E46 M3 Brake Discs Advice/Guidance

Dewald Basson

///Member
Carbon@TheFanatics said:
Don't skim disks on an M3!

Disks are heat-sinks, less material means less heat storage so they overheat quicker. Not only that, machining would cause internal stress that could lead to warping again.

Skimming is a solution for a Fiat Uno, not a performance car.

You need a run-out gauge to measure the true-ness of the disks, a crude way would be to hold a pencil against the caliper and let it just touch the rotor, then turn it and see if the gap changes.

If they are warped, replace it with OEM disks or good brand name ones if the car gets driven hard.

Clever, :clapper::clapper:
 

KSINGH

///Member
Carbon@TheFanatics said:
Don't skim disks on an M3!

Disks are heat-sinks, less material means less heat storage so they overheat quicker. Not only that, machining would cause internal stress that could lead to warping again.

Skimming is a solution for a Fiat Uno, not a performance car.

You need a run-out gauge to measure the true-ness of the disks, a crude way would be to hold a pencil against the caliper and let it just touch the rotor, then turn it and see if the gap changes.

If they are warped, replace it with OEM disks or good brand name ones if the car gets driven hard.
But disk thickness reduces anyway in time. Skimming removes the uneven surface of a disk. And sometimes it's a mm or 2 that gets removed.

Infact KIA does skimming on disks at their service centre. Sure they're not bmw but if it was not safe or endorsed why would a dealer do it. They would rather make a sale on new disks.

Or perhaps it is drilled or slotted disks that should not be skimmed? Just trying to understand your reasoning.

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Peter@AEW

BMWFanatics Advertiser
Official Advertiser
The suspension is almost new with new control arm and bushes so it is not related to that

It is the pads that are causing the deposits on the disc.

The discs were fitted correctly however it has EBC yellow stuff and they are known to cause deposits on the metal surface.
Check that the disc has no lip.
My advice is fit Textar and bed them in properly.

Powerbrake have a good article on their site on how to run new brakes in.

BTW discs do not ordinarily warp ( I for one have not seen any, not that I am the benchmark of knowledge) and it is equally not advisable to skim semi floating discs which btw is what is fitted to the M3
 

Dewald Basson

///Member
My 2c Devon, although my car is only a 325i. I have used the textar pads on the road and track(they only last 400km on the track) and they are hands down the best I have used. I have 4 sets of front discs("real" bmw ones as well), with a wide variety of pads. Right now the Meyle/textar setup works well for me, my current set of pads has done one track day and they don't shutter or squeak, discs has done 5/6 track days and are still fine.

Moranor has advised me to go EBC but only cause I track the car. The EBC pads should last longer because they handle the heat better.

So +1 on the textars for normal use.
 

Xeqtr

///Member
Peter@AEW said:
The suspension is almost new with new control arm and bushes so it is not related to that

It is the pads that are causing the deposits on the disc.

The discs were fitted correctly however it has EBC yellow stuff and they are known to cause deposits on the metal surface.
Check that the disc has no lip.
My advice is fit Textar and bed them in properly.

Powerbrake have a good article on their site on how to run new brakes in.

BTW discs do not ordinarily warp ( I for one have not seen any, not that I am the benchmark of knowledge) and it is equally not advisable to skim semi floating discs which btw is what is fitted to the M3

Thanks for the info Pete. I will have a look for that article now :)

What is your feeling on OEM pads?


Guys thanks for all the comments and advice. I feel a lot more confident that I am handling the situation with the right direction in mind. :ty:
 

Gizmo

Banned
Get rid of the EBC pads, they are shit especially for a street car. Replace them with Textar pads which is what OEM pads are. Discs can warp if the brakes are hot enough and you drive through a puddle which splashes the disc with cold water, the sudden uneven cooling effect will warp the disc.
Skimming floating rotors is looking for shit, just replace them with new ones if they warped as braking isn't an area you should be skimping on especially on a high performance car.

Best way to check if the disc is warped is with a magnetic needle gauge used on lathes.
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Kish2604

Administrator
Staff member
Gizmo... Care to substantiate your comments on ebc being inferior to textar oem...

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Peter@AEW

BMWFanatics Advertiser
Official Advertiser
Xeqtr said:
Peter@AEW said:
The suspension is almost new with new control arm and bushes so it is not related to that

It is the pads that are causing the deposits on the disc.

The discs were fitted correctly however it has EBC yellow stuff and they are known to cause deposits on the metal surface.
Check that the disc has no lip.
My advice is fit Textar and bed them in properly.

Powerbrake have a good article on their site on how to run new brakes in.

BTW discs do not ordinarily warp ( I for one have not seen any, not that I am the benchmark of knowledge) and it is equally not advisable to skim semi floating discs which btw is what is fitted to the M3

Thanks for the info Pete. I will have a look for that article now :)

What is your feeling on OEM pads?


Guys thanks for all the comments and advice. I feel a lot more confident that I am handling the situation with the right direction in mind. :ty:



Textar will do as good a job.

The EBC were fitted as Kuvarshan wanted to do track on the odd occasion...I am sure Gareth will agree that on the track the EBC works well as it was designed to do.
 

Xeqtr

///Member
Yeah EBC's were fitted for the track.

I dont plan on tracking my baby in the near future, if at all. OEM pads it is.
 

Gizmo

Banned
Kish2604@TheFanatics said:
Gizmo... Care to substantiate your comments on ebc being inferior to textar oem...

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I don't. Google EBC brake pad problems and make up your own mind.
If you want a track pad then look no further than Ferodo DS2500.
 
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