Improving the E30's brakes

[Mark 178]

Now we all know that the stock brakes on an E30 have as much bite as a toothless Chihuahua and that pedal feel is spongier than Grandma's christmas trifle.... but I'm interested to know how others have improved their stopping power?

My setup is fairly basic:

- Stock OEM rotors

- EBC Greenstuff front pads

- OEM BMW pads on rear

- DOT 5.1 fluid.

This setup had no problems repeatedly hauling me up from 160km/h+ at the last trackday I went on, but I'm looking for a firmer pedal feel and a bit more brake bite earlier in the pedal travel to make heel-toeing easier. I've taken the car to have all the brake systems checked out and everything is working as it should. They're flushing the brake fluid as a precaution.

So, question is... what improvements can be made and what are you guys running?

Cheers, Mark.

[Apex 693]

Get some braided lines and see how you get on, have has success with pedal feel improvement on cars before with this.

I run EBC reds up front, Greens at the back with ELF dot 4, love the brakes, mine has a rear wheel bias and is a ton of fun.

Edited November 19, 2009 by Apex

[Sammy J 1]

Wilwoods FTW

[Andre3000 55]

Brembo 4 pots and braided lines.

id have a look at the brake booster if your pedal is too squishy, ive heard something about removing it all together and attaching the master cylinder straight to the pedal, but im not sure if thats the best idea on a road car.

[Sammy J 1]

Thats pretty much what i have done due to the space requirements of the booster, my pedal is hard, but still very usable. you can adjust the pivot point underneath on the linkage if its to hard.

[bravo 35]

RHD e30's will always lack feel. There's a bloody long linkage across the car to the booster which adds play and reduces feel.

The only way to remove it properly is to relocate the booster to the RHS. The stock one won't work as it gets in the way of the steering linkage, etc.

The suggestions above are the best you can do.

[Andre3000 55]

Thats pretty much what i have done due to the space requirements of the booster, my pedal is hard, but still very usable. you can adjust the pivot point underneath on the linkage if its to hard.

Can you elaborate on what you've done? Im keen to see some pics etc

[Forrest 35]

I am fitting a E32 booster and master cylinder mainly for feel and also for a potential M50 swap, apparently it helps improve feel to a point over standard E30 brakes.

[shanew 1]

This is something I have been putting some thought into lately, as Im going with a sr20 swap I want to get the brakes away from the exhaust manifold and at the same time get rid of the over complicated mechanism that runs across the firewall.

From what I can tell the brake booster will not fit in the gap on the drivers side of the firewall, even with out a booster there is only about 110mm to fit a master cylinder.

The option Im looking to go down at this stage is a modify the factory pedal box to accommodate a pair of master cylinders that connect the the pedal via a balance bar.

That said if there is an easier and cheaper way to do it then Im all for it.

[|ncary 0]

Just get a whole Wilwood pedal box setup Shane ^ They are quite cheap really.

[rds 0]

Just get a whole Wilwood pedal box setup Shane ^ They are quite cheap really.

e30's do have a bit of a reputation for there lack of braking but those pedal boxes look mean as hell, What kind of money are you looking at for a wilwood pedal box?

and

What other modifications are required other then removing the stock unit?

[djs325 0]

Extracted from my "Basic E30 Street/Track/Race/Ring Upgrades" Notes:

Brakes:

-The first place you should be spending money, and plenty of it!

-Braided lines are a must. Double check the requirements for approval (TUV, MOT, ADR etc). Goodridge has an easy set available, you'll want the E30 316-325 ABS model, this has all 6 lines (2 front 4 rear); SBW0012-6.

-Recommend the E32 7 Series Master Cylinder upgrade. 25.4mm bore, stiffer pedal with more 'stomp control'. Also gives you peace of mind that your MC is in good nick. BMW Pn. 34 31 1 156 643, ATE Pn. 02.2125-2802.3, FTE Pn. H25914.0.1, make sure it's for an up to 1988 model. This will require a T-Piece adaptor to be manufactured for the front axle, from the single E32 front port to the 2 E30 front lines.

-Decent quality rotors, slotted maybe (not all the way to the edge) but steer clear of cross-drilled. Buy a reputable brand that people say nice things about.

-Pad choice depends on the kind of track work being undertaken. Fast-road pads are best if what you do isn't hard on brakes (they aren't used that often or that hard). Would recommend PFC Z-Rated but no longer available. Ferodo DS2500, HAWK DTC, EBC Green or Pagid would be next on the list of brands to seek out. For short circuit work, with more brake work, you might want a more race oriented pad, e.g. PFC01 or 06, Ferodo DS3000, Pagid RS29 etc.

-Use good quality fluid, minimum DOT4, preferably DOT5.1; a racing fluid might be overkill and will require more frequent bleeding to ensure premium performance.

-Backing plates, ducting and brake ducts are fairly serious, but if going the whole hog you might want them. Check the net.

-And in closing, make sure all your calipers are in top shape. You can rebuild them with BMW, ATE or FTE repair kits; or better still, use stainless steel pistons and replace the rubber bushes with solid brake guides from BimmerWorld.

[Mark 178]

^Excellent post. Cheers!

I'll look in to the braided lines and E32 master cylinder upgrade. Then get slotted rotors when my current ones give up the ghost.

Good to see I've chosen the right pads and fluid so far regardless!