[Bryan996]

Has anyone had any success finding replacement brake pads for the F20 yet?

We have a 116i Sport and when compared to my e90 the brakes have very little initial bite to them. I find myself having to brake quite hard at the end as the car just isn't slowing down as quickly as I would expect. Even my wife has commented that she thinks they are crap! The problem is I can't find anyone making pads for these yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Bryan

[ovekvam]

Interesting. I find the stock brakes on our 116i awesome. I can usually outbrake the M3s on track days. They last a long time too. After 21000 km and 5+ track weekends, there is still material left.

Based on experience from older BMWs, Performance Friction pads will give you a lot of bite. The dust is slightly metallic, and will burn into paint and be difficult to wipe off, though. That's how it is with high performance brake pads.

[Bryan996]

The standard brakes do work, I just have to apply a lot more pressure than I do in my 3 series. I do wonder if that is just because the e90 has bigger discs, however in the e90 a light touch of the brakes scrubs off speed and the same touch on the f20 does practically nothing. Around town I find the car doesn't slow down as quickly so I end up jumping on the brakes to stop in time. Ironically they were probably designed this way so granny doesn't bang her head on the windscreen!

I guess on the track where braking is much more aggressive they work just fine. The only pad I've found that lists friction numbers are EBC Greenstuff however after speaking to them today they can't say when production will start for the F20. Maybe just the pads in my car have glazed up?

I'm at Brands Hatch GP on Monday however unfortunately I'll be on a bike not in the car, otherwise I could test them out.
Cheers

[ovekvam]

I drive various rental cars, and I find our F20 116i has pretty much average brake force needed on the pedal. The brand that stands out, is VW. They are very sensitive at light braking. I find this rather annoying when driving with shoes with heavy soles. The car starts braking before I can feel the brake pedal under my foot. I definitely prefer the F20 brake pedal over VW.

You don't get much help from the engine, though. The 116i has very lousy engine braking performance.

If the pads have glazed up, they should return to normal after a few days of normal driving, and the outer layer has worn off.

I have had quite a few sets of Greenstuff pads on my previous BMWs. My experience is that they are very close to stock friction and pedal feel, lighter on dust, and they can take marginally more heat before fading. They do give you a soft (more pedal travel) and heavy pedal feel after having been too hot, just like the stock pads.

[Verglas]

Surely the difference in effort you describe is related to the performance of the servo not the pad?

Stu

[Bryan996]

You might be right Stu, the thought has crossed my mind and M Sport cars do have a different part no. for the servo. However buying the M Performance brake retro fit kit doesn't require changing the servo and I know how different pad compounds effects the feel of the brakes on my motorbike.

As pads all round is a relatively cheap and quick modification I thought it would be worth a try, however as my original post states I can't find anyone who is making them yet.

Cheers