I Need Brake Rotors And Brake Pads!!!!!

[BMW4LIFE]

hey guys....like the title says....i need the goods!

I have Balos and PBR and hate them!!!! they ended up warping in like 30K which as from what i hear they should last around 60k (based on your driving style)

I looked at a couple disks in my price range but at this point I want quality without having to go to the dealership.

I liked the ATE PowerDISCS...dont know much about them but I hear that ATE is a good brand!


As far as the pads I think i'm going to bite the bullet and get the Textar or Jurids...if you know otherwise please feel free to talk me out of those and into something else with proper evidence or experience.



I have an idea of what I want but I trust you guys more than myself ;) so please point me to the right direction!

thanks as always!!!!

[Tiger]

ATE Powerdisc and Akebono brake pads.... nothing else.

If you are up to it... consider going 540i brake upgrade if you really want beefy brake system without going all crazy.

I use only ATE Powerdisc and now I am firm believer of Akebono's and Bosch Ceramic pads.

They now call the Powerdiscs... Premium One.

[nirvana19]

regular brembo rotors and the bavarian autosport red pads have been working great for me in the rear, I have akebono pads up front and a BMW rotor.

[BMW4LIFE]

I was thinking about the 540i brakes but thats a little too much work for me as i would have to upgrade my rims to accommodate the larger rotors too...right?

well the beast has like 171 on it so i want to spend the least amount of money on it yet still be efficient...

and hey...i might be seeing a 2003 540i M in my near future ;) or better yet a 2003 M3...but hey I have a feeling that thats going to be a totally different thread all by itself! :D

as far as those pads go...they sound extreme...how much are they? do they need to be warmed up like racing pads?

How do you compare them to the Tex and Jurd stated above?

[Tiger]

540i brake is still 15" wheels... Upgrading to M5 will require 16" wheels or bigger.

Jurid and Textar is standard BS dusty pads.

[BMW4LIFE]

now i recall that a long time ago someone told me that i need to get soft pads with soft rotors and hard pads with hard rotors...

does that hold any water?

which rotors and pads are which?

oh and ps i just did some research on the ATE Powers and people are saying that they warped around 10k and they had better experience with the stock rotors....WTF

I am so lost and confused....

I am considering the Akabono (or whatever pads) as long as they dont sqeek, warp rotors, dont need to be warmed up, etc

[Tiger]

There are alot of people who misunderstood brake system. Forget what you learn from others. Just don't use stock stuff!

I prefer slotted over cross drilled... would never install stock rotors period. Too much performance difference between slotted and plain jane.

Akebono is ceramic pad... zero dust, zero warmup and zero squeek. If you want to save money, then Bosch Ceramic pads at your local stores if not online... and last choice is PBR Ultimate ceramic... these are a bit dusty.

[BMW4LIFE]

There are alot of people who misunderstood brake system. Forget what you learn from others. Just don't use stock stuff!

I prefer slotted over cross drilled... would never install stock rotors period. Too much performance difference between slotted and plain jane.

Akebono is ceramic pad... zero dust, zero warmup and zero squeek. If you want to save money, then Bosch Ceramic pads at your local stores if not online... and last choice is PBR Ultimate ceramic... these are a bit dusty.


oooooooooo Tiger i love the slap in my face info!!! GIVE ME MORE! lol

well I think i have the pads down...now can you point me towards the rotors...can you give me 3 diff options if possible...rank them if you can! ;):D

thanks man!!!

and everyone else that helped!

[uscharalph]

Go w/ Brembo rotors & Akebone Euro Ultra Premium pads

[Tiger]

Holy crap! Discs that expensive?! That's a piece of cake then... there is only one that I would buy.

Ate Premium One. $72 front at BMA.

Rear discs is 25% of brake force... so OP Parts is what I would use there... $28 a side. You can always buy Premium One for rear but you will have to buy elsewhere... Alot of time I just use standard for rear. unless I can get them at reasonable price.

[BMW4LIFE]

Has anyone heard of this website

http://germanimportedparts.com/CatalogKW/CatalogResults.aspx

they seem to have the best prices on ATE rotors....

let me know if this is too good to be true! ;)

[Tiger]

Go ahead and order the front rotors from them... that is all I see that they have good deal on.

I don't know if they are selling leftover powerdiscs as opposed to Premium One... Premium One has a special coating on it to prevent rusting.

[bubba966]

540i brake is still 15" wheels... Upgrading to M5 will require 16" wheels or bigger.

Yup, 540 brakes fit under 15" wheels as 540's had 15's stock. The M5 brakes will fit under some 16" wheels w/out spacers, and some of them might require spacers. Depends on the offset. 17" wheels fit over the single pot M5 brakes. And the floating brakes will fit under 17" M-Systems.

You're certainly not going to want to spring for floaters though as they're not cheap. US M5 (single pot brakes) had the same rears as the 540, so at least the rears aren't too spendy. But the M5 front calipers seem to sell for bigger money than they should.

Also should be noted that E32 740 calipers are the same as E34 540 calipers. So if you want to step up the brakes on your car you can get the rears from a 540 or M5, and the fronts from a 540 or 740.

[glen-sj]

Whatever disc and pads you end up with. Be sure to break them in properly.

[Tiger]

And make sure your caliper is not binding!

[xspeedy]

I'll add my tip - make sure you clean the rotors with brake cleaner to remove any of the rust preventative oils that are on there. And if your rotor hats really show through your wheels, you may want to spray them with a very high temp paint so they don't rust. That is if they are naked like Brembos usually are.

[Tiger]

Regular rotors... yes... ATE Premium One or any brake rotors that are treated with anti-rust coating... even ATE powerdisc... no do not clean... ATE specifically stated that in the box. Although if you got it greasy, then go ahead and clean it.

[BMW4LIFE]

Regular rotors... yes... ATE Premium One or any brake rotors that are treated with anti-rust coating... even ATE powerdisc... no do not clean... ATE specifically stated that in the box. Although if you got it greasy, then go ahead and clean it.

hey tiger i looked into those rotors i showed you a link to and they are the power discs instead of the premium...

worth it or should i cough up the extra 60 bucks for premium ones?

[Tiger]

Just go for it... really doesn't make any difference in performance. Premium One is plated to resist rust... shows a shiny silver color.