BMW 1-Series Forum (F20) 135i - 1Addicts.com > Second Generation 1 Series Forum > 2012 BMW 1-Series Sporthatch (F20) Discussion > Why we should/shouldn't upgrade our brakes
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      03-10-2015, 04:20 AM   #1
westphone
Lieutenant
westphone's Avatar
Taiwan
65
Rep
466
Posts

Drives: M135i MT
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Taiwan

iTrader: (0)

Why we should/shouldn't upgrade our brakes

BIMMERPOST
     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com
Wow these custom brakes are so expensive....

I was actually asked very often why I do not upgrade by brakes into a six pot....

Not that I thought the brakes are not powerful enough, I thought the braking power on our cars are limited by our tyre and its cohesion. Without changing to some racing tyre I thought we cannot experience the benefits of a bigger brake?

There are LOTs people here with big brakes.
Attached Images
 
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 04:46 AM   #2
ovekvam
Brigadier General
Norway
266
Rep
3,290
Posts

Drives: 2021 Galvanic Gold i3S
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bryne, Norway

iTrader: (0)

Upgraded brakes are all about heat transfer. The stock brakes are excellent for braking a few times in a row, but for long stints on a track, they can overheat. That is where bigger brakes with racing pads come in handy. For street use it is just for looks, as the stock brakes are more than good enough.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 05:45 AM   #3
Slyly
Private
No_Country
10
Rep
74
Posts

Drives: F20 1.16
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: world

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Upgraded brakes are all about heat transfer. The stock brakes are excellent for braking a few times in a row, but for long stints on a track, they can overheat. That is where bigger brakes with racing pads come in handy. For street use it is just for looks, as the stock brakes are more than good enough.
I feel like the standard brakes overheat and lose the disk biting ability quite easily. After 2 consecutive braking from 150+ km/h i can not get the braking power i need (or it feels so). But it is unnecessary to upgrade (money/efficiency)
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 05:48 AM   #4
koumis
Registered
0
Rep
4
Posts

Drives: F20
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Greece, Athens

iTrader: (0)

That applies also for the many 116i/118i I see in the streets with M-brakes?
They have the Same brake distance as the stock brakes? Or after some times in a row the car needs more meters to stop?
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 06:37 AM   #5
ovekvam
Brigadier General
Norway
266
Rep
3,290
Posts

Drives: 2021 Galvanic Gold i3S
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bryne, Norway

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by koumis View Post
That applies also for the many 116i/118i I see in the streets with M-brakes?
They have the Same brake distance as the stock brakes? Or after some times in a row the car needs more meters to stop?
Well, the 116i/118i has limited ability to add kinetic energy to the car, so the brakes get more time to cool down before you can build the speed back up. I think it would be very difficult to overheat the M Sport brakes with the N13 engine.

The standard 116i brakes are awesome when it comes to stopping distance. Because of lighter weight, it might even beat the M Sport brakes for one stop. After 15 minutes on the track, the M Sport brakes willl easily outperform the standard brakes.

Cars upgraded with big aftermarket brakes will usually have somewhat longer stopping distance than a stock car, since it is hard to beat the excellent brake balance the car has directly from the factory. The big brake kits are more generic, made for many different car models.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 09:02 AM   #6
Slyly
Private
No_Country
10
Rep
74
Posts

Drives: F20 1.16
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: world

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Well, the 116i/118i has limited ability to add kinetic energy to the car, so the brakes get more time to cool down before you can build the speed back up. I think it would be very difficult to overheat the M Sport brakes with the N13 engine.

The standard 116i brakes are awesome when it comes to stopping distance. Because of lighter weight, it might even beat the M Sport brakes for one stop. After 15 minutes on the track, the M Sport brakes willl easily outperform the standard brakes.

Cars upgraded with big aftermarket brakes will usually have somewhat longer stopping distance than a stock car, since it is hard to beat the excellent brake balance the car has directly from the factory. The big brake kits are more generic, made for many different car models.
So as i expected, the bbk would do more harm then good
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 11:00 AM   #7
No one
Major
1037
Rep
1,340
Posts

Drives: F21 118i
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Undisclosed

iTrader: (0)

M Sport against basic

I only had a chance to compare my M Sport brakes to a fresh 3 Series loaner's basic ones. I was surprised with the difference! I used to think it was only about high speed (minding tyres grip over brake strength as well ) and intensive usage overheating too. But even when braking quite unintensively (I hate to brake ) from low city speeds I felt somewhat unsure whether the basic brakes car would stop ("Do I need the handbrake?" ). No doubt the car was all right technically. M Sport brakes just feel so much more confident. Now I believe they are a "must have" if available. (And the whole M Sport package too! )
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 12:16 PM   #8
banmine
New Member
banmine's Avatar
Singapore
0
Rep
6
Posts

Drives: BMW 116i
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: The Fine City

iTrader: (0)

imho, besides the heat transfer, to me, braking also largely depends on brake feel, ie. modulation of the brakes. when i was on the ap racing 6 pots for my previous ride, the pistons were sized differently and it gives better modulation of braking feel. i.e. i like to tap on the brakes and slowly come to a stop during city driving, without the sudden bite. and to be able to stop timely when driving at high speeds or track, since the upgraded brakes tend to resist fade better due to its ability to cool faster compared to stock brakes.

if the upgraded brakes are made for the vehicle, eg. m performance brakes for the f20, its designed to balanced without bias to the front (as informed to me by the dealer) hence stopping distance should be the same.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 12:22 PM   #9
ovekvam
Brigadier General
Norway
266
Rep
3,290
Posts

Drives: 2021 Galvanic Gold i3S
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bryne, Norway

iTrader: (0)

With modern ABS brakes, modulation is not so much of an issue for track driving anymore, as you will usually just push the brake pedal hard enough to enable ABS regulation anyway. It used to be more important in the past, when you had to do manual threshold braking at the limit without locking up any wheels.
Appreciate 0
      03-10-2015, 12:28 PM   #10
banmine
New Member
banmine's Avatar
Singapore
0
Rep
6
Posts

Drives: BMW 116i
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: The Fine City

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
With modern ABS brakes, modulation is not so much of an issue for track driving anymore, as you will usually just push the brake pedal hard enough to enable ABS regulation anyway. It used to be more important in the past, when you had to do manual threshold braking at the limit without locking up any wheels.
my bad, i meant modulation during normal city driving. to be able to control the feel of the braking, i.e., with a slight tap on the brakes, usually the smallest piston will bite first and progressively increase biting as i increase pressure on the brake pedals, as opposed to a slight tap, and the pistons bite and give me the "emergency braking" feel, eg, the 4pots alcons vs the 6pots ap racing.

the 4pots m performance brakes have been fairly easy to control.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:38 PM.




1addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST