Has anyone experienced heat warp/fade with OEM brake pads?

SnapCoupe · 10-22-2018, 05:31 PM

Yesterday I went for a spirited drive on a road with a lot of elevation changes. I was driving for about 30 minutes and on my way down I started to feel the brakes fading a bit. I wasn't being super aggressive on them as the road was pretty tight, but I decided to err on the side of caution and tone it down a bit for the last stretch. After 1-2 more corners, even mild-medium level braking felt really soft and unresponsive, and with the next application of the brakes I felt a strong vibration in the steering. This vibration was noticeable with any touch of the brakes up until I got home and parked the car. I was worried I warped a rotor, but the next day the car drove and felt 100% normal, so i'm thinking it was just pad deposits from the heat.

I replaced my front brakes with drilled Stoptech rotors and OEM BMW pads about 10k miles ago. The rears are OEM BMW rotors and pads with about 20k miles on them. I also have stock brake lines and did a brake fluid flush when I replaced the fronts.

So my question is, is this pretty typical for OEM pads on stock (excluding the front rotors) 335i brakes? I have driven my Z4M on the same route more aggressively and I have only ever gotten but a slight bit of fade near the end. I know the Z4M is a bit lighter and has M3 CSL derived brakes, but the speed at which the 335i brakes faded and started shaking is really surprising.

techwhiz · 10-24-2018, 04:21 PM

Pad deposits.
Rotors rarely warp.

SnapCoupe · 10-24-2018, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Pad deposits.
Rotors rarely warp.

While it is rare for rotors to warp, the reason for replacing my front rotors and pads recently was due to a warped OEM BMW rotor, which was a first for me.

Is there a technique for dealing with pad deposits when it gets to the point of shaking the car? Or is it just something where you have to let the car cool down?

maddmatth · 10-24-2018, 05:29 PM

Don't stand on the brakes with the car stopped as that could make an impression or leave more deposits on the rotor if it's hot. If you need to stop try to smoothly release the brakes and then put it in park.
It's not hard to fade out street brake pads, even the sport type pads will fade if you're thrashing it on a windy road. You just need to learn to recognise it when it's happening so you can slow down and let them cool.

It varies depending on the pad but pedal feel/response will change as they approach this point and you might get a burning smell from the pads too.

10-22-2018, 05:31 PM	#1
SnapCoupe BMW Portland 225 Rep 524 Posts Drives: Z4M Coupe/E90 335i Join Date: May 2015 Location: Portland, OR iTrader: (0)	Has anyone experienced heat warp/fade with OEM brake pads? Yesterday I went for a spirited drive on a road with a lot of elevation changes. I was driving for about 30 minutes and on my way down I started to feel the brakes fading a bit. I wasn't being super aggressive on them as the road was pretty tight, but I decided to err on the side of caution and tone it down a bit for the last stretch. After 1-2 more corners, even mild-medium level braking felt really soft and unresponsive, and with the next application of the brakes I felt a strong vibration in the steering. This vibration was noticeable with any touch of the brakes up until I got home and parked the car. I was worried I warped a rotor, but the next day the car drove and felt 100% normal, so i'm thinking it was just pad deposits from the heat. I replaced my front brakes with drilled Stoptech rotors and OEM BMW pads about 10k miles ago. The rears are OEM BMW rotors and pads with about 20k miles on them. I also have stock brake lines and did a brake fluid flush when I replaced the fronts. So my question is, is this pretty typical for OEM pads on stock (excluding the front rotors) 335i brakes? I have driven my Z4M on the same route more aggressively and I have only ever gotten but a slight bit of fade near the end. I know the Z4M is a bit lighter and has M3 CSL derived brakes, but the speed at which the 335i brakes faded and started shaking is really surprising. __________________ 2011 335i N55/6MT/M-Sport MHD Stage 2+, VRSF Downpipe, VRSF 7" FMIC, BMS Intake, BMS Chargepipe, Performance Exhaust Mod, F10 550i Clutch, BMS CDV, BMW Performance SSK, M3 Control Arms, ST Coilovers, Apex ARC-8 wheels, Michelin PS4S
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10-24-2018, 04:21 PM	#2
techwhiz Colonel 454 Rep 2,973 Posts Drives: e90 335i Sedan - Arctic Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Bay Area, Ca iTrader: (4)	Pad deposits. Rotors rarely warp. __________________ Arctic Metallic\CF Splitters, Spoiler, Mirror Covers\LED Tails\LSD\Tinted\Coded\Apex Square SM10-19"\LED Angel Eyes\Gloss Black Grill\Integrated V1 & Galaxy Tab\M-Performance Brakes\Cobb Tuned\xHP Flash\Resonator Removed and -> is your friend.
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10-24-2018, 05:29 PM	#4
maddmatth Captain 561 Rep 936 Posts Drives: E92 M3 \| Prev:E92 335i, F82 M4 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Sydney iTrader: (0)	Don't stand on the brakes with the car stopped as that could make an impression or leave more deposits on the rotor if it's hot. If you need to stop try to smoothly release the brakes and then put it in park. It's not hard to fade out street brake pads, even the sport type pads will fade if you're thrashing it on a windy road. You just need to learn to recognise it when it's happening so you can slow down and let them cool. It varies depending on the pad but pedal feel/response will change as they approach this point and you might get a burning smell from the pads too.
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