Sure, our M3 probably didn't need upgraded brakes, but then again, it didn't need 333-horsepower either. Someone at BMW thought it might be fun - and they were right. Same goes for the brakes. They feel great and you can hammer on them endlessly without guilt.
They're not perfect though. Around town they're starting to squeak. It's like having a parakeet stuck in your ear. Kind of annoying to say the least. Not sure if it's something we can address easily. You'll also notice the considerable amount of brake dust on the wheels. Good thing they're dark to begin with.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 66,963 miles
haub says:
06:20 PM, 01/28/09
Ah the downside to having high performance brakes on the street.
sgude says:
06:23 PM, 01/28/09
Cue the ignorant "Well, this is not the type of car to be daily driven anyway" comments.
And senior editor, uhhh... the car wouldn't be an M3 without that 333 hp motor. It is still an M3 with the stock brakes. Your "upgrade" comes with some compromises, right? And I'll bet that brake dust is still less than what the stock brakes put out.
redwoodaggie says:
06:35 PM, 01/28/09
Was anti-squeal compound applied to the backs of the pads? If not, try that. Some high end brakes will squeak anyway though.
m_thrizzle says:
06:39 PM, 01/28/09
A few hard stops in a row may help to reduce the squeaking.
sealclubb3r says:
08:12 PM, 01/28/09
My RX-8's brakes tend to squeak a little bit too, especially under light pressure.
roadburner says:
09:22 PM, 01/28/09
Hammer them a few times and see if the noise goes away. Most high performance aftermarket pads will be noisy- especially if they aren't used good and hard every few days. I'm reminded about the time back in the mid-eighties when I heard a European automotive engineer say: "The difference between European drivers and American drivers is that European drivers don't care if the brakes squeal, just as long as they stop the car. American drivers don't care if the brakes stop the car, just as long as they don't squeal." That was certainly true at the time. My 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was good for exactly ONE hard stop from 80 mph. On the second try the brakes would bleed off about 35 mph before the pedal dropped to the floor.
But boy, were they quiet...
tenfifteen says:
07:18 AM, 01/29/09
m_thrizzle and roadburner are correct. Squeal can usually be mitigated by sort of "re-bedding" the brakes. My rear brakes squeak from time to time (ZCP car with Hawk HPS)... a few mashes always takes care of it.
tenfifteen says:
07:23 AM, 01/29/09
By the way, what pads are you guys running? If you're running a street compound, and go hammer it on the track, you can glaze them up a little and they'll definitely need to get bedded in again. Mine were awful sounding after a track day last year. Going dedicated race pads this season.
huyracing says:
01:16 PM, 01/29/09
junk pads are the problem, my Stoptech's came with Axxis Ultimates and they do the same thing. stopping power didn't really increase much either from stock with decent pads.
i'll probably try Ferodo's next, the DS2500's are the intermediate streetable track pad... not sure if they're any quieter, but i know they are a favorite among the racers.
omairkhanzada says:
05:25 AM, 01/30/09
why do you have sumitomo tires?
omairkhanzada says:
05:26 AM, 01/30/09
why do you have such cheap tires on?
tenfifteen says:
06:58 AM, 01/30/09
Axxis ULTs aren't junk. At least not according to Dave Zeckhausen, whose word I take as gospel on these matters. He recommended them specifically for me (I'm a track noob), but has also recommended the DS2500 for light-medium track duty. Believe his site says they have good cold bite but that they can be noisy.
I'll tell you one thing, on track days, all the cars' brakes are noisy.
fadetoblackii says:
08:08 AM, 01/30/09
omair-
pay attention... there was a post about this a week or so ago. They wanted to see what you lose in performance and wear when you save money on tires.
subytrojan says:
06:28 PM, 01/30/09
Ferodo brake pads FTW!!! The DS2500 are amazing street/track pads except for the brake dust they generate.
elbee says:
08:22 AM, 02/ 2/09
Sumitomos on an M3 is almost as funny as Kuhmo 712s on an NSX. Don't cheap out!
m_thrizzle says:
11:05 AM, 02/ 2/09
elbee, what would you suggest instead? Bridgestone RE050A's? Continental CSC3's? Yoko Advan Sports?
The Sumi beat out these other 3 tires in a TireRack test. Oh snap.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+Z+III
brian60 says:
04:30 PM, 02/ 2/09
"elbee, what would you suggest instead?"
he recommends run-flats.
why so much tire talk on a brake post (that came right after a tire post)?
elbee says:
07:16 AM, 02/ 3/09
Don't listen to tire tests. Otherwise we'd all be on GS-D3s. Hated those. Get some PZeros. If you like to corner, nothing else will do.
drmillerM3 says:
12:44 PM, 02/19/09
You might try rebedding the brake pads. You're probably experiencing some deposit build up on the rotors from running street pads at the autocross. Try 3 100-40mph hard braking stops(don't engage abs) in a row, followed by highway driving to let the brakes cool. You should feel a difference. Do this 2-4 times or as necessary.
If your going to do more than one set of stops in a given drive, make sure to allow enough time for brakes to cool in between, and do it on an open road so you don't have to stop soon after!!