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      04-21-2017, 01:24 PM   #1
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Z4M RacingBrake 4-pot Front 2-pot Rear Review

So, full disclosure, when I purchased these brakes almost two years ago, I was told that I would get a small discount if I wrote a review and sent it to them. I wanted to hold off until I had an actual track day so I could post complete thoughts on these brakes, since at around $4500, I wanted to be thorough.

First off, why I wanted to move on up to a BBK: http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=892811 and http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1049597

Nearing the end of that video you could hear the tortured squealing of the brakes as I came into corners. I did not love. What might not be as apparent was the insane amount of shaking that was coming under medium to hard braking. Fade was also for real. Considering they were CSL brakes, I was a little confused, but one way or another, my confidence in pushing the car was shot and I was holding back a lot.

So, I purchased the 4-piston front and 2-piston rear Z4M BBK from RacingBrake, as they were nearing $2k under the next competitor. The kit looked pretty comprehensive. The HACK was a helpful forum member answering my noobie questions, and also an advocate of Racing Brake.

I had them installed by a local specialty shop and ran into a small install problem - but I suspect this was a fault on the shops part. They ignored some of the instructions to get the parking brake to work and added a shim, causing the parking brake to be constantly lightly applied. I called RB to ask about it, they quickly answered the question and the shop was able to fix their mistake in under an hour.

On the street, the feel in the pedal was noticeably better. It did feel more linear, and that there was more bite. All in all, the stock brakes were pretty good, but the RB kit made a marked improvement in brake feel, specifically in the beginning of pedal travel, which was a big complaint of mine on the OEM brakes. In the bed in procedure of 60-5MPH stops I could really feel that there was more chomping power on the rotors.

But the on-street improvements are nothing compared to the on-track improvements.

From my experience with the CSL rotors/caliper/pads, specifically fade, vibrations, and squeal, I was expecting for something just a little better, but I was blown away with how well these brakes slowed me down (...sped me up? you get my drift).

I ran six sessions on street pads, which was a huge mistake, as I chewed through to the backing on day two leading to a tow home. But compared to the stock brakes, I felt like I was in a different car. I was pushing faster and farther into each corner with actual confidence that I'd be able to get down to turn-in speed before the turn.

What I was honestly expecting was maybe a little bit more power, and maybe fewer symptoms I had experience before. What I saw was a sizable jump in stopping power, and not a lick of the symptoms I had experienced before. I didn't notice any fade, even on the street pads which were wearing like crazy under the newfound confidence in bringing the hammer down on the brakes.

Looking at the competition for this BBK, they're all pricier (even for the 4-front 4-rear which seems to be the current offering for the Z4M, at around $3.9k as of writing) and I can't imagine they offer much better (if better at all) performance.

Aftermath of the last track day (that boils down exclusively to me aggressively wearing street pads), I called RacingBrake and wound up talking to a few people that were very helpful in getting me the replacement bits I needed. I went a little overboard with the replacements and went for all four corners, rotors, pads, and caliper rebuild, but the replacement cost for the one burned caliper/rotor was a lot less than I thought it'd be - a set of replacement front rotors was around $500. I believe that's near or less than OEM. Rebuild kits were $300 per axle and included pistons, not just the seals/rings.

For anyone considering a RB BBK, I'd say the best advice I can give (other than I think it's a great idea) is to make sure you have dedicated track pads for track applications. These calipers are capable of just absolutely demolishing street pads, and you don't want to end up with me. I'll have at least 2 spare sets just in case for my next visit to the Glen in October.

Plus, in a super vain note, the red calipers look incredible on an Imola Red Z4M.
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      04-21-2017, 07:05 PM   #2
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I'm also looking at BBK for the season. debating between these and Stoptech. Great review! Any picture on car?
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      04-24-2017, 08:36 PM   #3
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Here ya go! I think they look great with IR.
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      04-24-2017, 08:38 PM   #4
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Also I think I recalled incorrectly on price (it was two years ago). The whole kit was around $4k then. The 4/4 setup now appears to be just under $4k as well.
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      04-25-2017, 08:58 AM   #5
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Cool review, thx for the info.
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      04-25-2017, 12:32 PM   #6
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Thanks for sharing. After reading your older posts, I see that I am currently where you saw yourself a couple years ago. Going to run the car with stock rotors and some Hawk pads for the first few HPDEs, and then hope to pick up a BBK once I get better at braking techniques. Hadn't heard of RB before, so this is def useful!
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      04-25-2017, 08:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bananabun View Post
Thanks for sharing. After reading your older posts, I see that I am currently where you saw yourself a couple years ago. Going to run the car with stock rotors and some Hawk pads for the first few HPDEs, and then hope to pick up a BBK once I get better at braking techniques. Hadn't heard of RB before, so this is def useful!
Good luck! I hope you find a solution that works for you. I was really struggling with some part of the setup with my OEM brake setup, and this definitely made sense for me.

It's so funny, I was reading my old posts and I actually said at one point "I'll definitely be running track pads" and then I ran street pads both days, leading to an unfortunate incident. Womp womp. Here's to hoping I remember for next event (I've been repeating it to myself every day now).
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      04-26-2017, 11:18 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mimarcos View Post
It's so funny, I was reading my old posts and I actually said at one point "I'll definitely be running track pads" and then I ran street pads both days, leading to an unfortunate incident.
What pad shape do the RBs use and is it available from Pagid/Carbotech/Hawk?
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      04-26-2017, 11:36 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CTMP4me View Post
What pad shape do the RBs use and is it available from Pagid/Carbotech/Hawk?
Fronts use FMSI D1149 for the 4 pot caliper. Rears use FMSI D1368 for the 2 pot caliper. Front is a common pad shape used by the 4 piston calipers on Chryslers (Challenger), and the rears are common amongst Mitsubishi EVO 9 I believe. Hawk offer DTCXX pads for the front, and HT10 pads for the rear on those shapes for track, and for street use their performance ceramic compounds are readily available for both shapes.

I haven't looked into Pagid and Carbotech compounds, but I have found Cobalt Friction to offer their entire line of compounds for both pad shapes as well, but it takes 7-10 business days to fulfill.
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      04-26-2017, 04:10 PM   #10
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Thanks for answering, Hack, otherwise I would have had to do some research. I knew the fronts were D1149 but had no idea about the rears or what manufacturers supplied them.
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      04-26-2017, 06:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mimarcos View Post
Thanks for answering, Hack, otherwise I would have had to do some research. I knew the fronts were D1149 but had no idea about the rears or what manufacturers supplied them.
NP. I wrote it down on my phone because I'm shopping for new track pads, now about 4 years after I put them on.

The pads and rotors last for freakin' ever.
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      05-05-2017, 10:30 AM   #12
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Been doing some research into BBKs, and I keep seeing these two horror stories involving a Golf and a Cadillac.

Then again, reviews like this one are obviously pointing in a different direction.

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      05-05-2017, 11:57 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bananabun View Post
Been doing some research into BBKs, and I keep seeing these two horror stories involving a Golf and a Cadillac.

Then again, reviews like this one are obviously pointing in a different direction.

Can't speak to other's experience, but I have had their front and rear kit on my MZ4 Coupe for over 4 years now (damn that's a long time) and their 2 piece rotors on my Moupe for almost 10, I have had ZERO problem with the built quality of their products.

Having had this long of a "standing relationship" with them, plus having worked in marketing for a variety of automotive aftermarket companies, I can tell you this. They (RacingBrake) firmly believe their products are top notch. Hence when something goes wrong, as a small percentage of ALL products will do, their first inclination is to question, because the owner is an engineer rather than sales or marketing guy. Again, having worked on the marketing side of an automotive aftermarket giant for a few years, the first rule of dealing with customers and/or defective product is to apologize, replace, and refund, no matter what the root cause is of the defect.

Having been privy to some of those conversations with RB, I can tell you this. Their response to both of those cases were to question first what went wrong, and sh*t quickly escalated. When you ask a customer who bought your product that "broke" what did he/she do during the install, and how and why and when it broke as a way to get to the bottom of it, like any good engineer is prone to do, it immediately raised a flag in the customer's mind. "Wait. Are YOU blaming me for this failure?" Customer will immediately go on the defensive and that makes stuff 10,000X more difficult to resolve, and in this internet savvy age, they'll likely go on whatever outlet available to them to vent their frustration.

Not to defend anyone's action or inaction, and having ONLY seen the intarweb accounts AND select communications between both parties, even though it's supplied by RB I will say this. *I* would have handled the matter differently, and stuck to the industry tried and true way ARR (apologize, replace, refund) first then troubleshoot to figure out why the product did what it did.

Last thing I will say. This is all purely anecdotal. *MY* experience has been very positive. I introduced RB to a friend who ran an E90 M3, 135i, and now an M4 in BMW CCA Club Racing in a variety of classes (the M3 was H Prepared, 135i was I Prepared, and the M4 is C-Mod) and he's been using RB brake kits for 2+ seasons now with very positive results.
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      05-05-2017, 12:20 PM   #14
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Thanks, The HACK

That's def a vote of confidence, given that your posts are seriously informative on many topics here! I'll add RB to my list. I feel like I can make a BBK FAQ (purely from consumer research standpoint) with all the reading I've done! AP Racing (Essex, not Stillen) and PFC are def top of my list, but the pricing of RB is very tempting indeed. I'll update with my decision and review when I do pull the trigger.
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      05-05-2017, 03:05 PM   #15
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i purchased the RB 4pot fronts and 2pot rears 3-4 years ago (can't honestly remember how long i've had them on the car now). they've held up beautifully!

the only advice i can give you from personal experience is: when ordering them, make sure to be very clear on your climate. RB defaults to putting in "hot-climate" piston seals. this is all well and good until you go to get the car out of storage in the spring after a normal sub-zero winter here and find that all of the brake fluid is on the floor, and has destroyed the finish on the wheels, the tires got soft (therefore needed replacing), and the screen-printed logo on the calipers has flaked off. while RB did cover the cost of replacing the seals on all 4 calipers and redo the graphic on the calipers, i had to front the money for all the other repairs. since that was fixed though... no issues to report. i would absolutely buy again! just be clear about your needs. RB is a great company, and you'll likely be happy with their products
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      05-05-2017, 04:30 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by v3.2mc
i purchased the RB 4pot fronts and 2pot rears 3-4 years ago (can't honestly remember how long i've had them on the car now). they've held up beautifully!

the only advice i can give you from personal experience is: when ordering them, make sure to be very clear on your climate. RB defaults to putting in "hot-climate" piston seals. this is all well and good until you go to get the car out of storage in the spring after a normal sub-zero winter here and find that all of the brake fluid is on the floor, and has destroyed the finish on the wheels, the tires got soft (therefore needed replacing), and the screen-printed logo on the calipers has flaked off. while RB did cover the cost of replacing the seals on all 4 calipers and redo the graphic on the calipers, i had to front the money for all the other repairs. since that was fixed though... no issues to report. i would absolutely buy again! just be clear about your needs. RB is a great company, and you'll likely be happy with their products
Wow, I didn't even see that as an option on their site. Will be sure to mention it to them if I buy. Thanks for sharing, and glad you got it sorted out! long lasting, quality stuff is exactly what I'm looking for.
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      05-08-2017, 10:26 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by v3.2mc View Post
RB defaults to putting in "hot-climate" piston seals. this is all well and good until you go to get the car out of storage in the spring after a normal sub-zero winter here and find that all of the brake fluid is on the floor
Interesting - I'm assuming they just figured that here in PA those seals wouldn't work for me because the cars been stored for two winters without issue. Good to know, though!
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      05-08-2017, 04:45 PM   #18
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Just put in the order for a full BBK

I'll post a review on comparing stock, stock plus hawk pads, and the BBK. Let me know if you guys would like to see anything else such as installation etc.

Big thanks to OP for bringing these to my attention, and to Hack and all others who post here with their insightful comments. It's really helpful for newbies like myself!
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      11-03-2018, 10:28 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bananabun View Post
Just put in the order for a full BBK

I'll post a review on comparing stock, stock plus hawk pads, and the BBK. Let me know if you guys would like to see anything else such as installation etc.

Big thanks to OP for bringing these to my attention, and to Hack and all others who post here with their insightful comments. It's really helpful for newbies like myself!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bananabun View Post
Just put in the order for a full BBK

I'll post a review on comparing stock, stock plus hawk pads, and the BBK. Let me know if you guys would like to see anything else such as installation etc.

Big thanks to OP for bringing these to my attention, and to Hack and all others who post here with their insightful comments. It's really helpful for newbies like myself!
Hey, how did these work out for you? I'm selling my whole kit - wound up continuing to have problems with it.
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      11-05-2018, 08:46 AM   #20
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Quote:
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Hey, how did these work out for you? I'm selling my whole kit - wound up continuing to have problems with it.
Yeah, I read your post. Sorry to hear you're having these issues! I got the pistons seized up once and sent the fronts back to RB for a rebuild. Been okay since then, especially since I added cooling ducts.

I'm selling mine, too, since I want to fit in a TT class that doesn't favor BBK.
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      11-05-2018, 10:46 AM   #21
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IF you guys are having problem selling or moving the RB kits, there's another option.

You can sell the brackets and calipers separate. They will fit factory Z4 M and E46 Competition Package rotors, if you include a 1mm shim for each pad. Keep the RB rotors because they're the same size as the factory Z4 M rotors (except 1mm thicker). You can still run factory calipers, except the rears will require some slight modification to the pads (you can get Performance Friction pads for Direct Drive rotors, those will fit perfectly). IF you're limited to class rules, the rotors should not put you in any points or rules penalty because they're direct replacement rotors for factory sizes.

It's a funky setup but it worked well for me before their caliper upgrade kits, as the rotor is the centerpiece of the kit anyway.

If you got the bigger rotor kit...You might still be able to source the brackets to fit the calipers onto a factory rotor setup. I know RB frowns upon that setup because of the additional requirement for the 1mm shims, but technically it's a superior setup to factory calipers AND you get better heat management away from the pistons and calipers with a good 1mm titanium shim.

I'm sorry this kit didn't work out for you guys man. RB is one of those small mom and pop type businesses that I really like to see succeed, and have been doing what little I can to help. Best of luck moving the kit in the secondary market guys.

There's also a couple of tricks I've done with their open slot rotors that helped tremendously with deposits and rotor vibration. Their first generation slotted (not the open slot) rotors had chamfered edges on the slots, and those worked great for 4+ years on the MZ4 Coupe. When they moved to the open slot design, the slots were no longer chamfered and I noticed the trailing edge of the slots appear to have some "build-up" over time. Taking a Dremel with a grinding disk to the edges made a huge difference in eliminating 70% of the odd build-up behavior. The grinding stone was just the right size too to make a nice chamfered edge on their slots.

In the end though, I wish that's something they'd have built into the rotors, but it is what it is.

Lastly, if you really struggle with selling those kits here, the E46 M3 crowd may be a good bet to get it moving, as, again, they're direct fit. M3Forum, bimmerforum's E46 M3 section, E46Fanatics (*shudder*), or Bimmerfest's for sale section might be a better bet to sell them, sell them quick, and make a more reasonable sales price than here IMO.
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      11-05-2018, 03:56 PM   #22
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Hack, thanks for the response. I wanted these brakes to succeed as well. Their CS has been top notch, but at the end of the day I just cannot believe how frequently I ran into problems with them.

For the time being I'm taking advice given by you a very long time ago - stick to OE and get proper track pads. We'll see how that works one season in.

I'll cross post this and see what sells. If no one bites, I'll keep the rotors around - they at least seem to have held up this time. There is no problem with them if they are the same OE size? That's at least good news.
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