[BMWF30GuyUK]

Evening/Afternoon/Morning All,

I'm sure that this has popped up a 1000+ times by now but I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my vehicle and looking to do a BBK without paying stupid costs.

Now I've seen various older generations of BMW using calipers from other Manufacturers that are using Brembo Calipers (Not cheap, any day of the week!)

My question is, I have seen a rather nice set of Range Rover Sport SVR 6 Pot Front Calipers for sale on eBay (Yes, ebay!) and was considering to pair that with the 4 Pot M Perf Calipers and a set of F80 M3 Discs to retain the PCD and the Centre bore.

My question is, would this set up work? (I know that with enough money, anything will work!) I'm just concerned about the bias of it all and the fact that I would be potentially using calipers meant for the front of the vehicle on the rear and have seen on other forums that this could cause severe lock up if not done right. Am I ambitious, stupid or a bit of both? (I haven't bought anything yet so just looking to get all my research in before making a potentially very stupid decision!)

Thanks all for the help and here are a couple of links to what I am looking at.

SVR Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ranger-Ro...7726%7Ciid%3A1

M Perf Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-M-Per...7726%7Ciid%3A1

[dmaxdmax]

bmw engineers didn't forget to engineer your brakes. As they are they're better than almost any car on the road--leading me to get rear-ended when I stopped to save the life of two stupid f'n deer.

If they don't stop you as fast as you want, perhaps a prior owner put some pad designed to keep your wheels look pretty longer instead of stop shorter.

Also, I would be concerned with messing the bias and how the car might control things with its systems...but more I'd be concerned with your creating instability braking in a turn or that sort of thing. I worry about everything, truth be told, but brakes are very fundamental and probably the most important system you have on your car.

I wouldn't mess around too much with them. How about a nice paint job and cool decal on the caliper instead? Textar pads are the ones I'll always use, fyi.

...and a bump.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by BMWF30GuyUK

Evening/Afternoon/Morning All,

I'm sure that this has popped up a 1000+ times by now but I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my vehicle and looking to do a BBK without paying stupid costs.

Now I've seen various older generations of BMW using calipers from other Manufacturers that are using Brembo Calipers (Not cheap, any day of the week!)

My question is, I have seen a rather nice set of Range Rover Sport SVR 6 Pot Front Calipers for sale on eBay (Yes, ebay!) and was considering to pair that with the 4 Pot M Perf Calipers and a set of F80 M3 Discs to retain the PCD and the Centre bore.

My question is, would this set up work? (I know that with enough money, anything will work!) I'm just concerned about the bias of it all and the fact that I would be potentially using calipers meant for the front of the vehicle on the rear and have seen on other forums that this could cause severe lock up if not done right. Am I ambitious, stupid or a bit of both? (I haven't bought anything yet so just looking to get all my research in before making a potentially very stupid decision!)

Thanks all for the help and here are a couple of links to what I am looking at.

SVR Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ranger-Ro...7726%7Ciid%3A1

M Perf Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-M-Per...7726%7Ciid%3A1

What year/model car and which brakes do you have now? Do have a specific need for these brakes such as tracking? I've got some suggestions but would need to understand these things

[BMWF30GuyUK]

Originally Posted by dmaxdmax

bmw engineers didn't forget to engineer your brakes. As they are they're better than almost any car on the road--leading me to get rear-ended when I stopped to save the life of two stupid f'n deer.

If they don't stop you as fast as you want, perhaps a prior owner put some pad designed to keep your wheels look pretty longer instead of stop shorter.

Also, I would be concerned with messing the bias and how the car might control things with its systems...but more I'd be concerned with your creating instability braking in a turn or that sort of thing. I worry about everything, truth be told, but brakes are very fundamental and probably the most important system you have on your car.

I wouldn't mess around too much with them. How about a nice paint job and cool decal on the caliper instead? Textar pads are the ones I'll always use, fyi.

...and a bump.

The brakes are quite good but I'm jealous of how the M Performance brakes look on my mates 320d but I'm definitely not jealous of the price tag that they come with. I do like the stopping power that I get from my 318d but would be looking, at some point to start doing track days and that. Plus looking to consider a Chevy/Ford V8 conversion cause why not? I've got no kids, no commitments and I can get one for stupidly cheap in the UK. I also know some people in the industry that can help with the swap and the track day side of things.

[BMWF30GuyUK]

Originally Posted by johnung

What year/model car and which brakes do you have now? Do have a specific need for these brakes such as tracking? I've got some suggestions but would need to understand these things

Ahh, sorry! It is a 2016 318d M Sport but without the M Sport/M Performance brakes. Once Rona has decided to stop screwing us over, I would start getting into track days as always liked that side of things and I feel confident enough now to start venturing into that side of things.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by BMWF30GuyUK

Ahh, sorry! It is a 2016 318d M Sport but without the M Sport/M Performance brakes. Once Rona has decided to stop screwing us over, I would start getting into track days as always liked that side of things and I feel confident enough now to start venturing into that side of things.

I understand your thought process. It would be cool to have Front 6-pot and Rear 4-pot Brembos. However, I wouldn't recommend that for a few reasons.

First, it's a lot of hassle to attempt to get this to function correctly. Brakes are a life/death safety system that you cannot afford to not work perfectly.

Second, in the costs in the links that you provided there is no advantage versus doing a factory approved F3x brake upgrade.

Third, the power of the engine in your car, even if it was heavily modified, would just never be too much on the track for a well done F3x brake upgrade. So 6-pot/4-pot, assuming that it could be rigged to work correctly, would be such overkill. The extra braking capacity, over an F3x brake upgrade, would never really be used.

Having said that, you can do a cracking F3x brake upgrade that will absolutely amaze you on the street and on the track. I wish you lived around the corner to be able to try my brakes.

The M Performance brakes that you mentioned are Front 370mm and Rear 345mm. They are contained in an official BMW M Performance aftermarket brake kit. They only come in red, orange or yellow. The exact same calipers come in blue on F3x 6-cylinder models as a $600 factory line item option.

So you'll need to purchase used calipers:
Please see photo of front and rear calipers.

FRONT 370mm CALIPERS
Front calipers in the link that you provided that will say "370/380" in raised lettering on the rear of the casting. Make certain of this. There is an almost identical caliper that says "340" on the rear of the casting. You do NOT want 340's! In the US, a used pair of 370's would cost between $450-$600 depending on market and condition.

REAR 345mm CALIPERS
Used rear 345 calipers would need to be purchased. Typically they cost $400-$500 per pair. I've seen a set of four calipers that were discolored and in need of being rebuilt for a total of $700. I've also seen a set of four 370/345 calipers from chipped to pristine condition from $850-$1,100. I wouldn't pay more than $1,100 for a perfect set.

If anyone tries to sell calipers from an M3/M4 at a higher price because they are "///M" brakes, don't fall for the con. They are exactly the same as F3x calipers. The same goes for red, orange or yellow calipers with the claim that M Performance are better than blue M Sport. The calipers are identical except for color. Do not pay more for either of these reasons.

F3x Brembo calipers are rock solid. The only things to visually inspect if you purchase front or rear calipers in person are below. You can also ask the seller these questions and have many closeup photos can be emailed to you.

1) Do the brake bleeder screws turn open and closed freely with a wrench. Just make sure that they aren't frozen or cross threaded. But that is rare. There are replacement parts available.

2) When you look inside the caliper body you will see four round rubber dust caps. (The rear calipers have only two dust caps.) The dust caps cover the brake pistons and piston seals. Just look to see that they are not frayed or worn or leaking brake fluid. Again there are replacement parts available for brake pistons, seals and dust caps. If dust caps appear worn but none are leaking, then that's no big deal. It's cheap to pop on new rubber dust caps.

3) Inspect the paint on the outside of the caliper for cosmetic appearance. The blue Brembo paint dries out over time and chips easily. So don't be surprised if there are chips. When you are handling the calipers do not let them touch each other or they will chip like crazy. Wrap each caliper in their own towel or bubble wrap.

4) You are most likely to find these used calipers in blue (rather than red, orange or yellow). If the blue color has turned greenish, that typically means that the car has been tracked and the sustained high brake temperatures have caused some discoloration.

That doesn't mean that the brakes aren't fully functional. Just make sure to inspect them as in #1 above. I got a great price on a greenish set that had been raced on an M3. (These same calipers come stock on M3/M4.) I had them powder coated and replaced seals & dust caps. Pistons were fine.

You can always buy an Estoril Blue touchup paint pen. Or you can change the color of the four calipers completely for as little as $60 using G2USA Caliper Paint. Or a more costly option is to have the pistons/seals removed, calipers media blasted, powder coated and reassembled with new seals and dust caps. Powder coating is roughly $200-$250 per set of four calipers, plus any replacement parts.

I have more recommendations on pads, rotors, dust shields and stainless steel brake lines that I will put in subsequent posts.

Hope this helps!

[BMWF30GuyUK]

Originally Posted by johnung

I understand your thought process. It would be cool to have Front 6-pot and Rear 4-pot Brembos. However, I wouldn't recommend that for a few reasons.

First, it's a lot of hassle to attempt to get this to function correctly. Brakes are a life/death safety system that you cannot afford to not work perfectly.

Second, in the costs in the links that you provided there is no advantage versus doing a factory approved F3x brake upgrade.

Third, the power of the engine in your car, even if it was heavily modified, would just never be too much on the track for a well done F3x brake upgrade. So 6-pot/4-pot, assuming that it could be rigged to work correctly, would be such overkill. The extra braking capacity, over an F3x brake upgrade, would never really be used.

Having said that, you can do a cracking F3x brake upgrade that will absolutely amaze you on the street and on the track. I wish you lived around the corner to be able to try my brakes.

The M Performance brakes that you mentioned are Front 370mm and Rear 345mm. They are contained in an official BMW M Performance aftermarket brake kit. They only come in red, orange or yellow. The exact same calipers come in blue on F3x 6-cylinder models as a $600 factory line item option.

So you'll need to purchase used calipers:
Please see photo of front and rear calipers.

FRONT 370mm CALIPERS
Front calipers in the link that you provided that will say "370/380" in raised lettering on the rear of the casting. Make certain of this. There is an almost identical caliper that says "340" on the rear of the casting. You do NOT want 340's! In the US, a used pair of 370's would cost between $450-$600 depending on market and condition.

REAR 345mm CALIPERS
Used rear 345 calipers would need to be purchased. Typically they cost $400-$500 per pair. I've seen a set of four calipers that were discolored and in need of being rebuilt for a total of $700. I've also seen a set of four 370/345 calipers from chipped to pristine condition from $850-$1,100. I wouldn't pay more than $1,100 for a perfect set.

If anyone tries to sell calipers from an M3/M4 at a higher price because they are "///M" brakes, don't fall for the con. They are exactly the same as F3x calipers. The same goes for red, orange or yellow calipers with the claim that M Performance are better than blue M Sport. The calipers are identical except for color. Do not pay more for either of these reasons.

F3x Brembo calipers are rock solid. The only things to visually inspect if you purchase front or rear calipers in person are below. You can also ask the seller these questions and have many closeup photos can be emailed to you.

1) Do the brake bleeder screws turn open and closed freely with a wrench. Just make sure that they aren't frozen or cross threaded. But that is rare. There are replacement parts available.

2) When you look inside the caliper body you will see four round rubber dust caps. (The rear calipers have only two dust caps.) The dust caps cover the brake pistons and piston seals. Just look to see that they are not frayed or worn or leaking brake fluid. Again there are replacement parts available for brake pistons, seals and dust caps. If dust caps appear worn but none are leaking, then that's no big deal. It's cheap to pop on new rubber dust caps.

3) Inspect the paint on the outside of the caliper for cosmetic appearance. The blue Brembo paint dries out over time and chips easily. So don't be surprised if there are chips. When you are handling the calipers do not let them touch each other or they will chip like crazy. Wrap each caliper in their own towel or bubble wrap.

4) You are most likely to find these used calipers in blue (rather than red, orange or yellow). If the blue color has turned greenish, that typically means that the car has been tracked and the sustained high brake temperatures have caused some discoloration.

That doesn't mean that the brakes aren't fully functional. Just make sure to inspect them as in #1 above. I got a great price on a greenish set that had been raced on an M3. (These same calipers come stock on M3/M4.) I had them powder coated and replaced seals & dust caps. Pistons were fine.

You can always buy an Estoril Blue touchup paint pen. Or you can change the color of the four calipers completely for as little as $60 using G2USA Caliper Paint. Or a more costly option is to have the pistons/seals removed, calipers media blasted, powder coated and reassembled with new seals and dust caps. Powder coating is roughly $200-$250 per set of four calipers, plus any replacement parts.

I have more recommendations on pads, rotors, dust shields and stainless steel brake lines that I will put in subsequent posts.

Hope this helps!

Awesome!

Thank you for the detail on this one. I have seen many 4 Pot/2 Pot kits for sale and some of them are asking silly money due to them being off of an M Car and yeah, you are right in the fact that it is the same calipers that are used on a non-M car. Think once I've costed it up including the installation costs, you are right in the fact that it would be more than getting the factory upgrade 4f/2r upgrade and some decent discs and pads (I know someone who works for EBC that may be able to help out with the pads and possibly rotors as well!)

Thank you for the insight into this.

I think I was being a bit over zealous and wanting the look more than the functionality (As great as it would be to have a 6 Pot/4 Pot configuration on the car!)

Thanks johnung!

[Boostedphil698]

Originally Posted by BMWF30GuyUK

Evening/Afternoon/Morning All,

I'm sure that this has popped up a 1000+ times by now but I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my vehicle and looking to do a BBK without paying stupid costs.

Now I've seen various older generations of BMW using calipers from other Manufacturers that are using Brembo Calipers (Not cheap, any day of the week!)

My question is, I have seen a rather nice set of Range Rover Sport SVR 6 Pot Front Calipers for sale on eBay (Yes, ebay!) and was considering to pair that with the 4 Pot M Perf Calipers and a set of F80 M3 Discs to retain the PCD and the Centre bore.

My question is, would this set up work? (I know that with enough money, anything will work!) I'm just concerned about the bias of it all and the fact that I would be potentially using calipers meant for the front of the vehicle on the rear and have seen on other forums that this could cause severe lock up if not done right. Am I ambitious, stupid or a bit of both? (I haven't bought anything yet so just looking to get all my research in before making a potentially very stupid decision!)

Thanks all for the help and here are a couple of links to what I am looking at.

SVR Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ranger-Ro...7726%7Ciid%3A1

M Perf Calipers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-M-Per...7726%7Ciid%3A1

Honestly, I have the M Performance kit on my car in yellow.....it functions how it should, looks great, and is backed by a BMW 2 year parts warranty. I recommend it because it's engineered to fit your car and you won't have any headaches. If you really want to retrofit SVR calipers and go through the headache of trial and error more power to you but what is the benefit. The M Performance brakes do a really good job.

[Billfitz]

Aside from the fact that BMW M Performance brakes are perfectly OK, calipers that fit on a Range Rover are not going to fit onto a BMW, and BMW front calipers are not going to fit onto the rear of a BMW anymore than can the front doors of a Range Rover fit onto an F30 or the front doors of an F30 be swapped with the rear doors.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Aside from the fact that BMW M Performance brakes are perfectly OK, calipers that fit on a Range Rover are not going to fit onto a BMW, and BMW front calipers are not going to fit onto the rear of a BMW anymore than can the front doors of a Range Rover fit onto an F30 or the front doors of an F30 be swapped with the rear doors.

Patently false, here, about the brakes. These SVR Brembos certainly look just like the yellow Brembo 6pot in the classifieds right now (seller eff80m3). The only thing that seems different at a glance is that the mount is cast with the caliper. Where the yellow set is a radial mount. In any case that's something a machine shop, or someone with the skills could readily fix.

Moreover, it takes a lot of engineering skill and time spent to retrofit Brembos from other cars onto a car the model wasn't made for, but it is entirely possible. You just need to keep in mind the brake bias figures, and master cylinder flow compared to the calipers piston surface area. This information is readily available on the internet. The same information Brembo and AP Racing, Willwood, and everyone else uses to sell us aftermarket kits. I'm pretty sure the Brembo GT is able to be used without any changes to our MC, so there's that.

This kind of modding takes skill and know how, but again it's not impossible. It's a critical part so not anyone should or can do it, especially when there are perfectly capable kits like the 4pot Brembos we have.

[BimR]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

Patently false, here, about the brakes. These SVR Brembos certainly look just like the yellow Brembo 6pot in the classifieds right now (seller eff80m3). The only thing that seems different at a glance is that the mount is cast with the caliper. Where the yellow set is a radial mount. In any case that's something a machine shop, or someone with the skills could readily fix.

Moreover, it takes a lot of engineering skill and time spent to retrofit Brembos from other cars onto a car the model wasn't made for, but it is entirely possible. You just need to keep in mind the brake bias figures, and master cylinder flow compared to the calipers piston surface area. This information is readily available on the internet. The same information Brembo and AP Racing, Willwood, and everyone else uses to sell us aftermarket kits. I'm pretty sure the Brembo GT is able to be used without any changes to our MC, so there's that.

This kind of modding takes skill and know how, but again it's not impossible. It's a critical part so not anyone should or can do it, especially when there are perfectly capable kits like the 4pot Brembos we have.

I think the broader point is that the question "will they fit" doesn't typically imply "yes with enough engineering knowledge, time and money". You are correct that you could mod something to fit something else but I think the OP was thinking more along the lines of "fit easily". Though he can chime in and correct me.

[s55jesus]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

Patently false, here, about the brakes. These SVR Brembos certainly look just like the yellow Brembo 6pot in the classifieds right now (seller eff80m3). The only thing that seems different at a glance is that the mount is cast with the caliper. Where the yellow set is a radial mount. In any case that's something a machine shop, or someone with the skills could readily fix.

Moreover, it takes a lot of engineering skill and time spent to retrofit Brembos from other cars onto a car the model wasn't made for, but it is entirely possible. You just need to keep in mind the brake bias figures, and master cylinder flow compared to the calipers piston surface area. This information is readily available on the internet. The same information Brembo and AP Racing, Willwood, and everyone else uses to sell us aftermarket kits. I'm pretty sure the Brembo GT is able to be used without any changes to our MC, so there's that.

This kind of modding takes skill and know how, but again it's not impossible. It's a critical part so not anyone should or can do it, especially when there are perfectly capable kits like the 4pot Brembos we have.

My kit was made specifically for the F3x chassis. I agree BBK's take lots of engineering. You can't just slap on Brembo's from another car just because you can make it fit. They take many things into account when developing a kit for the car to make sure it works with that specific application without any potential issues.

[s55jesus]

Also OP, F80 rotors will not work with the F30 platform. This has been confirmed by multiple people on the forums. You can make the SVR calipers fit. As a matter of fact, you can get pretty much any calipers to fit as long as you engineer a bracket that fits. But will that be safe? Guess that's up to you to decide.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

The only thing that seems different at a glance is that the mount is cast with the caliper. Where the yellow set is a radial mount. In any case that's something a machine shop, or someone with the skills could readily fix.

That's not exactly plug and play.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by eff80m3

My kit was made specifically for the F3x chassis. I agree BBK's take lots of engineering. You can't just slap on Brembo's from another car just because you can make it fit. They take many things into account when developing a kit for the car to make sure it works with that specific application without any potential issues.

Yes I know. I've seen the kit plenty of places. The caliper is radial mounted with a separate bracket. With the appropriate rotors it all works. That same Brembo without changes outside of the mounting solution is used across several brands of cars, that's all I'm saying.

[Logicoeur]

I know the op didn't say plug and play, just Whether it would work. And it could. The F80 rotors would require the F80 upright. And that is only possible if you are rwd, etc etc.

The key point I made is that's it's possible, but definitely not worth the effort. Especially for a 20i that will never outrun the 4pot Brembos that are readily available.

[BMWF30GuyUK]

Evening all.

Thank you all for proving some of your time to help me with this query. I think my decision has been made with the help from all of the replies that I've had. Having weighed up the costs again, it will be more cost effective (Safer too!!) to get the M Sport/M Performamce brakes retrofitted to the car.

As for the post from BimR, yes, I was lookong for a BBK that was an easy fit and would still work with the F30 Platform. Gonna keep scouring for a good set of calipers and then get some new rotors!

Thanks all.

I'm sure that I'll be back woth the progress of the build!! 😊

[JNMNL52]

Originally Posted by johnung

I understand your thought process. It would be cool to have Front 6-pot and Rear 4-pot Brembos. However, I wouldn't recommend that for a few reasons.

First, it's a lot of hassle to attempt to get this to function correctly. Brakes are a life/death safety system that you cannot afford to not work perfectly.

Second, in the costs in the links that you provided there is no advantage versus doing a factory approved F3x brake upgrade.

Third, the power of the engine in your car, even if it was heavily modified, would just never be too much on the track for a well done F3x brake upgrade. So 6-pot/4-pot, assuming that it could be rigged to work correctly, would be such overkill. The extra braking capacity, over an F3x brake upgrade, would never really be used.

Having said that, you can do a cracking F3x brake upgrade that will absolutely amaze you on the street and on the track. I wish you lived around the corner to be able to try my brakes.

The M Performance brakes that you mentioned are Front 370mm and Rear 345mm. They are contained in an official BMW M Performance aftermarket brake kit. They only come in red, orange or yellow. The exact same calipers come in blue on F3x 6-cylinder models as a $600 factory line item option.

So you'll need to purchase used calipers:
Please see photo of front and rear calipers.

FRONT 370mm CALIPERS
Front calipers in the link that you provided that will say "370/380" in raised lettering on the rear of the casting. Make certain of this. There is an almost identical caliper that says "340" on the rear of the casting. You do NOT want 340's! In the US, a used pair of 370's would cost between $450-$600 depending on market and condition.

REAR 345mm CALIPERS
Used rear 345 calipers would need to be purchased. Typically they cost $400-$500 per pair. I've seen a set of four calipers that were discolored and in need of being rebuilt for a total of $700. I've also seen a set of four 370/345 calipers from chipped to pristine condition from $850-$1,100. I wouldn't pay more than $1,100 for a perfect set.

If anyone tries to sell calipers from an M3/M4 at a higher price because they are "///M" brakes, don't fall for the con. They are exactly the same as F3x calipers. The same goes for red, orange or yellow calipers with the claim that M Performance are better than blue M Sport. The calipers are identical except for color. Do not pay more for either of these reasons.

F3x Brembo calipers are rock solid. The only things to visually inspect if you purchase front or rear calipers in person are below. You can also ask the seller these questions and have many closeup photos can be emailed to you.

1) Do the brake bleeder screws turn open and closed freely with a wrench. Just make sure that they aren't frozen or cross threaded. But that is rare. There are replacement parts available.

2) When you look inside the caliper body you will see four round rubber dust caps. (The rear calipers have only two dust caps.) The dust caps cover the brake pistons and piston seals. Just look to see that they are not frayed or worn or leaking brake fluid. Again there are replacement parts available for brake pistons, seals and dust caps. If dust caps appear worn but none are leaking, then that's no big deal. It's cheap to pop on new rubber dust caps.

3) Inspect the paint on the outside of the caliper for cosmetic appearance. The blue Brembo paint dries out over time and chips easily. So don't be surprised if there are chips. When you are handling the calipers do not let them touch each other or they will chip like crazy. Wrap each caliper in their own towel or bubble wrap.

4) You are most likely to find these used calipers in blue (rather than red, orange or yellow). If the blue color has turned greenish, that typically means that the car has been tracked and the sustained high brake temperatures have caused some discoloration.

That doesn't mean that the brakes aren't fully functional. Just make sure to inspect them as in #1 above. I got a great price on a greenish set that had been raced on an M3. (These same calipers come stock on M3/M4.) I had them powder coated and replaced seals & dust caps. Pistons were fine.

You can always buy an Estoril Blue touchup paint pen. Or you can change the color of the four calipers completely for as little as $60 using G2USA Caliper Paint. Or a more costly option is to have the pistons/seals removed, calipers media blasted, powder coated and reassembled with new seals and dust caps. Powder coating is roughly $200-$250 per set of four calipers, plus any replacement parts.

I have more recommendations on pads, rotors, dust shields and stainless steel brake lines that I will put in subsequent posts.

Hope this helps!

Great info. I have been following your posts on brake systems and could use your advice. I am planning a brake job in the spring/summer 2021. I have a pre-LCI 2017 440ix and was seriously considering the M Performance Brake Retrofit w/ red calipers until I read many posts about noise. I have the M Sports package (P337A) on my car with the gray colored caliper. My F32 is my daily driver and I do not track. When I replace my brakes I would like to upgrade the calipers to the blue or red M performance caliper. I am thinking of not going with cross-drilled or dimpled rotors but plain or slotted. If I forego the M Performance Brake Kit, what components would you recommend in its place?

[BWbimmer]

Originally Posted by JNMNL52

Great info. I have been following your posts on brake systems and could use your advice. I am planning a brake job in the spring/summer 2021. I have a pre-LCI 2017 440ix and was seriously considering the M Performance Brake Retrofit w/ red calipers until I read many posts about noise. I have the M Sports package (P337A) on my car with the gray colored caliper. My F32 is my daily driver and I do not track. When I replace my brakes I would like to upgrade the calipers to the blue or red M performance caliper. I am thinking of not going with cross-drilled or dimpled rotors but plain or slotted. If I forego the M Performance Brake Kit, what components would you recommend in its place?

Forget about the noise, this can easily be fixed. Just do the 370/345 upgrade and you will be fine.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by JNMNL52

Great info. I have been following your posts on brake systems and could use your advice. I am planning a brake job in the spring/summer 2021. I have a pre-LCI 2017 440ix and was seriously considering the M Performance Brake Retrofit w/ red calipers until I read many posts about noise. I have the M Sports package (P337A) on my car with the gray colored caliper. My F32 is my daily driver and I do not track. When I replace my brakes I would like to upgrade the calipers to the blue or red M performance caliper. I am thinking of not going with cross-drilled or dimpled rotors but plain or slotted. If I forego the M Performance Brake Kit, what components would you recommend in its place?

The noise that you've read about is caused by dimpled & slotted rotors. Slotted rotors are noisy and tear up pads. They are really designed for super high heat conditions on the track that can't be approached on the street.

Crossdrilled rotors have the best bite and best performance in rain. That's why you'll see crossdrilled on street performance cars from Porsche, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.

Your car has Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 330mm x 20mm. [typo correction: Grey fronts are 340mm x 30mm]

The M Performance red calipers and the M Sport blue calipers for your car are identical. Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 345mm x 24mm. M Performance also come in yellow or orange.

A set of used 370/345 blue calipers in great condition are about $1,100. A set of new 370/345 red calipers from the M Performance Kit are about $1,900 discounted at the GetBMWParts website. The kit also includes the BMW Front 370mm x 30mm dimpled/slotted rotors and all four sets of BMW brake pads.

IMO the dimpled/slotted are noisy/not much better bite than plain, and the BMW pads are no better than average. I'd sell them and buy StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. Both have superior bite.

Whether you go with new red or used blue 370/345 calipers, the front grey 340 calipers can be sold for about $400-$500 on the used market. The rear 330 might be worth $100-$200 if you can find someone with F312/R300 brakes who wants to upgrade to F340/R330. Used rotors have some value if you sell them locally. They are too heavy/costly to ship.

Another brake upgrade option is to keep the front 340 calipers and upgrade to rear 345mm calipers. F340/R330 tend to nose dive under heavy braking. But F340/R345 will squat very controllably under heavy braking. Rear 345mm calipers in excellent condition cost about $450-$500.

With all of these options, I recommend StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. And I'd upgrade to Stainless steel brake lines for more solid pedal feel.

G2USA Caliper Paint is the best way to change the color of your brakes. It's a two part epoxy like paint that brushes on right on the car and levels out as it dries to a sprayed on finish. Photo shows my buddy's calipers. He bought them used in blue but water red so he painted them with G2.

Hope this helps!

[JNMNL52]

Originally Posted by johnung

The noise that you've read about is caused by dimpled & slotted rotors. Slotted rotors are noisy and tear up pads. They are really designed for super high heat conditions on the track that can't be approached on the street.

Crossdrilled rotors have the best bite and best performance in rain. That's why you'll see crossdrilled on street performance cars from Porsche, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.

Your car has Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 330mm x 20mm.

The M Performance red calipers and the M Sport blue calipers for your car are identical. Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 345mm x 24mm. M Performance also come in yellow or orange.

A set of used 370/345 blue calipers in great condition are about $1,100. A set of new 370/345 red calipers from the M Performance Kit are about $1,900 discounted at the GetBMWParts website. The kit also includes the BMW Front 370mm x 30mm dimpled/slotted rotors and all four sets of BMW brake pads.

IMO the dimpled/slotted are noisy/not much better bite than plain, and the BMW pads are no better than average. I'd sell them and buy StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. Both have superior bite.

Whether you go with new red or used blue 370/345 calipers, the front grey 340 calipers can be sold for about $400-$500 on the used market. The rear 330 might be worth $100-$200 if you can find someone with F312/R300 brakes who wants to upgrade to F340/R330. Used rotors have some value if you sell them locally. They are too heavy/costly to ship.

Another brake upgrade option is to keep the front 340 calipers and upgrade to rear 345mm calipers. F340/R330 tend to nose dive under heavy braking. But F340/R345 will squat very controllably under heavy braking. Rear 345mm calipers in excellent condition cost about $450-$500.

With all of these options, I recommend StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. And I'd upgrade to Stainless steel brake lines for more solid pedal feel.

G2USA Caliper Paint is the best way to change the color of your brakes. It's a two part epoxy like paint that brushes on right on the car and levels out as it dries to a sprayed on finish. Photo shows my buddy's calipers. He bought them used in blue but water red so he painted them with G2.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your very thorough response. This is the type of response I was seeking and I really appreciate it. I want to do this right, taking into consideration all of the inputs and experience that I have read about from the members, like yourself, in this forum. So, summarizing your response, to upgrade my brakes in the best manner for the street, I should consider purchasing my own brake upgrade kit to include new red M Performance calipers (if I can purchase separately), StopTech Crossdrilled rotors, Hawk 5.0 pads and SS brake lines. I will cost that out and see how it compares to the off the shelf M Performance Retrofit Kit - which costs $2,326 with rear rotors from GetBMWparts. I assume if I put together my own kit I would still need to code DSC?

[ImBlue]

Originally Posted by johnung

The noise that you've read about is caused by dimpled & slotted rotors. Slotted rotors are noisy and tear up pads. They are really designed for super high heat conditions on the track that can't be approached on the street.

Crossdrilled rotors have the best bite and best performance in rain. That's why you'll see crossdrilled on street performance cars from Porsche, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.

Your car has Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 330mm x 20mm.

The M Performance red calipers and the M Sport blue calipers for your car are identical. Front 370mm x 30mm and Rear 345mm x 24mm. M Performance also come in yellow or orange.

A set of used 370/345 blue calipers in great condition are about $1,100. A set of new 370/345 red calipers from the M Performance Kit are about $1,900 discounted at the GetBMWParts website. The kit also includes the BMW Front 370mm x 30mm dimpled/slotted rotors and all four sets of BMW brake pads.

IMO the dimpled/slotted are noisy/not much better bite than plain, and the BMW pads are no better than average. I'd sell them and buy StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. Both have superior bite.

Whether you go with new red or used blue 370/345 calipers, the front grey 340 calipers can be sold for about $400-$500 on the used market. The rear 330 might be worth $100-$200 if you can find someone with F312/R300 brakes who wants to upgrade to F340/R330. Used rotors have some value if you sell them locally. They are too heavy/costly to ship.

Another brake upgrade option is to keep the front 340 calipers and upgrade to rear 345mm calipers. F340/R330 tend to nose dive under heavy braking. But F340/R345 will squat very controllably under heavy braking. Rear 345mm calipers in excellent condition cost about $450-$500.

With all of these options, I recommend StopTech Crossdrilled rotors and Hawk 5.0 pads. And I'd upgrade to Stainless steel brake lines for more solid pedal feel.

G2USA Caliper Paint is the best way to change the color of your brakes. It's a two part epoxy like paint that brushes on right on the car and levels out as it dries to a sprayed on finish. Photo shows my buddy's calipers. He bought them used in blue but water red so he painted them with G2.

Hope this helps!

I think you got the sizing wrong. I don't think there is a 370mm and 330mm front/rear combination

Base 40i cars with 340i stamped calipers have 340mm front rotors, 345mm rear rotors. Bigger caliper in front but slightly smaller front rotors.

F8x M3/M4 and 35i/40i with 370/380 stamped calipers have 370mm/380mm front rotors and 345mm rear rotors. M cars use the bigger 380mm front rotors since the hub mount is 10mm offset.