So what brand brake pads people using?

kbsilver · 03-27-2016, 07:06 PM

Going to need a full brake overhaul soon. I'm actually pretty happy with the OEM pads on our 2011 D in regards to bite and acceptable dusting. BMW's newer formulations seem much better with dust generated. I'm easy on brakes so don't need any big upgrades. I've used Akebono Euro ceramics on other cars, and while there is nearly zero dust, the initial bite is not there. But that was many years ago.

If you changed pads, what did you use and what was your experience.

Thanks!

JOHNNYBRAVO1 · 03-27-2016, 10:44 PM

I've been a big fan of EBC. There a great pad and company.

335D Alpha Pappa · 03-28-2016, 07:13 AM

Last fall I put on Hawks HPS. It certainly has a better initial bite as well low dust. The original OEM brakes were not bad with dust, but the second set of brakes the dealership replaced them with were really bad.

I felt the difference between the Hawks and OEM brake pads recently when I had a 328 loaner. The loaner had much less braking power than what I was used too with the Hawks.

kbsilver · 03-28-2016, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335D Alpha Pappa

The original OEM brakes were not bad with dust, but the second set of brakes the dealership replaced them with were really bad.

\
Thanks for the tip on the Hawks. I know BMW had a pad composition change around 2010. When you got the replacement pads it must have been the old formulation.

Thecastle · 03-28-2016, 07:26 AM

Personally, after doing a lot of research on dusting, glazing, cold weather, noise and performance. I like stop tech street performance. Some of these after market pads can be scary when wet and or cold. The stop tech street performance were fantastic, high fade resistance, no squeeel, and could handle repeated hard stops from 100Mph, without issue.

If you really want to improve braking feel, changing pads is pretty minor, it has more of an impact on fade resistance and modulation.

Basically for street performance (other than dust), the stop techs are good in the cold, wet, have excellent modulation ability, and don't fade. Unfortunately the better the pad in general the more dust. Its like ride and handling. The better the fade resistance, typically the worse the pad performs when cold. The better the stopping power the more dust. Glazing resistance = More dust and faster wear of the rotors, BTW different pads wear rotors at different rates.

Replacing the front brake caliper rubber encased caliper pins with solid caliper pins will make a big difference in brake feel and modulation. More so than adding stainless brake lines. Of course it comes at the expensive of having to lube the pins 1x a year, and sometimes you develop a bit of caliper rattle.

chau · 03-28-2016, 10:35 AM

Akebono fronts, OEM rear. I have a set of StopTech fronts that will go on next.

Puerto Rican 335d · 03-28-2016, 10:36 AM

I have the STOP TECH disc and Hawks APS and they stop this monster very well indeed

Lexx.md · 03-28-2016, 10:40 AM

Brembo and\or Textar

335dlci · 03-28-2016, 12:41 PM

The OEM rotors suck ass honestly. They warp too easy.

locolobo · 03-28-2016, 04:24 PM

I've had good luck with Akebono ceramic pads (US Made) and also WearEver ceramic pads (Made in India - Advance Auto Parts).

The ceramic pads produce a lot less visible brake dust.

Lexx.md · 03-28-2016, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by locolobo

WearEver ceramic pads (Made in India - Advance Auto Parts)

I had once a mistake buying those, i had feeling i had no brakes at all.
Most likely they work just fine but i drive pretty fast and stop as quick as possible.

Mik325tds · 03-28-2016, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335D Alpha Pappa

Last fall I put on Hawks HPS. It certainly has a better initial bite as well low dust. The original OEM brakes were not bad with dust, but the second set of brakes the dealership replaced them with were really bad.

I felt the difference between the Hawks and OEM brake pads recently when I had a 328 loaner. The loaner had much less braking power than what I was used too with the Hawks.

I second Alpha Pappa's opinion on the Hawks HPS. The initial bite is noticeably stronger than the OEM pads. I kept my OEM disks for now. Looking forward to testing them at Grattan this year.
Found a good deal on Amazon:
Hawk Performance HB551F.748 HPS ($83.70) two front sensors included.
Hawk Performance HB624F.642 HPS ($72.91) no rear sesnors included.

Owen81 · 04-09-2016, 03:17 PM

The ceramic pads produce a lot less dust (almost none) but don't have the bite of OEM.

Hawk HPS are good for OEM bite but overkill if you're not taking it on a track IMO and they are quite a bit more money.

At the recommendation of Turner Motorsport I went with Centric PosiQuiet Semi-Metallic ($43.89 F / R $33.73 on RockAuto) and have no complaints. They seem to have OEM bite, low dust and the price is great. They even came with new caliper bushings so I replaced those as well (they didn't come with sensors however, you require 1 front, 1 rear)

Turner Motorsport has a nice overview of the options here:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-b...ide-brake-pads

Mik325tds · 06-03-2016, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mik325tds

I second Alpha Pappa's opinion on the Hawks HPS. The initial bite is noticeably stronger than the OEM pads. I kept my OEM disks for now. Looking forward to testing them at Grattan this year.
Found a good deal on Amazon:
Hawk Performance HB551F.748 HPS ($83.70) two front sensors included.
Hawk Performance HB624F.642 HPS ($72.91) no rear sesnors included.

Tested them on the Mid Ohio track last weekend. The braking experience was quite good, however they still cooked the RT700 brake fluid. So after the second day the brake pedal got softer but still no problem with hard braking at the end of the back straight (from 130 mph to about 50mph).
I did get a lot of brake dust though. This was after one 30 minute session:

charlie fairmont · 06-03-2016, 04:15 PM

If you do track days but don't want to swap pads, try hawk HP+'s on the front and the HPS on the rear. To go one step up from there, try pagid rs4-2-1 up front and HP+'s on the rear.

Another tip is that after you come back in from a run and the car has been sitting for 2-3 minutes, put it in neutral and roll the car forward or backward so that the area of the rotor that was under the pads is no longer so. This cuts down on cracked rotors.

The different pads may help the boiling fluid or it may not. Just throwing out a few tips I've learned.

fsd350 · 06-03-2016, 05:24 PM

I have always used oe on my Bimmers. For me, they are a great all around pad. My wife's X5d needs front and rear pads now and I am going to try Centric 100 series oe formulation and Wagner OEX from our stock. Our Wagner/Federal Mogul reps demonstration of the OEX was pretty kickass. I will let you guys know my results.

Got_Diesel · 06-03-2016, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335dlci

The OEM rotors suck ass honestly. They warp too easy.

This, i'm looking to swap do all 4 corners pads and rotors. maybe even SS lines.

I've used Hawk HPS pads on other vehicles and always liked them. Not sure what i'm doing for rotors. Stop Techs are nice, i've used those before.

taibanl · 06-04-2016, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Got_Diesel

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335dlci

The OEM rotors suck ass honestly. They warp too easy.

This, i'm looking to swap do all 4 corners pads and rotors. maybe even SS lines.

I've used Hawk HPS pads on other vehicles and always liked them. Not sure what i'm doing for rotors. Stop Techs are nice, i've used those before.

Apparently z-4is rotors (2piece)are a drop in replacement and they are available coated

Owen81 · 06-05-2016, 09:37 PM

Here is a good article on warped rotors...
http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...nd-other-myths

In summary:
"In fact every case of "warped brake disc" that I have investigated, whether on a racing car or a street car, has turned out to be friction pad material transferred unevenly to the surface of the disc. This uneven deposition results in thickness variation (TV) or run-out due to hot spotting that occurred at elevated temperatures."

If you're driving spiritedly or hammer on the brakes to stop at a light, don't hold the brakes down when stopped, put the car in park or neutral. This prevents the uneven distribution of brake pad material. Also, take the time to properly bed the brake pads when installed.

If your rotors are giving the undulated feeling, you could try bedding the pads again, or just have the rotors re-surfaced.

Adieu · 06-15-2016, 11:20 PM

Brakes? You guys use those???

My service brake pads in numbers went down 200mi...in the last 15,000

ideloera · 06-15-2016, 11:23 PM

zimmerman rotors and akebono brake pads, they have worked well for me. when I change my brake pads I also change my rotors (lifetime warranty from FCP euro

).

kydiesel35 · 06-16-2016, 12:51 PM

So it seems the Hawks HPS pads are legit amongst other great choices as well.

What about the rotors?

1) OEM

2) Slotted

3) Cross-Drilled rears? Or slotted/cross-drilled rears?

My rotors are all warped and they need replacing (must have been the C7 battle)

. Not quite ready for the big brake kit yet though!

UPDATE:

I went ahead and stayed with the oem brake pads and rotors. They seemed to do well with my last BMW.

03-27-2016, 07:06 PM	#1
kbsilver Captain 143 Rep 631 Posts Drives: 340GT & '22 eDrive40 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: North Jersey iTrader: (0)	So what brand brake pads people using? Going to need a full brake overhaul soon. I'm actually pretty happy with the OEM pads on our 2011 D in regards to bite and acceptable dusting. BMW's newer formulations seem much better with dust generated. I'm easy on brakes so don't need any big upgrades. I've used Akebono Euro ceramics on other cars, and while there is nearly zero dust, the initial bite is not there. But that was many years ago. If you changed pads, what did you use and what was your experience. Thanks!
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03-27-2016, 10:44 PM	#2
JOHNNYBRAVO1 NY BRAVEST 47 Rep 231 Posts Drives: 2010 Monaco blue, 335D Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NEW YORK, LONG ISLAND iTrader: (0)	I've been a big fan of EBC. There a great pad and company.
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03-28-2016, 07:13 AM	#3
335D Alpha Pappa Second Lieutenant 44 Rep 237 Posts Drives: 2011 335D Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	Last fall I put on Hawks HPS. It certainly has a better initial bite as well low dust. The original OEM brakes were not bad with dust, but the second set of brakes the dealership replaced them with were really bad. I felt the difference between the Hawks and OEM brake pads recently when I had a 328 loaner. The loaner had much less braking power than what I was used too with the Hawks.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-28-2016, 07:26 AM	#5
Thecastle Major 370 Rep 1,201 Posts Drives: 2022 G30 M550i Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0) Garage List 2022 BMW M550i [0.00] 2020 BMW M340i [0.00] 2019 RAM 3500 [0.00] 2000 Ford F450 7.3l ... [0.00]	Personally, after doing a lot of research on dusting, glazing, cold weather, noise and performance. I like stop tech street performance. Some of these after market pads can be scary when wet and or cold. The stop tech street performance were fantastic, high fade resistance, no squeeel, and could handle repeated hard stops from 100Mph, without issue. If you really want to improve braking feel, changing pads is pretty minor, it has more of an impact on fade resistance and modulation. Basically for street performance (other than dust), the stop techs are good in the cold, wet, have excellent modulation ability, and don't fade. Unfortunately the better the pad in general the more dust. Its like ride and handling. The better the fade resistance, typically the worse the pad performs when cold. The better the stopping power the more dust. Glazing resistance = More dust and faster wear of the rotors, BTW different pads wear rotors at different rates. Replacing the front brake caliper rubber encased caliper pins with solid caliper pins will make a big difference in brake feel and modulation. More so than adding stainless brake lines. Of course it comes at the expensive of having to lube the pins 1x a year, and sometimes you develop a bit of caliper rattle.
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03-28-2016, 10:35 AM	#6
chau Second Lieutenant 28 Rep 234 Posts Drives: 335d Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	Akebono fronts, OEM rear. I have a set of StopTech fronts that will go on next.
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03-28-2016, 10:36 AM	#7
Puerto Rican 335d Brigadier General 236 Rep 3,488 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335d Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Puerto Rico(Dominican Republic 03/2017) iTrader: (0)	I have the STOP TECH disc and Hawks APS and they stop this monster very well indeed __________________ RENNtech Flash(Lenny Wu)/WAGNER IC Enkei Rajin 18"/Execuhitch Hitch/Koni FSD Soft Ride Bike Rack/Brava Synthetic Motor Oil(Made in Puerto Rico)/Meth(in the works)/CBU done w Andrew EGR Race Pipe (whoa! what an animal it is now)
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03-28-2016, 10:40 AM	#8
Lexx.md Second Lieutenant 42 Rep 291 Posts Drives: e90 335D Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	Brembo and\or Textar
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03-28-2016, 12:41 PM	#9
335dlci Lieutenant Colonel 303 Rep 1,606 Posts Drives: 335d Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	The OEM rotors suck ass honestly. They warp too easy.
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03-28-2016, 04:24 PM	#10
locolobo Oil Burner 23 Rep 119 Posts Drives: 2009 335d Barbera Red Metallic Join Date: May 2013 Location: Columbus, Ohio iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 Volkswagen Pas ... [0.00] 2004 Honda Pilot [0.00] 2009 335d [0.00]	I've had good luck with Akebono ceramic pads (US Made) and also WearEver ceramic pads (Made in India - Advance Auto Parts). The ceramic pads produce a lot less visible brake dust. __________________ 2009 335d Barbera Red Metallic; Mods: BPC tuned, Bohl Diesel Performance, Laser Veil, BelTronics Pro 500
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04-09-2016, 03:17 PM	#13
Owen81 Lieutenant 87 Rep 433 Posts Drives: 335d, 17/22 TDI Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta, Canada iTrader: (0)	The ceramic pads produce a lot less dust (almost none) but don't have the bite of OEM. Hawk HPS are good for OEM bite but overkill if you're not taking it on a track IMO and they are quite a bit more money. At the recommendation of Turner Motorsport I went with Centric PosiQuiet Semi-Metallic ($43.89 F / R $33.73 on RockAuto) and have no complaints. They seem to have OEM bite, low dust and the price is great. They even came with new caliper bushings so I replaced those as well (they didn't come with sensors however, you require 1 front, 1 rear) Turner Motorsport has a nice overview of the options here: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-b...ide-brake-pads
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-03-2016, 04:15 PM	#15
charlie fairmont Captain 506 Rep 603 Posts Drives: His & hers, GC & X5 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Jax, FL iTrader: (0)	If you do track days but don't want to swap pads, try hawk HP+'s on the front and the HPS on the rear. To go one step up from there, try pagid rs4-2-1 up front and HP+'s on the rear. Another tip is that after you come back in from a run and the car has been sitting for 2-3 minutes, put it in neutral and roll the car forward or backward so that the area of the rotor that was under the pads is no longer so. This cuts down on cracked rotors. The different pads may help the boiling fluid or it may not. Just throwing out a few tips I've learned.
	Appreciate 1 Quote

06-03-2016, 05:24 PM	#16
fsd350 Lieutenant 160 Rep 412 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW 335d Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: BFE iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW X6M [10.00] 2002 BMW e39 540i S ... [0.00] 2010 BMW 335d [9.25] 2006 BMW 760i [0.00] 1988 Pontiac GTA [0.00] 2007 KTM 990 Adventure [0.00] 2010 X5 35d [0.00] 2005 KTM 950 Adventure [0.00] 2012 BMW GS650GS Se ... [0.00] 2001 KTM 520EXC [0.00] 1989 Chevy IROC ASC ... [0.00] 1984 Dodge Ramcharg ... [0.00] 1997 Husaberg FC600 [0.00] 2015 Can-Am Outland ... [0.00] 2004 Ford F350 Supe ... [0.00]	I have always used oe on my Bimmers. For me, they are a great all around pad. My wife's X5d needs front and rear pads now and I am going to try Centric 100 series oe formulation and Wagner OEX from our stock. Our Wagner/Federal Mogul reps demonstration of the OEX was pretty kickass. I will let you guys know my results.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-05-2016, 09:37 PM	#19
Owen81 Lieutenant 87 Rep 433 Posts Drives: 335d, 17/22 TDI Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta, Canada iTrader: (0)	Here is a good article on warped rotors... http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...nd-other-myths In summary: "In fact every case of "warped brake disc" that I have investigated, whether on a racing car or a street car, has turned out to be friction pad material transferred unevenly to the surface of the disc. This uneven deposition results in thickness variation (TV) or run-out due to hot spotting that occurred at elevated temperatures." If you're driving spiritedly or hammer on the brakes to stop at a light, don't hold the brakes down when stopped, put the car in park or neutral. This prevents the uneven distribution of brake pad material. Also, take the time to properly bed the brake pads when installed. If your rotors are giving the undulated feeling, you could try bedding the pads again, or just have the rotors re-surfaced.
	Appreciate 1 Quote

06-15-2016, 11:20 PM	#20
Adieu First Lieutenant 77 Rep 349 Posts Drives: 335d Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: socal iTrader: (0)	Brakes? You guys use those??? My service brake pads in numbers went down 200mi...in the last 15,000
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06-15-2016, 11:23 PM	#21
ideloera Private 9 Rep 96 Posts Drives: BMW 335d Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	zimmerman rotors and akebono brake pads, they have worked well for me. when I change my brake pads I also change my rotors (lifetime warranty from FCP euro ).
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06-16-2016, 12:51 PM	#22
kydiesel35 Lieutenant 168 Rep 460 Posts Drives: 2016 X5 35d Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: KY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 BMW 335d [0.00]	So it seems the Hawks HPS pads are legit amongst other great choices as well. What about the rotors? 1) OEM 2) Slotted 3) Cross-Drilled rears? Or slotted/cross-drilled rears? My rotors are all warped and they need replacing (must have been the C7 battle) . Not quite ready for the big brake kit yet though! UPDATE: I went ahead and stayed with the oem brake pads and rotors. They seemed to do well with my last BMW.
	Appreciate 0 Quote