[FalcoFury]

I just got my 2015 335i F30 N55 with M sport package and other sport accessories. I'm unsure what kind of brake pads are on there now, but the package came with the blue M sport calipers. The brake pads have an engraving that says Jurid 383 FF but I couldn't find anything online about them. It doesn't seem to say in the manual either.

I want to make sure I minimize brake dust and get the most stopping performance. I like being able to stop on a dime if I ever need to. (not that I drive too close to people, I just like the peace of mind)

So are they worth it?

[cfm56d7b]

Your car already has excellent M Sport brakes for daily driving.

What are your impressions about the initial bite?

Brake dust actually tells a positive story with harmless cosmetic disappoinment - i.e. dust. The brake pad is softer than the rotor. It quickly grinds into the rotor while shedding brake compound material and providing great initial bite.

I prefer softer brake pad / OEM rotor combination. The aggressive initial bite is invaluable for daily driving.

Jurid brake pads are OEM specification pads.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...7/34111163923/

[cfm56d7b]

if you are interested in even more capable brakes at a much higher price, I suggest either AP Racing Radi-CAL or Brembo GT brakes.

https://apradical.stillen.com

[FalcoFury]

They seem good so far. Not too much bite, but very firm once pressed down further. It's just a thought. I don't need ceramic pads. Either way it would be way later down the road when it gets time to replace them anyway.

[FalcoFury]

Bump.

My brakes are squealing like a banshee at a modest brake pressure around 20mph deceleration until stop.

I did a test and tried to stop as hard as I could but couldn't get the tires to stop. It just felt like grinding and I couldn't make any skid marks.

I think it's time for new pads. What do you guys recommend? Money is no issue when it comes to brake pads.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by FalcoFury

Bump.

My brakes are squealing like a banshee at a modest brake pressure around 20mph deceleration until stop.

I did a test and tried to stop as hard as I could but couldn't get the tires to stop. It just felt like grinding and I couldn't make any skid marks.

I think it's time for new pads. What do you guys recommend? Money is no issue when it comes to brake pads.

Slamming on the brakes will engage ABS...you shouldn't be seeing skidmarks, otherwise it'd mean your tires are locking up (which means ABS isn't doing its job...AntiLOCK Braking System). The "grinding" sound you're hearing/feeling might just be the ABS pulses. If there's still like left in your pads, replacing them prematurely is a bit of a waste, unless you upgrade the pads to a different compound.

Is the squeaking consistent? Brakes tend to squeak when they're cold, especially if the car was parked outside overnight, the squeak usually goes away once they warm up. Once it goes from an intermittent squeak when cold to a consistent squeal every time you brake, you've probably hit the pad's wear indicating thingy (technical term ) that makes them squeal to let you know it's time to replace the pads.

For pads, usually you have low noise, low dust, or better performance...choose two. I recently put in Hawk HPS 5.0 pads when I changed my front rotors. They work well, good bite and stopping power, but they do seem to dust more than the stock pads did. I'd recommend them if low dust wasn't a priority for you. I've heard good things about StopTech's pads. I also tried Powerstop Evolution "Carbon Fiber" pads and found them to be squeaky as hell in my application.

[FalcoFury]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Slamming on the brakes will engage ABS...you shouldn't be seeing skidmarks, otherwise it'd mean your tires are locking up (which means ABS isn't doing its job...AntiLOCK Braking System). The "grinding" sound you're hearing/feeling might just be the ABS pulses. If there's still like left in your pads, replacing them prematurely is a bit of a waste, unless you upgrade the pads to a different compound.

Is the squeaking consistent?

I realized that after I posted it, I feel stupid.

Yes, the squeaking is constant even after getting warmed up and braking hard after a long city drive.

I believe the pads have never been replaced. It's a 2015 at 48k miles. Not covered by warranty. I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I hear ceramic pads low noise, low dust, and very good bite. I don't mind the price if it means I'm able to brake sooner/safer in emergencies.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by FalcoFury

I realized that after I posted it, I feel stupid.

Yes, the squeaking is constant even after getting warmed up and braking hard after a long city drive.

I believe the pads have never been replaced. It's a 2015 at 48k miles. Not covered by warranty. I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I hear ceramic pads low noise, low dust, and very good bite. I don't mind the price if it means I'm able to brake sooner/safer in emergencies.

Brake pads wouldn't be covered under warranty anyways since they're a wear item. From what I've read, it seems you can't go wrong with Akebono, StopTech, or Hawk pads. They have consistently good reviews. I've read mixed reviews on EBCs and Pagids. YMMV.

[FalcoFury]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Brake pads wouldn't be covered under warranty anyways since they're a wear item. From what I've read, it seems you can't go wrong with Akebono, StopTech, or Hawk pads. They have consistently good reviews. I've read mixed reviews on EBCs and Pagids. YMMV.

I'll stick to those brands then! How do I know if I have 340mm or 370mm front discs?

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by FalcoFury

I'll stick to those brands then! How do I know if I have 340mm or 370mm front discs?

Silver - 340mm front/330mm rear
Blue M Sport - 370mm front/345mm rear
Red/Yellow/Orange M Performance - 370mm front/345mm rear


https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-b...ke-Differences

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Silver - 340mm front/330mm rear
Blue M Sport - 370mm front/345mm rear
Red/Yellow/Orange M Performance - 370mm front/345mm rear


https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-b...ke-Differences

Plus the 340mm and 370mm use the same pads. So really just have to get the correct rear pads

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Silver - 340mm front/330mm rear
Blue M Sport - 370mm front/345mm rear
Red/Yellow/Orange M Performance - 370mm front/345mm rear


https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-b...ke-Differences

Blue also comes in 340/345mm. Not mention people like to paint their calipers as well.

Look at the stamp on the back of the caliper, or measure the diameter of your rotors.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

Blue also comes in 340/345mm. Not mention people like to paint their calipers as well.

Look at the stamp on the back of the caliper, or measure the diameter of your rotors.

Really? Which models/package? I hadn't heard that combo from factory before. :

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Really? Which models/package? I hadn't heard that combo from factory before. :

M2 has them

[jh_f30]

Oh...I thought we were talking about OP's 2015 335i.

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Oh...I thought we were talking about OP's 2015 335i.

Yeah... still... he's doing pads. So no matter what the pads for the blue 370 and 340 are the same. The rear pad is varies because he could have 345mm or 330mm

[Logicoeur]

Yup the calipers could be off of an F8x or F3x or F2x of certain years. Same calipers, same part numbers. I plan to paint my 340mm gray set yellow and throw in a set of 345mm 2piston rears.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by FalcoFury

I'll stick to those brands then! How do I know if I have 340mm or 370mm front discs?

This thread seems to go in a few directions. Focusing on your situation and what you stated, if you have a 2015 335i that came with blue brake calipers, then you have 370mm x 30mm rotors in front, and 345mm x 24mm rotors in back.

If there is any concern that a previous owner may have changed calipers, then go to the mdecoder website, enter your VIN and look for a line item on your car's build sheet that has the code S2NHA which means M Sport Brakes can with your car from the factory.

If you had the Brembo 4-piston front calipers off the car, then you can tell exactly which size you have. The rear of the caliper casting either says "340" or "370/380" which for the F3x means it either fits over a 340mm diameter rotor or a 370mm rotor.

These calipers are awesome. They are Brembo 4-piston in front and 2-piston Brembo in rear. However, your choice of brake pads controls how much performance you can get out of them. The various OEM pads are no more than average in braking capability. Their chief complaint is lots of black sticky dust.

As soon as people complain about brake dust the immediate solution thrown at them is to get ceramic pads, since low brake dust is the main selling feature of ceramic pads. Akebono is the most common ceramic pad mentioned.

It's important to know that there are downsides to ceramic pads. They are slow to warm up and don't work well until they do. Not the best situation if you jump in the car on a cold morning and step on the brakes at your first red light. When ceramics do warm up and finally work, their bite isn't the best compared to other pads. Ceramic pads do work great in the high heat environment of the race track.

My recommendation for the street is Hawk 5.0 brake pads. They are superior to OEM pads in every category. They have great bite and warm up instantly. They produce much less dust than stock pads. That dust is lighter in color and not sticky, so it washes right off. Hawk 5.0's are also less costly compared to other pads that may be recommended as high performance street. Please see photo for Hawk 5.0 part numbers for your brake calipers.

After brake pads, the other component that effects brake performance are brake rotors. There is a lot of misinformation and many opinions on brake rotors.

Plain brake rotors are just fine and work well. There are a lot of slotted rotors and dimpled rotors on the aftermarket. They are a small improvement in braking performance compared to plain rotors, but they have downsides. Biggest complaints are that they are noisy, wear pads out quicker and that dimples trap rust. Slotted rotors are often used on the race track where noise and pad wear isn't the top priority.

By far the top bite on the street is provided by cross-drilled rotors. The chamfered holes give the pad an additional bite surface plus they maintain brake performance in the rain by preventing water build up between brake pad and rotor surfaces.

There is incorrect criticism that drilled rotors crack between the holes. That's not the case on the street otherwise Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, etc wouldn't supply cross-drilled rotors on their performance street cars. It is true that in the high heat of lap after lap racing, cross-drilled rotors degrade faster than slotted rotors.

Don't waste money on BMW brake rotors. High quality German-made Zimmermann rotors are a fraction of the price. Unlike OEM, they are zinc coated against rust. StopTech also makes high quality for less.

Upgrade brake hoses to stainless steel brake lines for a better more solid brake pedal feel. Labor is minimal if done at the same time as brake fluid replacement which should be done every two years for safety. StopTech stainless lines are $106/set of four. See photo.

Below are some rotor part numbers that may be helpful:

Front Rotor, 370mm x 30mm
Zimmermann
150.2911.20 Plain
150.2911.52 Drilled
StopTech
128.34144L&R Drilled

Rear Rotor, 345mm x 24mm
Zimmermann
150.2919.20 Plain
StopTech
128.34147L&R Drilled

Hope this helps!

[FalcoFury]

Originally Posted by johnung

Hope this helps!

You have no idea how much this helps! You're so right about rotars. It seems some people care more about how they look. Last thing I want is more noise. Although I probably hear it after I get my parts installed and tune.

The one thing I want out of rotors is the rain performance. If you know anything about Florida, we get a lot of rain. So I'll definitely consider upgrading to the cross-drilled you recommend.

To confirm, yes I have OEM m-sport brake package blue calipers and everything from factory.

Thank you for all the part numbers as well. You saved me so much time on research, etc. I'll start with brake lines and pads!

[johnung]

Originally Posted by FalcoFury

You have no idea how much this helps! You're so right about rotars. It seems some people care more about how they look. Last thing I want is more noise. Although I probably hear it after I get my parts installed and tune.

The one thing I want out of rotors is the rain performance. If you know anything about Florida, we get a lot of rain. So I'll definitely consider upgrading to the cross-drilled you recommend.

To confirm, yes I have OEM m-sport brake package blue calipers and everything from factory.

Thank you for all the part numbers as well. You saved me so much time on research, etc. I'll start with brake lines and pads!

I'm glad that I could help. Drilled rotors will absolutely help in Florida downpours. When I was a kid we would literally watch the rain come right down the street.

Here's a photo of my rear brakes with the StopTech drilled rotors listed in the parts list. The corresponding front drilled StopTech rotors are also in the parts list.

FYI- I listed front drilled rotors from Zimmermann and StopTech. I've never compared prices but my guess is that Zimmermann cost less. Zimmermann are widely available in the US. I just don't know how widely available this particular drilled Zimmermann part number is available in the US. If not, I'm guessing it can be had on AmazonUK which I believe has cheap or free Prime shipping to the US.

The photo I posted earlier of my front brakes are stupid expensive StopTech full-floating drilled rotors. They are freakin awesome!

[s1k_RR]

Did you go over what tires you're running?

For me better tires helped out tremendously in stopping performance.

Does anyone know what two-piece brake rotor options we have? (for the F36)

[johnung]

Originally Posted by s1k_RR

Did you go over what tires you're running?

For me better tires helped out tremendously in stopping performance.

Does anyone know what two-piece brake rotor options we have? (for the F36)

Great point! Tires are the other part of braking and certainly some tires are much better in the rain than others. Both in handling and braking.

I have summer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires that are very high rated in dry and wet. Even in the pouring rain I have a difficult time telling the difference. MPS4S would be perfect for a warm rainy climate.

If you are getting new tires don't miss out on the chance to upgrade tire size on your same wheels. I upgraded from stock size 225/45-18 to 245/40-18 which provides the best handling on my BMW Model 400M stock 18" wheels. I could have also chosen 245/45-18 which would have provided great handling and more comfort, along with filling wheel wells more for a dropped look.

I'm in NJ so in winter when it hits 40 degrees Fahrenheit in December I change to winter Michelin X-ICE Xi3 in 225/45-18. (I went back to stock size width based on recommendations that the 225 width would cut through snow itself better than 245 width which could tend to sort of hydroplane over the snow surface instead of digging in) This is my first winter on actual specialized winter tires. I love the way the rubber gets more supple as the temperature drops. They are also superior in rain and on ice. Got caught in a recent flash ice/snow storm and I just drove around on it while other cars were spinning wheels and being pushed by hand off the road.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but since the F36 Gran Coupe is based on the F32-33 then the brakes should be the same.

TWO PIECE ROTORS- When are they an advance?

Sometimes you hear people mention advantages of two-piece brake rotors. But the actual details of why that may be and if the advantage is worth much gets lost as guys just repeat the statement with no history and no explanation.

There is a huge advantage to two-piece rotors but only if they are talking about very expensive true full-floating two-piece rotors. You see them on the racetrack such as BremboGT brakes.

They reduce unsprung weight with a lightweight rotor ring that's replaceable. The heat exchange and pad alignment under harsh heat conditions (racing) is superior with a full floating design. StopTech is the only one that I know of that makes them in a BMW stock size of 370mm x 30mm and they are usually a 6-8 week wait to custom make them. I have them on my car.

Note: I'm not trying to talk anyone out of buying two-piece riveted rotors. They look cool. I would buy them. But there isn't some huge noticeable advantage to them.

Usually when guys talk about two-piece rotors they mean the rotors that you see with big rivets all around. Instead of being a one-piece steel rotor, they have a slightly lower weight aluminum rotor hat rigidly attached with the rivets to a solid steel rotor ring. They look cooler with the rivets but there is little true unsprung weight savings.

To illustrate my point, if you had front Brembo 4-piston calipers over 340mm x 30mm rotors, the plain one-piece rotors weigh 24.0 lbs each. The same size rotor in a riveted two-piece weighs 22.0 lbs.

So the typical response is that's great and worth it to me to pay more for a two-piece rotor and save 2lbs of unsprung weight. But 2lbs isn't much so don't expect to actually feel a difference.

So say that you want to make the investment and upgrade your front brakes to the Brembo 4-piston calipers that ride over 370mm x 30mm rotors. That sounds like a huge upgrade.

Well, the 370mm x 30mm plain one-piece rotors weigh 29.1 lbs each! And even the two-piece plain riveted rotors weigh 26.5 lbs each. Also the aluminum castings for the 370 calipers are larger so they weigh more than the 340 calipers.

So it's always a trade-off, you can try to save a little unsprung weight here and there with riveted rotors but ultimately unsprung weight is added whenever you go to bigger brakes.

FYI- Zimmermann makes a two-piece riveted plain 370x30 front rotor part number 150.2911.32 and a rear two-piece riveted plain 345mm x 24mm part number 150.2919.32 (for a 185mm emergency brake which is the most common size)

RACING-
The thought just occurred to me is that for racing an F3x with stock brakes, the best front brakes are probably the Brembo 4-piston over 340mm x 30mm rotors. They have the same pad and piston size as the 370 brakes, but with much lower overall unsprung weight.

The lightest rotor I've found in that 340 size is the ECS semi-floating drilled & slotted rotor which is 20.95 lbs compared to Zimmermann plain two-piece riveted at 22.0 lbs. ECS claims a huge weight savings of 3.5 lbs which I guess is versus the heaviest rotor they could possibly find. It's really only a 1.05 lb weight savings over a two-piece plain rotor, and some of that is from the material loss of cross-drilling and machining the slots.

So if I was racing with F3x stock brakes, my ideal setup would include:
Brembo 340mm front calipers
ECS 340mm Semi-Floating rotors
Racing Brake Pads
Stainless steel brake lines
Racing brake fluid

For rear racing brakes:
The 1-piston Bosch calipers over 330mm x 20mm would definitely have the lowest unsprung weight but they just don't match well with the weight of the car and cause the car to nose dive under extreme braking. So I'd expect the better racing choice to be the 2-piston Brembo calipers over 345mm x 24mm rotors. Even though the rear unsprung weight would be greater so would the brake performance.

Link to ECS Rotors
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...0/014586ecskt/