Z3 Brembo brakes conversion

[Bobafixit]

Hi Guys
Just see these for sale, look pretty reasonable for the price.
I’m pretty tempted, as I loved my Brembos on my Boxster S.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/174231887484

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/174231888501

 

[mrscalex]

I just have Brembo discs and pads on my 3.0 with refurbed standard calipers and they are extremely effective.

 

[Delk]

I have larger 330 calipers with Brembo discs and pads on mine. They felt really good when I installed them and now that I can drive two cars side by side I can definitely say they are night and day.

 

[gookah]

front only?

 

[Delk]

front only?

I also fitted 328 rear calipers with vented discs.

From what I read most people only upgrade the fronts as the rear is more difficult.

 

[Bobafixit]

The E46 330 is a ok upgrade but is still only a single piston sliding caliper.
The feel you get from a 4 pot caliper is completely different.
You would only feel the real difference on a very spirited drive or on track.

 

[mrscalex]

I've got 4 pot Brembos on my 330d and the single factory pot on the 3.0 Z3.

There's not a lot of difference between the 330d and the Z3 with Brembo discs/pads and over-hauled calipers. Both are superb.

 

[Bobafixit]

I've got 4 pot Brembos on my 330d and the single factory pot on the 3.0 Z3.

There's not a lot of difference between the 330d and the Z3 with Brembo discs/pads and over-hauled calipers. Both are superb.

You say there’s not a lot of difference but your not exactly comparing apples for apples on two different cars, especially when one is a lot heavier than the other.

I have the same setup as you on my Z3 and the brakes are ok.
But I have no doubt that with a Brembo 4 pots a good set of pads and a performance Brembo disc like Brembo Max or Xtra, they would definitely give a more modulated feel and performance.

 

[mrscalex]

You say there’s not a lot of difference but your not exactly comparing apples for apples on two different cars, especially when one is a lot heavier than the other.

I have the same setup as you on my Z3 and the brakes are ok.
But I have no doubt that with a Brembo 4 pots a good set of pads and a performance Brembo disc like Brembo Max or Xtra, they would definitely give a more modulated feel and performance.

I'm happy for you to take on board or reject the suggestion you may not need the 4 pots as you wish - I'm just suggesting you explore whether the £700 investment is really worth it/necessary. But I know how quickly my 3.0 stops compared to my 330d and it's very comparable. Both go like stink and both pull-up very quickly. And I know how a 3.0 (any) Z3 without the work done stops - it's cr*p compared to the first 2.

 

[mrscalex]

Also bear in mind the car behind you is unlikely to be able to stop as quickly as you with 4 pots on a light car. That's one of the reasons track pads are not legal on the road in the UK. But I won't pretend they don't look very nice on a car and won't stop you very quickly.

 

[Delk]

You can increase the brakes as much as you want but you still have the limit of the tyres.

I did increase mine and the feeling and power are great. They are probably more then I need unless I turned it into a full track car.

 

[137699]

Though I have not got them on my Z yet, I have fitted Ferodo DS2500 pads to other cars and they are unbelievable.
In pretty much every application, they're all the upgrade you need - once you have those pads you can forget about performance disks, performance calipers etc. They're all the stopping power you require & will be going on my M-Coupe next pad change.

 

[Mario]

Any downside to the DS2500 like cold bite etc?

 

[Dino D]

Wow going by the comments on here my brake upgrades must be giving me imaginary pedal feel and shorter stopping times.
Off to get my old stock Brembo pad and discs on, don’t know what I’ve been thinking

 

[Dino D]

You can increase the brakes as much as you want but you still have the limit of the tyres.

I did increase mine and the feeling and power are great. They are probably more then I need unless I turned it into a full track car.

Sorry can’t agree with that- it more than the tyre limit but feel and pedal travel too.
With my uprated pats stopping distance is less even though they can overcome the tyres easier.
An repeatability of stops..

 

[Steve Medlock]

In contrast, the Brembo pads that I put on the rear of my Z were rubbish and had to be changed after just a few hundred miles.

 

[Delk]

Dino D. Fully understand with what you are saying.

But the brakes need to just be better then what you are using the car for. You do not need to upgrade a 1.9 solid disc to carbon ceramics if you are just driving to Tesco every other Sunday.

The pedal, feel and longevity of what I installed on mine is really good especially for what I need. If I was spending my day at a track where high heat was a consideration and going through pads I may consider otherwise.

 

[Delk]

I did see a cheaper option then carbon ceramics the other day.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCj83_uF9dE

 

[137699]

Any downside to the DS2500 like cold bite etc?

No - when cold they perform exactly like OEM pads.
When they get heat into them, then they move into another level.