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06-02-2015, 07:05 PM | #1 |
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Not happy with stock brakes
I've been driving my 2004 Z4 3.0i for a few months now and don't like the feel of the OEM brakes. The initial bite is almost as bad as my pickup truck and the pedal feels mushy even after I got the brake fluid flushed. My Audi Q5 which is almost 50% heavier seems to stop much better than the Z4. There's 58k on the clock and the original owner already replaced the pads once at the dealer at around 30k. Is it time for new pads/rotors or should I just go for a brake upgrade?
The OEM front rotors are 300x22 mm. If I do a brake upgrade I was thinking of going up in size to either the 3.0si (325x25 mm) or M rotors (345x28 mm) - would they be a direct fit? I'm guessing I'd need the 3.0si or M calipers too if I go that route. Are there any companies that make larger rotors that allow me to keep my stock calipers? I'm not looking to spend thousands on a BBK, I just want a little better braking performance for street use. |
06-02-2015, 09:36 PM | #2 | |
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06-03-2015, 07:59 AM | #3 |
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I agree with seank, better pads and new fluids should help also adding stainless braided brake lines replacing the stock rubber ones will help a great deal also
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06-03-2015, 09:15 AM | #4 |
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I just got new fluids, so I think the problem may be the OEM pads. They've gone 30k miles in 7 years, so its very possible they just aren't as good as they were when new. What's a brake booster?
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06-03-2015, 11:15 PM | #5 |
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The brake master cylinder is what i meant. It is attached to the brake booster. It moves the fluid. A larger master cylinder will make the pedal firmer and less movement for the braking force. Common upgrade on a track car. I dont see an upgrade for the e46 m3, but ours could be an upgrade to you.
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06-04-2015, 04:14 PM | #6 | |
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WRT to the Audi vs. the Z4 have you actually found a lonely road and done a stopping distance comparison? That's really to only way to compare legitimately, feel can be a poor indicator. In the late '60s, early '70s Ford launched an updated body style Lincoln Continental. Test reviewers universally faulted the poor brakes. Ford put softer springs in the front along with shocks with greatly reduced compression damping shocks. When you hit the brakes the nose of the car dropped 6-8 inches. They did subjective comparison tests between the two versions and the reviewers rated the updated car significantly better WRT braking. In reality the stopping distance hadn't changed one bit.
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06-05-2015, 08:05 AM | #7 | |
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Shouldn't the larger rotors on the 3.0si in theory give it better braking than the 3.0i? I looked up car and driver's stats and both models had an identical 158 ft braking distance from 70 to 0 mph. That's also with the 3.0si having a few hundred pound weight advantage. |
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