Brakes

[Jehu]

Always on the lookout for desirable upgrades,i saw these (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E31-Brembo-Brake-Calipers-E24-M6-E28-E31-E34-M5-New_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33563QQihZ001QQitem Z110048946690QQrdZ1QQtcZphoto) .Reading the E34 article on Brake upgrade it looks like these calipers create nearly 100lbs less torque than my stock 540 calipers. If torque = stopping power these aren't going to be any kind of upgrade even though they use four pistons,correct?The single Piston E31's are still the best when you consider price for stopping power?

[angrypancake]

wow, those guys must manufacture those or something. that's the third set of calipers they've put up. each of the previous two have gone for over $1,000.


HOWEVER: i got a ride in an e34 that had those on, we did a 70-0 stop, and even though i was forewarned about 3 times that it was coming, nothing could've prepared me for it. the front of the car basically hit the ground and we stopped moving. literally stopped dead, no ********. if my seatbelt hadn't locked up i would've broken my nose on the dash/windshield. crazy.

[Jehu]

I read this after your PM so would you say that's a good thing ?lol... I'll probably have to wait till spring though..

[angrypancake]

I read this after your PM so would you say that's a good thing ?lol... I'll probably have to wait till spring though..


lol absurd! Yeah, it was a very good thing. You would definitely have to keep it in mind when stopping short, cause you'd get rear ended, lol.



Has anyone fitted M5 single piston calipers to a 540? is there a noticeable upgrade?

[Jehu]

So are those calipers in need of any attention or can they be installed as tbey come? Post the pics when you can.

While we're on the subject of brakes. If you can't accomplish the full and complete Bedding proceedure becasue you don't have access to say a garage on a Track and have to actually drive from the place you do the brake job to the highway and then have to deal with traffic and laws etc. is it still going to have soem benefit if you just do the best you can like driving at a crawl with your hazard flasher on to the highway trying not to use the brakes and then doing the best you can out there?

[BillionPa]

540 calipers and M5 calipers have about the same torque, but the M5 has a larger fluid reservoir and more metal, allowing them to absorb more heat. if you want and upgrade, get stoptech steel hose lines and cryo treated slotted rotors.

i am also using the brass bushings, which cause the slot vibrations to be amplified into the suspension (kind of annoying when cold) but they do give it more consistent feeling bite. had to do a power stop 65-0 short notice the other day, was able to not lock up the abs but land 2ft before my "predicted" spot. any other brake setup and i would have had to slam the pedal all the way.

currently using 540 calipers with ceramic pads.

[BillionPa]

what i did for my brakes to warmup is gentle press of the brake pedal while keeping the foot on the gas... at 2am on a long stretch of road.

that allowed them to heat up with good consistency....

HOWEVER, i pre baked the pads and my rotors were cryo and heat cycled and didnt require it, but its good to get the pads flat and get the cadmium plating off the rotor surface.

after they were nice and hot i drove around in a large circle and came back to the same highway, then did 5 60-30 medium pressure exercises, then went around for another 5.

then of course one more round of no brake use so they could cool down.

[Jehu]

540 calipers and M5 calipers have about the same torque, but the M5 has a larger fluid reservoir and more metal, allowing them to absorb more heat. if you want and upgrade, get stoptech steel hose lines and cryo treated slotted rotors.

i am also using the brass bushings, which cause the slot vibrations to be amplified into the suspension (kind of annoying when cold) but they do give it more consistent feeling bite. had to do a power stop 65-0 short notice the other day, was able to not lock up the abs but land 2ft before my "predicted" spot. any other brake setup and i would have had to slam the pedal all the way.

currently using 540 calipers with ceramic pads.

Well that's what i have now too and the stopping power isn't bad nor am i going to be tracking. If the modest increase in torque from the M5 calipers isn't really neccesary i may as well stick with what i have and upgrade the rotors when i change them. I did like the idea of cryoing rotors when i read about it.

[BillionPa]

rotors that never warp, never crack (unless hit with a large object) and never fade (if the pads can take it) sure as hell does sound like a good idea!

the cryo rotors are usually heat treated and cadmium plated too, so they dont rust either!

[pingu]

Until you use them and the cadmium plating gets worn off?

[BillionPa]

the cadmium coats the whole thing, the only part where it wears off is at the rotor/pad interface, and the use of the brakes keeps rust from forming there.