Which Brakes - 330ci

[kris d]

Hi
Anyone know of any drilled brake disks that can fit a 330ci using the standard set up.l
Am looking to spend 600£ max.

Thanks

kris

[peppernick]

If you're prepared to spend up to £600, get the OEM ventilated X-drills with floating front discs from BMW. They are made specifically for the 330 and looks the absolute best. They cost £570 front and rear. I'll post some pics tonight when I get home.

[kris d]

OEM = even better [ok

Thanks for that mate, would be great to see the pic's!
Cheers

Kris

[lee330sport]

Ill be getting some of those too, they look the nuts.

[InvIs Inc]

do they fit any other model?

[peppernick]

Check out the quality ;)

They are specific for the E46 330, unless you change the calipers and mounting brackets too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/peppernick/111030.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/peppernick/111029.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/peppernick/111035.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/peppernick/111034.jpg

[InvIs Inc]

dont mean 2 jump ur post kris but... my brakes are pants and ive been thinking of upgrading for ages but i dunno what can be done..
i have been thinking of buying brembo rotors and pads but i dunno if its a straight swap or not for the oem's i drive a 1999 e46 323ci ive always been looking at big brake kits but again no idea whats involved or how much they cost.

any ideas guys?

[peppernick]

If you don't want to spend too much, try upgrading the brake lines to stainless braided hoses eg:Goodridge, Stoptech. And use DOT 5.1 fluid. This will firm up your brake pedal significantly. Brake lines are £100 for 4 and you can get DOT5.1 from Halfords for £15 in total.

You have to be careful with aftermarket pads. Some are just way too hard for your standard discs and will chew them off in no time. Some are too track orientated and take too long to get up to working temp. There are tons to choose from and I can't recommend one that is significantly better than the other given the same road application. Also, some will make a lot more noise during light braking than others.

I like to stick to OEM pads. They are softer and easier on the discs. Works well for me. You get a lot of brake dust, just wash your car more regularly ;)

Ultimate set up will be big brake kits. They are in a different league. However, you'll be looking at £900-£3000 just for a pair plus fitting.

[Stock323iSaloon]

hey cris [hiya if you're after replacement discs that won't break your bank, I suggest Zimmerman cross drilled or Brembo Max from GSF. They're very reasonably priced at 80/pair. and they are direct replacement to your oem ones. I just got my Goodridges on eBay for a tenner so I think my next mod will be front discs, although I don't need them, I just want them:) saying that, cross drilled ones wear out your pad quicker, some are prone to cracking and mostly for looks unless you do track days. when I had cross drilled ones for my E30, I found that it was pretty to look at but won't dramatically improve braking effectiveness unless your rotor diamater is huge. the BBK will be the ultimate but they are v expensive. I have no idea but something in excess of 2-3 grand or something. also, I heard that AP ones are poopoo for e46, although used widely by F1s etc...

[peppernick]

X-Drills will only crack when they get heated up and cooled down quickly in high frequency, ie:track use. For this reason, track cars tend to go with groove discs, more robust.

X-drills are more than strong enough for road use. They look awesome too, which is also very important :cool: ....show you what I mean in 2 weeks :D

AP Racing BBKs are not crap. They are actually very good but I had problems with the set I bought. Till this day, I'm convinced I was just unlucky. At least I got my money back.

[Ali_]

Personaly i think going for the OEM drilled 330's are the go. From memory Fas was saying that calipers and mounting brackets from the breakers werent all that expensive. From a 318 persective this sounds like a great and cost effective idea i dont know about you guys?

[Phil_D]

I went cross drilled and grooved on my 330Ci as well as getting the 5.1 fluid and braided lines , they made one hell of a difference on my car , how much of that is down to the disks i don't know but the over all package is very good.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Philipdalgity/330%20CI/IMGP0173.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Philipdalgity/330%20CI/IMGP0174.jpg

I am not that fussed on spending silly money on brakes as the car is not fast enough to really justify them, Also there are a few track days comming up ascross here and if they break/warp i can replace them cheaply and easily......

[kris d]

Which discs are those you've got there mate?
Also, anyone got any pic's of Zimmerman Xdrilled, Brembro Max, ATE Power Discs, Black Diamond etc......... to see which pattern looks best.

To be honest if I can get a set for 300 that's better than 600 for me, considering I don't really drive my car (that) hard.

Cheers

Kris

[Stock323iSaloon]

check this site out...

http://www.fastvws.com/acatalog/FASTADDICTION_com_Performance_Brake_Parts_8.html

for Brembo Max, DL GSF's catalog:
http://www.gsfcarparts.com/catalogues/gsf_watercooled.zip

[kris d]

Cheers 323i
Ok, it's a toss up between the one's Phil's got and the Zimmerman's.

Anyone know where I can get Zimmerman's for a 330vert?
Also, what would be the best pads to use with these? Preferably low brake dust pad's but not Green Stuff as they look lame in green!

Thanks again

Kris

[Stock323iSaloon]

GSF has Zimmermans listed for 330D, but not for 330vert. Are they the same size etc? They also sell Pagid fast road pads for 35/set. 125 for fronts ain't bad at all:)

[lee330sport]

Those disks of Phils are zimmerman.

[kris d]

I've been searching but no one seems to do them for a 330ci, only other 3series! :(

[lee330sport]

I've been searching but no one seems to do them for a 330ci, only other 3series! :(

Pm Phil and ask where he got them, his car is a 330. I think he had them drilled or grooved (one or the other), himself though.

[Phil_D]

Yup they are Zimmerman disks that have been grooved by a fella across here. Cost jsut over £200 for Front and rear + New Pads

Cheers

Phil
If you need his e mail etc.... Pm Me.

[BigFas]

There's also black diamond. Already drilled and grooved. Durgesh has them on his 330vert

[InvIs Inc]

cheers for that mitsu + peppernick. will defo do the lines and the fluid soon.

whats the biggest disc u can get on without replacing the calipers??? [hmm

my brakes look a bit pathetic behing my 19" HM2'S they need a lil beefin up [situp

[Stock323iSaloon]

Hi Cris, i found these from BMW's site:

323 - 286x22 (11.25x.87) 276x19 (10.87x.75)
325/328 - 300x22 (11.81x.87) 294x19 (11.57x.75)
330 - 325x25 (12.80x.98) 320x22 (12.60x.87)

I assume that most aftermarket brake disc manufactures make discs as direct replacement so if u want to go bigger, u will probably have to change the caliper etc... Nick can probably go into more details here:)

Kris, if the 330D brakes is the same size as your 330 vert, then GSF has Zimemrmans on their database ;)

[peppernick]

Stock calipers can only take up to 25mm thick discs, although by fabricating your own caliper mount, you can push the caliper itself further outwards to accomodate larger discs.

My M3 comes with 330X28 rears, but as you can see, they look tiny behind those 19" :confused:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/peppernick/M3pics006.jpg

.....but not for long :D

[kris d]

Just found some nice looking drilled disks from a USA site for $179 both fronts and 179 both rears
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=34101166071CD

Will probably go with these!

Cheers
Kris

[peppernick]

Just found some nice looking drilled disks from a USA site for $179 both fronts and 179 both rears
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=34101166071CD

Will probably go with these!

Cheers
Kris
Yep, I almost bought these as they are quite cheap for what they are. The rears are ventilated as well unlike what you see in the pic. Turner quoted me $200 for shipping. They only use big couriers like FedEx.

Or try nightsauto on ebay.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7958832485&category=33564

They do OEM Brembo discs for the 330 with a rust free centre hat.

[peppernick]

There's also black diamond. Already drilled and grooved. Durgesh has them on his 330vert
BDs are good. If they can withstand Dig's punishment, they'll stand up well with others. Only gripe I have with them is that the centre hats rust like nobody's business. Make sure you paint them first before using them.

[westside]

hey cris [hiya if you're after replacement discs that won't break your bank, I suggest Zimmerman cross drilled or Brembo Max from GSF. They're very reasonably priced at 80/pair. and they are direct replacement to your oem ones. I just got my Goodridges on eBay for a tenner so I think my next mod will be front discs, although I don't need them, I just want them:) saying that, cross drilled ones wear out your pad quicker, some are prone to cracking and mostly for looks unless you do track days. when I had cross drilled ones for my E30, I found that it was pretty to look at but won't dramatically improve braking effectiveness unless your rotor diamater is huge. the BBK will be the ultimate but they are v expensive. I have no idea but something in excess of 2-3 grand or something. also, I heard that AP ones are poopoo for e46, although used widely by F1s etc...

gsf do not sell cross drilled discs for the 330 an dthe 330 discs after 2001 are bigger then the 2001 ones. If you want a big brake conversion i have ordered (well in week or so) big brake conversion from hi spec for 950 + VAT

[KELKIN]

Anybody got any opinion's on these :-Red Brembo Four Pot Conversions


http://www.godspeedbrakes.fsnet.co.uk/frameset.htm

[Stock323iSaloon]

Anybody got any opinion's on these :-Red Brembo Four Pot Conversions


http://www.godspeedbrakes.fsnet.co.uk/frameset.htm

not seen these but looks absolutely awesome [cool shame BBKs are quite expensive tho. sometimes, discs and painted calipers ain't enough for some!!! DO IT DO IT