# Last of my brake questions, promise..



## 330iGT (Feb 1, 2003)

Sorry to annoy you guys with my brake questions.. but here are a few more that i'd appreciate if you could shed some light onto them. 

1) Can you replace brake lines w/o flushing the system? 
2) What's in your opinion the best fluid? 
3) What's in your opinion the best street/track pads?
4) What's in your opinion on the best rotors? Are the stock ones fine, or should I upgrade? General Consensus between Cross drilled and frozen? 
5)Is it ok to bleed your brakes first, then install new brake materials, or should it be done all at once?
6) Does the Bentley Manual cover changing lines and flushing fluid? 
7)If doing a flush, do I need a pressure Bleeder, or is there a method I can just do it myself with the help of a friend? 
8) Is it worth it for me to do it myself, or should I pay someone to do it?


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## in_d_haus (Jan 2, 2002)

330iGT said:


> *Sorry to annoy you guys with my brake questions.. but here are a few more that i'd appreciate if you could shed some light onto them.
> 
> 1) Can you replace brake lines w/o flushing the system?
> 2) What's in your opinion the best fluid?
> ...


1) No.
2) ATE Superblue or Motul
3) Pagid Orange or Hawk
4) Stock, Cryo if ya got extra money to burn.
5) If you are just switching pads/Rotors there is no reason to bleed the brakes.
6) Yes.
7)A pressure bleeder works very well. You can use the old tried and true PUMP 10 times and hold, open bleed valve, bleed, close bleed valve, pump up pressure (repeat)
8) If you are reasonably mechanically inclined do it yourself. See if you can get someone whos done it to go through it with you the first time.


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## 330iGT (Feb 1, 2003)

*Re: Re: Last of my brake questions, promise..*



in_d_haus said:


> *1) No.
> 2) ATE Superblue or Motul
> 3) Pagid Orange or Hawk
> 4) Stock, Cryo if ya got extra money to burn.
> ...


Perfect, thank you.

Also, can you specify which Hawk pads are good for both the street and track?


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## Bruce (Dec 24, 2001)

I agree with in_d_haus except....

stock is perfectly fine, cryo is a waste of money



to answer your last question...there is no good street/track pad. Once you do it a few times changing pads is simple and there is no reason to try to get one pad to do 2 functions. Haven't you learned that everything is a compromise? If you run a stree/track pad (there are pads that try to do that) it will do neither well. Buy a street pad for the street and a track pad for the track.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Seriously, changing pads on all four corners only took me 40 minutes. (Jack car up, to back on ground.) I wasn't rushing, either.

Nick


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## 330iGT (Feb 1, 2003)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> *Seriously, changing pads on all four corners only took me 40 minutes. (Jack car up, to back on ground.) I wasn't rushing, either.
> 
> Nick *


I usually drive pretty hard when i'm not on the track, so i would need something that's great at stopping. Is the only drawback for track pads excessive rotor wear? I don't mind noise and brake dust. But the less of each, the better.

So what track pads would you guys recommend, and what street pads?


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## Bruce (Dec 24, 2001)

The problem with track pads on the street is that they don't work well until warmed up. Until they warm up they wear faster and wear on the rotors more.

I am thinking Hawk Blues or maybe Ferodo 3000 pads...but that is on an E30 M3.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

I like my Axxis Ultimates for the street. I suspect the Hawk HPS is equally good. (The guys on Bimmerforums seem to think the ultimate is better on the travk, though.)

As far as track pads go, I haven't the experience to recommend anything. I've only had mushy pedal stock pad fun.


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## Akakubi (Dec 21, 2001)

Hawk HP+ is a better pad than HPS for the track, but tends to be noisy at slight braking applications on the street. There is no need to warm it up to work properly. 

Both Hawks are dusty, but very gentle on the rotors. I belive HP+ is a good track/street compromise. 

I've heard great things about Axxis Ultimates also, though never tried myself.


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

I run Mintex 1155 track pads on the front at the track and stock on the street. I run stock on the rear at the track. I'd stick with stock rotors.



Where are you located? I'm in Orange County and would be willing to guide you through the process...its a pretty easy DIY and if you will be tracking often, you should learn to do it yourself.


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## elbert (Mar 28, 2002)

For 323/325/328 people, you can get Brembo vented fronts for pretty cheap--$38 each. I don't think they have the same rotors for 330's though.


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## 330iGT (Feb 1, 2003)

StahlGrauM3 said:


> *Where are you located? I'm in Orange County and would be willing to guide you through the process...its a pretty easy DIY and if you will be tracking often, you should learn to do it yourself. *


I'm east of Burbank, North of Glendale, In La Canada. It would be excellent if you could guide me through it. I'm stuck with school work and personal things until the begining of July, but i'm free after that. I am also going to take some lessons during the summer as well, so hopefully you could be my instructor as well if I sign up to a BMW CCA class. :thumbup:

I probably won't start the brake project till the end of june/early july anyway. I just need to start buying the equipment.

Also, have you also ever changed your brake lines yourself? That's my main concern.

Thanks again for everyones help.


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## Akakubi (Dec 21, 2001)

Brake lines are very easy to change, just a bit messy. 

You will have to drain the old fluid first as much as you can to prevent spills. The just remove the lines using open end wrenches - very straight forward. 

After that you will have to bleed the system well. USe the pressure bleeder kit for convenience. I have one from BavAuto and pretty happy. :dunno: 

I have a few DIY write-ups for E30 and other cars on my website. All of them are very similar as far as brakes go. You can use as a reference. :angel: 

Let me know if you need more help.


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## Raffi (May 18, 2002)

330iGT said:


> *I'm east of Burbank, North of Glendale, In La Canada. It would be excellent if you could guide me through it. I'm stuck with school work and personal things until the begining of July, but i'm free after that. I am also going to take some lessons during the summer as well, so hopefully you could be my instructor as well if I sign up to a BMW CCA class. :thumbup:
> 
> I probably won't start the brake project till the end of june/early july anyway. I just need to start buying the equipment.
> 
> ...


Why don't you come by TechSession 7.0 on May 31st (check the Events forum for more info), as I will most likely change my pads and rotors at that time and you can watch and learn.


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## JawKnee (Dec 20, 2001)

Best brake fluid is Castrol SRF ($$). I run Motul 600 however. 

I personally believe in dedicated pads for the track and dedicated pads for the street.


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