones on the 340i) or all the way to the 370mm M-performance brakes?

Car won't forseeably be tracked, so I'm mostly interested in street performance. More initial bite over long-term heat dissipation.

I have the set from my 2016 340i. Pads have over half remaining. $575.

Best price upgrade and should be a big improvement over your equipment.

They will work with 18" wheels. Best price I found on the M Performance was over $2k

Maxwagen · 10-04-2018, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nissanite

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwagen

So I have the standard bone-stock brakes on my F31 330i. My last car was a Focus ST which had enough pedal feel and brake bite to put your passenger's teeth into the dashboard. This is my first BMW, and I'm rather underwhelmed by the brake performance, particularly because I had always heard that BMWs had pretty legendary braking feel. I like a stiff brake pedal, but these just don't seem to have a lot of power.

If I were to ever upgrade, other than just putting on performance pads (which I'm fairly certain could be the best performance/$ solution) what are the gains/feel like when going > M-sport brakes (340mm gray ones on the 340i) or all the way to the 370mm M-performance brakes?

Car won't forseeably be tracked, so I'm mostly interested in street performance. More initial bite over long-term heat dissipation.

I have the set from my 2016 340i. Pads have over half remaining. $575.

Best price upgrade and should be a big improvement over your equipment.

They will work with 18" wheels. Best price I found on the M Performance was over $2k

$575 for all four corners? I'd jump on it if I was ready, but I wanna at least burn through the current pads before I upgrade anything.

N420i · 10-05-2018, 03:18 AM

I just finished installing the M-sport brembos (340 front, 345 rear) along with EBC Blue pads and braided lines on my 420i and the improvement is MASSIVE, even before coding. So good in fact that I'm really thinking about skipping the coding altogether.
Initial bite is much superior, pedal feel is good (although as mentioned above, paradoxically big-ass brakes almost always mean softer pedal feel and longer travel compared to the small, stock single piston calipers) and the stopping distance has been reduced significantly.

I too was shocked at the lack of power of the stock brakes. They were much, much better on a CLA250 Merc I rented for a few days recently.

Maxwagen · 10-05-2018, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N420i

I just finished installing the M-sport brembos (340 front, 345 rear) along with EBC Blue pads and braided lines on my 420i and the improvement is MASSIVE, even before coding. So good in fact that I'm really thinking about skipping the coding altogether.
Initial bite is much superior, pedal feel is good (although as mentioned above, paradoxically big-ass brakes almost always mean softer pedal feel and longer travel compared to the small, stock single piston calipers) and the stopping distance has been reduced significantly.

I too was shocked at the lack of power of the stock brakes. They were much, much better on a CLA250 Merc I rented for a few days recently.

Good to know! I think I'll go this route sometime.

10-04-2018, 08:30 AM	#1
Maxwagen Private First Class 25 Rep 127 Posts Drives: 2017 330i Wagon Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Trumbull, CT iTrader: (0)	F31-Best brake upgrade for the money? So I have the standard bone-stock brakes on my F31 330i. My last car was a Focus ST which had enough pedal feel and brake bite to put your passenger's teeth into the dashboard. This is my first BMW, and I'm rather underwhelmed by the brake performance, particularly because I had always heard that BMWs had pretty legendary braking feel. I like a stiff brake pedal, but these just don't seem to have a lot of power. If I were to ever upgrade, other than just putting on performance pads (which I'm fairly certain could be the best performance/$ solution) what are the gains/feel like when going > M-sport brakes (340mm gray ones on the 340i) or all the way to the 370mm M-performance brakes? Car won't forseeably be tracked, so I'm mostly interested in street performance. More initial bite over long-term heat dissipation. __________________ 2017 330i Wagon \| Glacier Silver/Black/Anthracite, M-sport, Nav, Tech, Premium, DA, DA+, Cold, LED's, Carplay
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10-04-2018, 02:27 PM	#2
D041987 Big Turbo Boys N Girls 327 Rep 579 Posts Drives: 2012 328I 6speed Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Lynnwood, WA iTrader: (0)	I am in the same boat as you. Got the standard brakes and I know they are not meant for performance but looking for brake pads that might give best of both worlds to hold me over till next year and than upgrade to M-Performance 370MM Front 345mm rear brakes. __________________ 2012 F30: G25-660 Bottom Mount Mani+ DP+ Intake, CSF FMIC, VRSF CP, Walbro 450 LPFP, PR Injection with AIC 4, S63TU Injectors, Tuned with BM3, ZF Race 4 Puck and Non SSA Pressure plate, Catless, 3.5" Quad Muffler, Custom Valved Bilstein B8 + H&R SS. Max 456 WHP - 452 WTRQ. Currently tuned down to 434 WHP and 362 WTRQ to save the rods.
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10-04-2018, 02:28 PM	#3
Solidjake ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 945 Rep 1,762 Posts Drives: '13 328i Msport 6MT Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NYC/SNJ iTrader: (2)	Can't tell you which pads give the best bite but I would get stainless steel lines and flush the entire system with new brake fluid with a power bleeder. __________________ Tensioner/belt DIY \| Side skirt extension DIY Apex SM-10/DWS06+ \| 400m/X-ice Xi3 \| Injen Exhaust \| Stoptech SS Lines \| 335 Front Brakes Hawk HPS 5.0 \| RBF600 \| ER Charge Pipes \| Wagner Evo Comp 2 FMIC
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10-04-2018, 04:36 PM	#4
tpliquid Second Lieutenant 95 Rep 228 Posts Drives: f31 330i wagon Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: anaheim iTrader: (1)	cheaper to get the 340 brakes. bigger rotors going to caus your car to accelerate slower.
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10-04-2018, 06:26 PM	#6
tpliquid Second Lieutenant 95 Rep 228 Posts Drives: f31 330i wagon Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: anaheim iTrader: (1)	Maybe initial grab would be better. Other than that nope. Bigger brakes good for when you do multiple hard braking. More surface area to absorb /heat so they won't fade. Last edited by tpliquid; 10-04-2018 at 07:05 PM..
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10-04-2018, 06:43 PM	#7
FaRKle! Brigadier General 4016 Rep 3,540 Posts Drives: 328d Wagon, M2 Comp, i4 eD35 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2023 BMW i4 eDrive 35 [0.00] 2017 BMW 328dx Wagon [0.00] 2021 BMW M2 Competi ... [0.00]	The pedal feel with the larger brakes is worse IMO. With the stock brakes the pedal goes firm pretty quickly, and is easy to modulate from there. With the Brembos the pedal is mushier and overall has less feedback. It doesn't firm up like the standard brakes do till much later in the travel (when you're stopping HARD). Yes, I coded the larger brakes appropriately when I did the swap on my car. Unless you're tracking, you probably won't notice any difference between the 340 and 370mm brakes.
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10-05-2018, 03:18 AM	#10
N420i Private First Class 72 Rep 192 Posts Drives: 2016 420i lightly modded Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Madrid iTrader: (0)	I just finished installing the M-sport brembos (340 front, 345 rear) along with EBC Blue pads and braided lines on my 420i and the improvement is MASSIVE, even before coding. So good in fact that I'm really thinking about skipping the coding altogether. Initial bite is much superior, pedal feel is good (although as mentioned above, paradoxically big-ass brakes almost always mean softer pedal feel and longer travel compared to the small, stock single piston calipers) and the stopping distance has been reduced significantly. I too was shocked at the lack of power of the stock brakes. They were much, much better on a CLA250 Merc I rented for a few days recently.
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