Need new rotors/pads... Need advice from you pro's

[Greyspeedr]

Hey guys.
I'm the new, proud owner of a 2003 2.3! Merlot and Tan roadster and I Friggan love it!! She has 79,526 miles and drives tight and smooth. I think I got a great deal and am really lucky, seeing that for the last 9 years, it was owned by an elderly couple that totally babied it, except for the damn cat they owned that scratched the paint up a little. What would of been a good price for this car in your guys opinion? It has all the options Minus the sport package and extended leather.
Anyways...
This is is the first BMW i have owned and it will not be my last! I finally got used to everyone staring at me when I drive it!
I do have a few probs that I would like to call upon the collective expertise of all you guys/girls on this forum to help me sort out.
I need rotors and pads. I plan on doing them myself, if possible. The problem I am having, is really just trying to figure out which ones to buy. So many options. This is NOT AN "M" just a plain ol' 2.5! But I would like more stopping power and my current brake dust is getting quite annoying to me. I always keep a super clean car and I'm so tired of cleaning my rims after every ride I take her on.
My daily driver is a 2010 Ford Edge that I put ceramic pads on and have had great results with. Super stopping power and NO dust.

I currently have run flats on the Z4 with the smaller rims and plan on upgrading them to "regular" tires and "bigger" rims when the tread is gone on them. I see that the "M" has crossed drilled rotors and pads that emit low dust but will those work for a NON M car. I will admit that I do "beat" my car...... Oh, I mean, drive it like you have a pair, oh I mean, drive the damn thing like it was made to be drove. Lets just say first thing I do after starting it is turn all assists off and then smile at the amber light on the dash. It is the only amber light that comes on that I would actually smile about!

So I would really appreciate any and all feedback on this topic.

Once I learn how to post pictures I will do so.
I have already polished my headlights, and they came out awesome! I replaced the intake boot that dry-rotted. Put on a "stubby" & waxed the crap out of it, she is very shiny, & Detailed the crap out of her. Next is to get a new shifter knob and then flash my sat/nav.

Thanks guys!!

[gas-can]

Hi Grey,

Congrats on the car!

Re brakes, the cross drilled rotors that came on the M were probably cast that way- those are the proper drilled rotors. The cheap ones you can buy are usually drilled - these can crack if the brakes are pushed (mostly during things like track), so you may want to think if you really want them. The holes do nothing really in modern brakes cause new pads don't outgas like the old asbestos ones... They just look nice.

I think the original rotors were Zimmermans -these can be had for a decent price and they wear well. The coated ones also don't rust and look like crap.

Pads, oems may have been Textars. These with the zimmermans give the characteristic bmw bite, but they do dust. I think textars have a low dust version though - maybe called the e pad version - someone else will have to verify that.

Other brands to consider may include stoptech and akebono... Personally I like the zimmerman and textar combo. They were oem and they work well plus the price is reasonable.

If you have the power top, it may be a good idea to check the drains. Check the forum for a bunch of DIYs.

Have fun!
-gc

[jdoublehcubed]

OEM pads are indeed textar, thats where your dust is coming from.

For all around driving, BMW people seem to really like stoptech pads. I put them on my M last year and have been very happy with them. I've also used Napa Adaptive One pads in the past on other cars and liked them.

I know on the M, zimmerman rotors are about the same cost as OEM rotors. Not sure about the 2.5. But check getbmwparts.com for the best OEM price before you buy anything else. Short of going to big brake package rotors, OEM rotors seem to be the best quality around.

[sbtwister]

I recently put Bavauto cross drilled rotors on the front, with Akebono Euro Ceramic pads.
Price was good, and everything came together well. No squealing or other undesirable behavior. Brake feel is indistinguishable from OEM with much less brake dust.

[rsutoratosu]

I got Akebono on front and rear. love it, less brake dust too