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BMW E36 Brake Upgrades

7K views 41 replies 9 participants last post by  xXNealXx 
#1 ·
Has anyone on here got either the K-Sport (8 pot 330mm kit) or the Hi-Line (4 pot 315mm) conversion on their E36?? They both seem to retail for very reasonable prices compared to bigger name brands.

Links:
K-Sport

Hi-Spec
 
#3 ·
The problem with some of the 'other' brake manufacturer companies is when you come to changing the pads. My brother in law has a Brembo GT big brake conversion on his Mini Cooper S. It has 330 mm discs on the front, and when it came to getting hold of new pads that were not as dusty as the Brembo's, no-one could help cos it was Brembo only pads.

I ended up having to fone the US distributor, cos no-one in the UK could help, even the UK distirbutor. I was told the calipers were the same as those fitted to the Lotus Esprit GT3, so I could just order those pads from any pad manufacturer then. Guess how much the pads were a set. 150 for 1 set. Yes, 1 set. We ordered 2 sets.
 
#9 ·
The problem with some of the 'other' brake manufacturer companies is when you come to changing the pads. My brother in law has a Brembo GT big brake conversion on his Mini Cooper S. It has 330 mm discs on the front, and when it came to getting hold of new pads that were not as dusty as the Brembo's, no-one could help cos it was Brembo only pads.

I ended up having to fone the US distributor, cos no-one in the UK could help, even the UK distirbutor. I was told the calipers were the same as those fitted to the Lotus Esprit GT3, so I could just order those pads from any pad manufacturer then. Guess how much the pads were a set. 150 for 1 set. Yes, 1 set. We ordered 2 sets.
We are the UK importer and distributor for Brembo high performance. We have several sets of the required pads sitting on the shelf here! ;)

Regarding the OP - I would have look around at the more established brake manufacturers. Braking is not an area to be cutting corners / buying the cheapest parts IMO.
 
#6 ·
Theres probably like an ant's leg of space between the caliper body and the inside of the 17'' rim/spokes. My brother in law's Mini has 18's, and there is some clearance, but not alot.

I'd check the availability of the pads and also the price of them too. I know I would probably shed a tear if I found out my brake pads were gonna cost £150 a set!!!
 
#13 ·
Bremsen, the discs on the Mini are definitely 330 mm. The car is a 2002 on a 52 plate tho. They were fitted by tuning company West Tuning, usually tune BMW,Mercs, Porsches. I foned him at first, and he said ONLY Brembo pads were available for those calipers, which is not what we wanted. Would there be a part number on the back of the caliper you can refer to against the Brembo GT kits?
 
#14 ·
In that case it is not a genuine Brembo kit! There is no kit available for that year MINI featuring 330mm discs! Tuning companies have been known to cobble together their own kits from OE calipers such as those found on the Leon Cupra R. I wont be able to do anything with the caliper part number as it wont be in the range we supply. However a pad part number or a drawing of the pad including dimensions will help!

My e-mail is steve@racepads.co.uk

Thanks

Steve
 
#17 ·
I think cost is generally a factor in most things?.. the only thing my last post relates to is the brackets - which is a machined piece of metal which allows mounting of Brembo calipers. I've seen these brackets go for a lot more than the price I linked to from a German seller so didn't see an issue with posting details of the EXACT same bracket from another vendor for a much cheaper price???.. surely thats to the benefit of members looking at this type of upgrade?

not sure exactly what angle you're trying to work.. maybe it's just you'd prefer people/members to buy direct from you at far higher prices (for essentially the same kit!) by trying to strike fear into them that the items linked to are somehow inferior.. :sarcastic

it doesn't really reflect well when vendors start trying to attack other companies products IMHO.. but then again - what would I know..
 
#19 ·
Bremsen Technik UK; said:
Brake kits from Brembo are extensively tested to ensure they are the correct match for that particular application..
you make it sound like Brembo have unique calipers for every car? - this isn't the case at all -they have several calipers which are suitable for various cars and all that really changes is the mounting hardware/brackets.


Bremsen Technik UK; said:
Failure to do so can lead to brake imbalance at the least. This is why the genuine kits are more expensive.
/\ if you're talking about the fronts locking up then this is something the can be addressed by adding a bias/proportioning valve.. is it not??

Bremsen Technik UK; said:
As a user of this forum surely it is beter to support registered forum vendors such as ourselves, rather than a company who have nothing to do with it?
That has to be one of the most idiotic statements I've read on here.. so in essence what you're saying/implying is that any members on here who want brakes - should only come to yourselves??..

Bremsen Technik UK; said:
Simply taking a caliper from another vehicle and bolting it onto your car is not the same thing as buying an extensively tested and developed kit specifically designed for that application.
/\ I disagree with that as well - there's enough people running Brembo conversion from the 8 series on here to disprove that point as well.. in addition to the members on the US board who have the ZO6 and 996 conversion who track there cars EXTENSIVELY and have had not reported issues.. maybe you have some other anecdotal evidence you'd like to share to disprove this though..
 
#20 ·
you make it sound like Brembo have unique calipers for every car? - this isn't the case at all -they have several calipers which are suitable for various cars and all that really changes is the mounting hardware/brackets.




/\ if you're talking about the fronts locking up then this is something the can be addressed by adding a bias/proportioning valve.. is it not??



That has to be one of the most idiotic statements I've read on here.. so in essence what you're saying/implying is that any members on here who want brakes - should only come to yourselves??..



/\ I disagree with that as well - there's enough people running Brembo conversion from the 8 series on here to disprove that point as well.. in addition to the members on the US board who have the ZO6 and 996 conversion who track there cars EXTENSIVELY and have had not reported issues.. maybe you have some other anecdotal evidence you'd like to share to disprove this though..

You obviously know far more than i do about all things brake related, i will bow to your superior knowledge.
 
#23 ·
not at all!!.. maybe you should try reading what was posted? ;)

and FWIW I started this thread with a genuine question and there only seems to be one person trying to derail it.

In addition - i've since found out that the K-Sports (which are identical to the D2 items) are used fairly extensively in time attack and various other track events in the UK with fairly good reports. ;)

But if you believe some of what was posted in this thread then you should only use Brembo brakes and only those specifically supplied by Bremsen :sarcastic
 
#25 ·
I will just say this, I did not read what Bremsen wrote and interpret it in the same way as yourself.

Personally, I do my own research through my own testing, through reading on the internet (good but not great) and through friends and acquaintances who have used products. Re companies like D2, K Sport and BC Racing – I wouldn’t touch them myself. Their suspension products like to break and the damping valve quality leaves a lot to be desired. Regarding their brakes, I recall K Sport didn’t even pass TUV certification because the discs cracked on warm up, or something very similar to that.

I have AP Racing BBKs front and rear. They are obviously a lot more expensive than other brands but there’s a reason why they are copied by everyone else and that they are the brake system of choice (along with Brembo) for many race series.
 
#27 ·
done a quick Google and found some reviews from people who actually have first hand experience of ksport brakes and have the kits installed on their cars:

http://tinyurl.com/272hxhv

can't really seem to find any bad reviews??... or any of the issues that you mention Tommy? - maybe post the link or pics etc?? in addition and interestingly enough I also came across this thread on the Lancer Register (who probably track their cars more than most):

http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=177623&highlight=sport+brakes

interesting to see people who have had different setups (stock brembo, ap etc) actually share unbiased opinions when comparing them..

but like what was said before - they're probably crap because they're cheap ;):lol
 
#29 ·
but like what was said before - they're probably crap because they're cheap ;):lol
I am not from that camp. I do my research and, where possible, I test products for myself.

I once spent over £100 each for front discs by a company called Nitrac for my old 328 track car. The company touts cryogenic treatment as to what makes their discs better than anyone else. Those discs cracked after one track day! I then went for cheap (about £37 each) Brembo Max discs and can't praise those discs enough.

That old track car of mine also had cheap GAZ GHA suspension. I did my research and I ignored plenty of forum advice not to go there. Turns out those coilovers served me very well indeed. Not excellent but good enough to put in some very hot lap times of various tracks including Nurburgring.
 
#28 ·
There's a wide market and lots of information out there. If you can't find a bad word said about them then they must be good ;)

I started reading the Lancer review but starting laughing and stopped when he said he 'opted for DS2500 pads' and that 'THEY DON'T SQUEAL OR MAKE ANY NOISE AT ALL'. That, to me, spells someone who has little knowledge of track days and race compound pads.

As mentioned before, if these companies make dampers that break at the welds, leak after fitting, are unmatched from the factory and make brake kits that are 'fully researched' but that the bells don't even fit onto the hubs, then just how well researched do you think they are? What level of quality materials do they use? How researched are the piston sizes, the differentials between them? etc etc
 
#37 ·
to be clear - I never meant to hit the 'thanks' button on your reply - I meant to hit the quote button! (managed it second time) - this thread was wrecked a long time ago! LOL!

anyway point being that this forum is a fairly friendly and laid back place - there's people I don't get on with here and don't necessarily agree with what they post - but I either ignore them or don't bother replying to their posts or trying to bait them.. ;) maybe time to draw a line and move on? (BOTH OF YOU! LOL!!!)

so bear this one in mind when replying to threads:



if it's not related to the thread/topic then DON'T post as you won't be adding anything! :)
 
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