[johnung]

Originally Posted by eff80m3

Not assuming. I already worked it out. Contacted Brembo and they told me as soon as I mentioned GT kit that it will not clear my 18" wheels. So instead of utilizing the 380mm rotors that comes with the kit, I'm getting custom 2 piece 370mm rotors so it fits. The shop that I'm currently working with to do this already assured me the 6 piston calipers will fit in 18" wheels if I use the 370mm rotors.

I will most likely end up with the MPBBK though. Costs a grand less and its for all 4 corners instead of the front only. Still debating.

That's interesting. I was looking at the smaller BremboGT front set, maybe 355?. It was over a year ago so don't recall. Couldn't get that to fit under my 18" wheels. It was the caliper that was too big around based on the BremboGT template. It hit the wheel.

Then I found that StopTech makes a full floating aero rotor in the standard size of 370mm x 30mm to fit the 4-piston Brembo Caliper. Looks very similar to rotors on the BremboGT Kit.

So I pieced together my own custom brake kit with the 370/345 calipers, drilled floating rotors in front and drilled in rear, Hawk 5.0 pads and stainless lines. Can't possibly have a better set of brakes on the street. Just crazy how it stops now.

Attached are some photos of the floating rotors. I paid extra for the coating. The gold wears tight off the rotor surface but turns black inside the holes and vanes to prevent rust.

[nickf30]

johnung for rear caliber upgrade: did u buy that new or by part number on the M235i rear? did u code the rear 2 piston after the upgrade?

[Melo786]

Originally Posted by johnung

I have a 2015 335ix that came with standard brakes and I did a couple upgrades. I have very specific opinions about the options that you mentioned, based on my experience.

Here are the three brake combinations that I have had on my car:

1) Front 340mm/ Rear 330mm
2) Front 340mm/ Rear 345mm
3) Front 370mm/ Rear 345mm

1) STANDARD 335i BRAKES
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
340mm x 30mm BMW plain rotors
Stock BMW pads
Stock rubber brake hoses

Rear Bosch 1-piston calipers
330mm x 20mm BMW plain rotors
Stock BMW pads
Stock rubber brake hoses

Comments: Brake performance is average. BMW pads have average bite and put out lots of sticky black dust. Nose dives under heavy braking.

2) UPGRADED REAR BRAKES, PADS, LINES
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
340mm x 30mm BMW plain rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
G2USA Caliper Paint on calipers & rotor hats

Rear Brembo 2-piston calipers
345mm x 24mm BMW plain rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
G2USA Caliper Paint on calipers & rotor hats

Comments: Rear caliper upgrade stopped nose dive. Car now squats much more controllably under heavy braking. Big difference! Hawk 5.0 pads have superior bite, instant warm up and very light dust. It's light in color and washes right off. Stainless lines eliminate mush. Brake pedal much more solid. SS rotor screws prevent rusting of screw into hub that would prevent future rotor removal. G2USA Caliper Paint changed front grey and rear blue calipers to Gloss Black to match my car. G2USA Silver on rotor hat sides got rid of BMW rotor rust permanently.

3) UPGRADED FRONT BRAKES, ROTORS
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
370mm x 30mm StopTech Aero Full Floating cross-drilled rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
Calipers powder coated in gloss black.

Rear Brembo 2-piston calipers
345mm x 24mm StopTech cross-drilled rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
Calipers powder coated in gloss black.

Comments: Larger front rotors provide greater mass for heat dissipation and less chance of brake fade. Floating cross-drilled front rotors and cross-drilled rear rotors provide superior bite when combined with Hawk 5.0 pads. Cross-drilling also provides superior braking in rain as water can't trap between rotor and pad surfaces. Brake performance is incredible. Cannot make these brakes fade under aggressive street driving.

Powder coated calipers only because used calipers needed a complete rebuild so I had the opportunity to do so. Very happy with the results, but probably wouldn't powder coat calipers again. Not worth the time, hassle and expense when G2USA Caliper Paint provides almost the same result at a fraction of those.

Hopefully the summary above has answered many of your questions. Below is some discussion of components.

Hawk 5.0 pads, stainless steel brake lines and stainless steel rotor screws are a given. Do these three regardless of which brake upgrade you choose.

Caliper Color- Don't allow yourself to make a caliper decision based on what color they are or are not. With G2USA Caliper Paint for as little as $50 you can make your calipers any color without removing them from the car. It brushes on and levels out as it dries to a hard sprayed on looking finish. The blue paint used on the M Sport calipers is terrible. It chips badly. G2USA has a superior finish.

Rotors- Avoid slotted and dimpled. They are noisy and provide little improvement. Dimples can catch metal particles are appear like rusty dots. Slotted are fine for super heat of track but not suited for street. Cross-drilled are superior for street. Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, etc all used cross-drilled rotors on their street performance cars.

Rotor Options: Front/Rear
(With increasing performance and cost)

Plain/Plain- just like stock
Drilled/Plain- Better bite in the front where it counts the most
Drilled/Drilled- Added bite at rear brakes and rain braking performance all around
Full-Floating Drilled/Drilled- Superior combination in every way

Caliper Upgrade Options: (Front/rear)

340/345- Prevents nose diving as stated above

370/345- on a 335i these are the same calipers that come in blue in the M Sport brake option, and come in red, orange or yellow in the M Performance Brake Kit. Color is the only difference.

For a F3x 335i with standard brakes, a great inexpensive upgrade would be to keep the calipers, get front cross-drilled rotors, and Hawk 5.0 pads & stainless steel brake lines all around.

The next step up would be to do the same as above but add rear 345mm calipers.

A full set of working used 370/345 calipers sell for about $800-$1,100 depending on the cosmetic condition. You can use G2USA to refurbish the paint or change the color.

The F3x M Performance Brake Kit can be purchased for $1,795 from GetBMWParts which provides four brand new 370/345 calipers in either red, orange or yellow. I would then sell the two front dimpled & slotted front rotors and the four sets of MP brake pads. Then I'd buy the Hawk 5.0 pads and StopTech rotors of my choice.

It all depends on your priorities and budget.
Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by johnung

I have a 2015 335ix that came with standard brakes and I did a couple upgrades. I have very specific opinions about the options that you mentioned, based on my experience.

Here are the three brake combinations that I have had on my car:

1) Front 340mm/ Rear 330mm
2) Front 340mm/ Rear 345mm
3) Front 370mm/ Rear 345mm

1) STANDARD 335i BRAKES
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
340mm x 30mm BMW plain rotors
Stock BMW pads
Stock rubber brake hoses

Rear Bosch 1-piston calipers
330mm x 20mm BMW plain rotors
Stock BMW pads
Stock rubber brake hoses

Comments: Brake performance is average. BMW pads have average bite and put out lots of sticky black dust. Nose dives under heavy braking.

2) UPGRADED REAR BRAKES, PADS, LINES
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
340mm x 30mm BMW plain rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
G2USA Caliper Paint on calipers & rotor hats

Rear Brembo 2-piston calipers
345mm x 24mm BMW plain rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
G2USA Caliper Paint on calipers & rotor hats

Comments: Rear caliper upgrade stopped nose dive. Car now squats much more controllably under heavy braking. Big difference! Hawk 5.0 pads have superior bite, instant warm up and very light dust. It's light in color and washes right off. Stainless lines eliminate mush. Brake pedal much more solid. SS rotor screws prevent rusting of screw into hub that would prevent future rotor removal. G2USA Caliper Paint changed front grey and rear blue calipers to Gloss Black to match my car. G2USA Silver on rotor hat sides got rid of BMW rotor rust permanently.

3) UPGRADED FRONT BRAKES, ROTORS
Front Brembo 4-piston calipers
370mm x 30mm StopTech Aero Full Floating cross-drilled rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
Calipers powder coated in gloss black.

Rear Brembo 2-piston calipers
345mm x 24mm StopTech cross-drilled rotors
Hawk 5.0 pads
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Stainless steel rotor screws
Calipers powder coated in gloss black.

Comments: Larger front rotors provide greater mass for heat dissipation and less chance of brake fade. Floating cross-drilled front rotors and cross-drilled rear rotors provide superior bite when combined with Hawk 5.0 pads. Cross-drilling also provides superior braking in rain as water can't trap between rotor and pad surfaces. Brake performance is incredible. Cannot make these brakes fade under aggressive street driving.

Powder coated calipers only because used calipers needed a complete rebuild so I had the opportunity to do so. Very happy with the results, but probably wouldn't powder coat calipers again. Not worth the time, hassle and expense when G2USA Caliper Paint provides almost the same result at a fraction of those.

Hopefully the summary above has answered many of your questions. Below is some discussion of components.

Hawk 5.0 pads, stainless steel brake lines and stainless steel rotor screws are a given. Do these three regardless of which brake upgrade you choose.

Caliper Color- Don't allow yourself to make a caliper decision based on what color they are or are not. With G2USA Caliper Paint for as little as $50 you can make your calipers any color without removing them from the car. It brushes on and levels out as it dries to a hard sprayed on looking finish. The blue paint used on the M Sport calipers is terrible. It chips badly. G2USA has a superior finish.

Rotors- Avoid slotted and dimpled. They are noisy and provide little improvement. Dimples can catch metal particles are appear like rusty dots. Slotted are fine for super heat of track but not suited for street. Cross-drilled are superior for street. Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, etc all used cross-drilled rotors on their street performance cars.

Rotor Options: Front/Rear
(With increasing performance and cost)

Plain/Plain- just like stock
Drilled/Plain- Better bite in the front where it counts the most
Drilled/Drilled- Added bite at rear brakes and rain braking performance all around
Full-Floating Drilled/Drilled- Superior combination in every way

Caliper Upgrade Options: (Front/rear)

340/345- Prevents nose diving as stated above

370/345- on a 335i these are the same calipers that come in blue in the M Sport brake option, and come in red, orange or yellow in the M Performance Brake Kit. Color is the only difference.

For a F3x 335i with standard brakes, a great inexpensive upgrade would be to keep the calipers, get front cross-drilled rotors, and Hawk 5.0 pads & stainless steel brake lines all around.

The next step up would be to do the same as above but add rear 345mm calipers.

A full set of working used 370/345 calipers sell for about $800-$1,100 depending on the cosmetic condition. You can use G2USA to refurbish the paint or change the color.

The F3x M Performance Brake Kit can be purchased for $1,795 from GetBMWParts which provides four brand new 370/345 calipers in either red, orange or yellow. I would then sell the two front dimpled & slotted front rotors and the four sets of MP brake pads. Then I'd buy the Hawk 5.0 pads and StopTech rotors of my choice.

It all depends on your priorities and budget.
Hope this helps!

Great explanation!

Just to confirm i have standard gray brakes on my 340xi, can i run 370front with 330 rear and not have to upgrade calipers upfront?

[johnung]

Originally Posted by Melo786

Great explanation!

Just to confirm i have standard gray brakes on my 340xi, can i run 370front with 330 rear and not have to upgrade calipers upfront?

If you have standard grey brakes on a 340i xDrive, that would mean the you have Front 340mm x 30mm and rear 330mm x 20mm.

So when you ask "can i run 370front with 330 rear and not have to upgrade calipers upfront?"

It makes no sense, because to run 370 in the front you would have to upgrade to 370 calipers and rotors in front.

It would be a waste of money to upgrade to 370 Front and leave 330 in rear. You would get more brake improvement by upgrading the 330 rear to 345 rear. So you would end up with front 340 and rear 345.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by nickf30

johnung for rear caliber upgrade: did u buy that new or by part number on the M235i rear? did u code the rear 2 piston after the upgrade?

I bought the rear 345mm calipers used.

My original brakes were 340 front and 330 rear. I didn't have to do any coding. The experienced BMW dealer tech who did the installation for me on the side, said that it is the same coding value for the front/rear brake bias from the factory for 370/345, 340/330 and 340/345. I think that he said something to the effect that they are all coded as S2NHA from the factory.

If someone else knows differently please let me know. I've never seen the coding screen to know how it appears or what choices there are for brake front/rear bias.

[teapain]

WOW. johnung . That was incredibly insightful and exactly the information I was hoping to get from my original post. Needs to be sticky/pinned.

Per color, I could care less, I rather like the grey and less flashy options.

I just bought a set of used M235i brakes which are 340F + 345R thinking the front would be 370mm. I didn't realized that the front would be only 340mm. However, after reading your post, the rear squat effect is exactly what I want. Hawks 5.0 pads and stainless steel brake lines ready to be installed

Again, massive THANK YOU!

[johnung]

Originally Posted by teapain

WOW. johnung . That was incredibly insightful and exactly the information I was hoping to get from my original post. Needs to be sticky/pinned.

Per color, I could care less, I rather like the grey and less flashy options.

I just bought a set of used M235i brakes which are 340F + 345R thinking the front would be 370mm. I didn't realized that the front would be only 340mm. However, after reading your post, the rear squat effect is exactly what I want. Hawks 5.0 pads and stainless steel brake lines ready to be installed

Again, massive THANK YOU!

Glad to hear that the information was helpful. So did your new 340/345 calipers come in grey or blue? 340's come in both, but I don't think that I've ever seen rear 345's in grey.

If you ever desire to paint them, I highly recommend G2USA Caliper Paint. You can brush it on right on the car. Dries to a hard sprayed on coating look.

Good luck!

[teapain]

Originally Posted by johnung

Glad to hear that the information was helpful. So did your new 340/345 calipers come in grey or blue? 340's come in both, but I don't think that I've ever seen rear 345's in grey.

If you ever desire to paint them, I highly recommend G2USA Caliper Paint. You can brush it on right on the car. Dries to a hard sprayed on coating look.

Good luck!

They came in blue and were off of an M235i, which has them blue as standard(340/345) but not the same as M Sport(370/345)? Bought them on Ebay assuming all blue brakes would be 370/345. My mistake.