[Madams08]

I know i need to change my front pads because the brake dust is horrible. Knowing that, i want to know what kinds of brake setups actually perform really well under daily driving conditions that still have the look of Brembo's. I would eventually like to change the calipers if for no other reason than to make them stand out and attract eyes to the wheels and contrast the jet black color of the car.

Are drilled and/or slotted rotors really worth the price?
Ceramic pads the way to go, or is there a special type that works best?

I have BBS RS-GT wheels and i want something that pops and compliments the subtle color lines of the red with the center caps.

After installing the 19" wheels, i noticed some slight rubbing while driving, not sure where its coming from yet, but should i get wheel spacers if they are rubbing on the inside edge? And with that I am looking at shocks and springs that are just a little softer than stock sport shocks and springs. Any suggestions on what you guys have used and how they feel compared to the stock sport suspension?

Any information will be helpful, ill be doing all the installation myself, so things like special tools or tricks to getting certain things in or out, or just personal preference on looks and colors or anything will be appreciated.

Thanks for your time!

[CJ421]

Caliper painting is the option for making our stock brakes look better; it looks kind of chintzy if it's a stand-out color like red or yellow though. You could just paint them black or gray along with the hubs so they aren't noticeable. No one is going to knock you for having stock calipers. Our stock brakes are quite good performance-wise.

Therefore you'd be looking at a real BBK if you really want to change the look like Brembos, Stoptech, AP Racing &c. Read around quite a bit before making a decision about any particular BBK as there are advantages to each. One thing I'd suggest looking at is the cost of ownership - the initial cost of course but also pads (and the variety of pads available). Look around the classifieds for used sets.

The determining factor of whether brakes are good for daily driving is the pads; the BBKs I mentioned are available with street friendly pads.
P.S. the new OEM pads from BMW for the stock brakes are nearly dust-free.

Rotors - drilled rotors are a thing of the past, go slotted if anything but slotted is less than street friendly - increased pad wear (and thus dust) plus noise. Blanks are the way to go.

Wheels - get a flashlight and/or camera and try to determine where the wheel is rubbing. Or post your wheel sizes and offsets and maybe we can just tell you off the bat. BBS's are quality wheels. Good luck with your brake upgrade.

[Madams08]

Originally Posted by CJ421

Caliper painting is the option for making our stock brakes look better; it looks kind of chintzy if it's a stand-out color like red or yellow though. You could just paint them black or gray along with the hubs so they aren't noticeable. No one is going to knock you for having stock calipers. Our stock brakes are quite good performance-wise.

Therefore you'd be looking at a real BBK if you really want to change the look like Brembos, Stoptech, AP Racing &c. Read around quite a bit before making a decision about any particular BBK as there are advantages to each. One thing I'd suggest looking at is the cost of ownership - the initial cost of course but also pads (and the variety of pads available). Look around the classifieds for used sets.

The determining factor of whether brakes are good for daily driving is the pads; the BBKs I mentioned are available with street friendly pads.
P.S. the new OEM pads from BMW for the stock brakes are nearly dust-free.

Rotors - drilled rotors are a thing of the past, go slotted if anything but slotted is less than street friendly - increased pad wear (and thus dust) plus noise. Blanks are the way to go.

Wheels - get a flashlight and/or camera and try to determine where the wheel is rubbing. Or post your wheel sizes and offsets and maybe we can just tell you off the bat. BBS's are quality wheels. Good luck with your brake upgrade.

19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 rear. Tire size is 235/35/19 front and 265/30/19 rear.
offsets are et20 in the front and et25 in the rear

[Madams08]

Originally Posted by Madams08

19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 rear. Tire size is 235/35/19 front and 265/30/19 rear.
offsets are et20 in the front and et25 in the rear

Found out the tires are rubbing on the outside edge of the fender. I have to raise the suspension whether it be from spacers(?), or a whole new shock/strut setup. Anyone have ideas what would be the best route to go to get a little extra clearance on the tires?

And second, I'm going to stick with stock brakes for now, where can i get the best price for oem brakes, and any special tools required to change the pads?

[longliven54]

if your car is e90, you can roll your fenders. not sure if e92 fenders can be rolled

[mlifxs]

you could go back to stock tire width and increase negative camber.

[cvc 22349a]

Originally Posted by Madams08

19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 rear. Tire size is 235/35/19 front and 265/30/19 rear.
offsets are et20 in the front and et25 in the rear

Those sound like M3 offsets=too wide for your car. The tires are the correct size for those wheels. You definitely don't want spacers; you may have to have your fenders rolled or get proper offset wheels.