Yet another brakes thread

[Beez540]

I know there's a ton of them... and I've read all of them, but I'm hoping to come to some consensus.
Also, I've seen nothing discussing Akebono ACT ceramic brake pads... has anyone used them?

I'm just planning on doing the front brakes.

My rotor choices are:

Balo
Bremmbo
ACT slotted
Zimmerman cross drilled

Pad choices:

Metalmasters
Raybestos QS
Akebono ACTs


Finding a parts place that carries the proper combination seems to be the tricky part. APW has the Bremmbo rotors for less than $40 each and the Akebono pad set for just under $70... shipping would be free or $15 or $20 for 2 day or overnight.

BMA seems to be more on the rotors and primarily stocking PBR pads for my 540.


Any and all experienced suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[MBXB]

I had to get mine separately.
Balos from BMA, Raybestos QS from partsamerica.

[Tcdoe]

I just got zimmermann cross drilled rotors and ferodo ds performance pads installed a while ago. Definately better than original brakes, but hard to say how much better until I take the car to the track.

[Jay 535i]

My car still has nearly-new Balo rotors with Pagid pads.

When cool or cold, braking is firm and controlled with lots of feedback.

When warm to hot (not too hot!) they get even sharper and grippier. Very nice.

No noise, moderate brake dust, great feel and performance.

[Beez540]

no one? should I make this a poll? perhaps I should, it would be nice to have some numbers.

[GS535i]

My E34 will emerge from hibernation ( which started today with 30cm of snow!) with fresh Mintex Red Box pads all 'round. I'm using these on a 928 S4 and have found them to be very progressive and excellent to modulate ... and practically dust free. Surprisingly cheap, I hope they work as well on the 535i.

[Jay 535i]

I'm using these on a 928 S4

Lucky bastard. That's perhaps the only reasonably-priced car for which I'd trade my E34 in a heartbeat.

[Rory]

I know there's a ton of them... and I've read all of them, but I'm hoping to come to some consensus.
Also, I've seen nothing discussing Akebono ACT ceramic brake pads... has anyone used them?

I'm just planning on doing the front brakes.

My rotor choices are:

Balo
Bremmbo
ACT slotted
Zimmerman cross drilled

Pad choices:

Metalmasters
Raybestos QS
Akebono ACTs


Finding a parts place that carries the proper combination seems to be the tricky part. APW has the Bremmbo rotors for less than $40 each and the Akebono pad set for just under $70... shipping would be free or $15 or $20 for 2 day or overnight.

BMA seems to be more on the rotors and primarily stocking PBR pads for my 540.


Any and all experienced suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Brandon,

OEM will be more than sufficient unless you are a track junky. Nothing beats OEM rotors and there are a million different pad choices. You are wasting your money on performance if you want slotted or cross drilled rotors. If the money is worth it for "the look" then go for it, but don't expect much or any performance gain.

I personally usually use PBR Deluxe pads with OEM rotors unless I am planning a track day (which never seams to happen). OEM rotors from the dealer have a 1 year warranty regardless of use. If you warp them for any reason, you can return them for new ones. They should last a few years and many 10's of thousands of miles, but it is a nice warranty to have. PBR Deluxe pads have a nice bite when cold, are easy on the dust, and are very quiet. They will wear quickly under extreme conditions, but BMW engineers planned for extreme cases that you will probably never participate in. I have not personally used Raybesto's QS pads but have a couple friends that have had good luck with them, they are pretty inexpensive also. I like metalmasters, but they are pretty loud for street use. Deluxe give a better all around experience IMHO for street use.

I personally would either purchase from Steve D. at the Ultimate Garage, BMA, or Nick Alexander BMW in LA. BMA will probably be the cheapest, but sometimes it is better to spend a little more for convenience and to support a quality business.

Good luck in your decision,
Rory

[Beez540]

Has no one tried the Akebonos?

Are the bremmbos as good as the balos for regular OEM spec rotors? For me that's really the main question. Because if they're just as good and I can get them for $38 a rotor... that sounds like a sweet deal to me.

[ProZak]

I personally would either purchase from Steve D. at the Ultimate Garage, BMA, or Nick Alexander BMW in LA. BMA will probably be the cheapest, but sometimes it is better to spend a little more for convenience and to support a quality business.

Can you post links? I need to replace warped fronts and pads all around. Thanks in advance.

-Zak-

[SLEX Runner]

Brandon,

OEM will be more than sufficient unless you are a track junky. Nothing beats OEM rotors and there are a million different pad choices. You are wasting your money on performance if you want slotted or cross drilled rotors. If the money is worth it for "the look" then go for it, but don't expect much or any performance gain.

I personally usually use PBR Deluxe pads with OEM rotors unless I am planning a track day (which never seams to happen). OEM rotors from the dealer have a 1 year warranty regardless of use. If you warp them for any reason, you can return them for new ones. They should last a few years and many 10's of thousands of miles, but it is a nice warranty to have. PBR Deluxe pads have a nice bite when cold, are easy on the dust, and are very quiet. They will wear quickly under extreme conditions, but BMW engineers planned for extreme cases that you will probably never participate in. I have not personally used Raybesto's QS pads but have a couple friends that have had good luck with them, they are pretty inexpensive also. I like metalmasters, but they are pretty loud for street use. Deluxe give a better all around experience IMHO for street use.

I personally would either purchase from Steve D. at the Ultimate Garage, BMA, or Nick Alexander BMW in LA. BMA will probably be the cheapest, but sometimes it is better to spend a little more for convenience and to support a quality business.

Good luck in your decision,
Rory

Rory,

You discussed about using OEM rotors as a wise move.

Here in Saudi Arabia, OEM rotors (manufactured by BEHR) are not on stock. I have been able to secure OEM pads though, and am being offered a less costly replacement part - TRUCKTEC Gmbh, which as I checked on the net seems to be a part specialist for the likes of Mercedes, Audi, and Skoda.

Is the OEM rotor a big factor in braking performance for daily street use?

[Beez540]

OOPS... stupid me, I actually found a thread discussing the Akebono pads. I'm not sure why it didn't come up in the search before (perhaps a spelling issue). Someone at least could of linked it to me while taking the opportunity to belittle me for my poor search kung fu... but I digress.

I'm going with the ATE powerdiscs and the Akebono PRO-ACT ceramic pads. I hope they're nice.