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      04-26-2017, 08:53 AM   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranger 6 View Post
Hawk are difficult to find in the UK - just ordered some DS2500 for mine. Will see how they fare once fitted.
These should be good. Anything with a little more bite than OEM, on a 4000lbs/1810Kgs SUV with stock 3 series calipers. Ive owned about half a dozen BMW vehicles prior to the F25 X3, and was disappointed by the clamping power of the caliper and stock pads.

You probably heard about the golden rule of brake pads, you can only choose 2 out of the three characteristics: noise, dust, bite.

The Hawk 5.0's are a great compromise pad, with a tiny amount more dust than OEM, but they are silent, and offer a greater bite. I really like them so far, and my 2-ton F25 X3 now stops like a proper BMW vehicle...
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      05-02-2017, 07:50 PM   #90
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I am buying new rotors along with pads. I have a 2013 X3 M sport (Canadian). I need to confirm if the rotors are the same size as the regular X3 with the 3.0 6cyl engine.
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      05-05-2017, 02:37 PM   #91
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2004 X3 3.0 brakes vs. 2013 X3 35i

Have had 2 X3's now, the first a 2004 X3 3.0 sold @ 120,000 miles, and now have a 2013 X3 35i @ 60,000 miles.

The braking felt stronger in the 2004 X3 than my current 2013 X3, the bite when you first pressed the pedal was more pronounced which gave the impression that it braked better than my current car. But in reality and everyday driving I don't see the difference, it might just be a "feel" kind of thing. Everyday coming home (I live in the Oakland, CA hills) I have to go from freeway speeds (up to 80MPH) to zero fast at my downhill angled off-ramp, so I test this everyday. Works well and I forget about the comparison. It's not worth it for me time wise or financially to look around for so-called upgrades.

I'm almost halfway to another car anyway and don't see the benefit except for boy racer ego gratification, which I'm too old for anyway.

Been there and done that with my first K-code '65 Fastback Mustang when I was 17, spent way too much time and money on a car that was made obsolete when the gas crisis hit Southern California and had to sell it for a VW. Too bad but I was going to grad school and couldn't afford to keep something I couldn't use anymore.
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      05-05-2017, 10:59 PM   #92
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Recently got (2months) 35i Msport for wife to replace previous E53 X5. Both her and I echo most of comments here. Brakes are spongy. Not confidence inspiring. Already gotten some close calls of rear ending someone. My M3 is of course a different league. But her previous X5 had impressive brakes -distance and feel as well. I do hope it's just the tires. Can't wait to swap those out. But brakes are admittedly scary that I'm considering taking it to dealer.

I do agree with comments that somehow brakes are ok, it just takes more travel. I do have a feeling a lot of it is due to crappy oem tires. Will be watching this tread closely.

Also curious if switching to non RFTs is the solution or if there is a better RFT tire out there - in case I want to stay with RFT for wife.

And just to add, even our Honda Odyssey minivan brakes better (feel and distance) than X3. Lol.
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      05-07-2017, 02:38 AM   #93
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Found this kit from Ultimot. Looks good





With this high-quality set, the BMW X3 and X4 are converted to a high-performance sports brake system. Included are all required parts including the 6-piston fixed calipers, adapters, pads, steel flex brake lines, bolts, screws and all small parts, as well as our powerful, two-piece perforated sports brake discs in 374x36 mm. With the help of these brake discs, the standard bolt circle of 5x120 mm can be reused without restriction. This kit is designed for wheel bearing housings with an eye clearance of 138 mm. An admission can be carried out by individual acceptance. It is possible to ride wheels from 19 inch - please ensure clearance in the rim before purchase.


Installation and acceptance
Diameter:374 mmPCD:5 x 120 mmAvailability:
Wheel width:36 mmBrake discs:Perforated in several partsOn order
Number of pistons:6Color option Saddle:blueREQUESTS
Item number:BK740Businessprice (incl. VAT) 2.666 EUR TO BUY
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      05-09-2017, 10:07 AM   #94
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Yep, great kit. Unfortunately BMW is not endorsing them or the smaller kit for the 18" wheels for the current X3 and advised against the switch. Did anybody get different information or is the approach 'just do it'?
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      06-24-2017, 07:29 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Fi View Post
Yep, great kit. Unfortunately BMW is not endorsing them or the smaller kit for the 18" wheels for the current X3 and advised against the switch. Did anybody get different information or is the approach 'just do it'?
I dont think BMW endorses anything that is outside their catalog and installed by them with HAMANN and ALPINA being the exception. Nevertheless if you are out of warranty and are familiar with how brakes work and how to maintain them, this is a great choice.
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      06-24-2017, 08:16 AM   #96
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Perfect timing that this thread popped up. I recently got a 2015 X3 and the brakes are horrendous. I almost rear ended someone a couple of times.

Feels so bad that I thought something is wrong with them like there's air in the brake lines.

Still going to try and bleed the brakes when I get the chance just to be sure
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      06-25-2017, 07:15 AM   #97
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSport_Jon View Post
Found this kit from Ultimot. Looks good





With this high-quality set, the BMW X3 and X4 are converted to a high-performance sports brake system. Included are all required parts including the 6-piston fixed calipers, adapters, pads, steel flex brake lines, bolts, screws and all small parts, as well as our powerful, two-piece perforated sports brake discs in 374x36 mm. With the help of these brake discs, the standard bolt circle of 5x120 mm can be reused without restriction. This kit is designed for wheel bearing housings with an eye clearance of 138 mm. An admission can be carried out by individual acceptance. It is possible to ride wheels from 19 inch - please ensure clearance in the rim before purchase.


Installation and acceptance
Diameter:374 mmPCD:5 x 120 mmAvailability:
Wheel width:36 mmBrake discs:Perforated in several partsOn order
Number of pistons:6Color option Saddle:blueREQUESTS
Item number:BK740Businessprice (incl. VAT) 2.666 EUR TO BUY
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Fi View Post
Yep, great kit. Unfortunately BMW is not endorsing them or the smaller kit for the 18" wheels for the current X3 and advised against the switch. Did anybody get different information or is the approach 'just do it'?
This is probably because a kit like this which doesn't address the rear brakes will change the braking bias significantly.
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      06-28-2017, 07:03 PM   #98
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So in addition to this kit, you have to upgrade wheels/tires to minimum 19"? I think I'll just try a Hawk pad set next go-round and see
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      06-30-2017, 10:52 AM   #99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CalCarNut View Post
So in addition to this kit, you have to upgrade wheels/tires to minimum 19"? I think I'll just try a Hawk pad set next go-round and see
no... this is just an example of how far you can go... they have other upgrades not requiring further modifications . you can also buy the caliper brackets alone so you can use the BMW caliper of choice...
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      11-09-2017, 02:26 PM   #100
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Just a heads up that the 370mm F30 M Performance brakes DON'T fit the F25. Someone had posted a link to some Taiwanese shop's Facebook page with what looked like that setup. Either they had a good machinist in house or it was a fraud. The exact picture in that shop's original Facebook post has since disappeared.

It turns out that the rotor hub bore diameters are different. The F25 has a smaller ~75mm bore for the rotor hat, while the M Performance brakes are ~81mm. You can see the temporary spacer I made with 12ga copper wire to test other aspects of fitment. A hubcentric spacer about 3mm wide would be needed.




But that's not the big problem. The real issue is that the brake mounting tab spacing is completely different, with the spacing between centers about half an inch wider on the F25. A custom bracket would be required to make this setup work.



Laterally, the spacing seems fine. But it's moot, since a bracket would be needed.

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      11-09-2017, 06:08 PM   #101
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Have the current brakes been inspected by a certified mechanic??? and then
determined to be lacking? Or did you buy a used car and now question the
brakes as marginal?
Why would you need to upgrade if current is a unknown?
My X3 has great brakes ! !
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      11-10-2017, 05:03 AM   #102
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This has been said before, but:
- as long as brakes are strong enough to activate ABS - brake distance is ABS, tyres and road surface.

- initial bite is important and depends on: pads and brake design. Limited impact on brake distance.

- pedal feel is important, but does not necessarily have impact on brake distance.

Anyone complaining of bad brakes, should do the simple test: does brakes activate ABS?
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      11-12-2017, 12:53 PM   #103
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I've found the brakes need a bit of getting used to. My first impression of pedal feel was it's a bit spongy. However, they've proven to be stellar binders in a number of slam 'em on situations.
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      11-23-2017, 05:30 PM   #104
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I’ve recently purchased a used X3 35i and was disappointed in the brake feel and perceived braking performance. My last BMW and Mercedes both had fixed caliper brakes. The existing front pads were fairly low although they passed the state inspection.
I’ve replaced the pads myself with hawk 5.0s and the braking was only modestly improved. It just happened that I didn’t complete the bedding procedure. A few days later after completing the bedding there was a marked improvement in bite while pedal feel improved as well. It’s clearly not as good as bigger fixed caliper brakes on summer tires, but it is pretty good, where before it felt like the pads were glazed. I would guess replacing the LS2 runflats with super sports or similar will just improve it more.
I wonder if we can get a center to center measurement of the spread between the bolts on some easy to obtain fixed calipers to see if there is something that will bolt up to the carrier.

Last edited by Mrrat; 04-20-2018 at 11:44 PM..
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      11-24-2017, 08:26 AM   #105
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Assuming brakes are in good repair as several people have stated they are, I think we are probably dealing with personal preferences and driving style more than anything else. Aggressive driving style demands high performance braking. I don't notice an issue (2014 X3 35i Msport) I think because I get all my aggressive driving out of my system in my Mercedes SLK 300 roadster. When I'm in the BMW I open it up from time to time but mostly I tend to be more conservative.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tjalle View Post
This has been said before, but:
- as long as brakes are strong enough to activate ABS - brake distance is ABS, tyres and road surface.

- initial bite is important and depends on: pads and brake design. Limited impact on brake distance.

- pedal feel is important, but does not necessarily have impact on brake distance.

Anyone complaining of bad brakes, should do the simple test: does brakes activate ABS?
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      12-21-2017, 01:26 AM   #106
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For those looking to upgrade their brakes, has anyone looked into these:
http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1449394

Basically they're selling the adapter brackets to fit both the front and rear M5 brakes onto the F25/F26. I think this is similar to what Ultimot sells (referenced earlier in the thread), but I think Ultimot was a full kit, and this is just the adapter brackets.

There are some things I like about this idea:
1) For the front brakes it uses the M5 caliper vs. the M2/M3/M4 caliper. While the 6 piston caliper may be overkill, it does offer one advantage; how the caliper mounts. The 4 piston M2/M3/M4 caliper has the mounting bracket cast as part of the entire caliper. As noted earlier in the thread, the mounting points for that caliper do not match the F25/F26 hub. The 6 piston M5 brake calipers bolt into a bracket, which bolts to the hub. As such, you can modify the bracket between the hub and the caliper to fit the caliper perfectly.
2) This kit does include the rear brakes, which appear to work with the F25/F26 ebrake.
3) Outside of the caliper brackets the entire kit is based on OEM parts. From the perspective of OEM quality and availability of parts, this is nice. Additionally, it looks like the OEM rotors are the correct bore and will work.

The downsides (outside of overall cost) are as follows:
1) How does this kit mess with brake bias? Without getting into the principles of brake bias, my concern would be that bias is shifted forward which reduces overall braking performance. There are brake force calculators that can help with this exercise, but coming up with the precise measurements may be difficult.
2) Wheel fitment. Would these work the with the 19" wheels that came standard on the m-sports, or would an upgrade to 20" (or aftermarket) wheels be necessary.

What are everyone's thoughts? Anyone willing to try the kit?

***If you're going to respond to say that a brake upgrade isn't necessary; that is fair. However, I'd like to keep the discussion about this kit focused on people who want to perform the modification, even if you don't think it's worth the time or money. I think that view has been adequately represented here.
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      12-21-2017, 11:50 AM   #107
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I looked at their website and the stuff they do looks really cool and beautifully crafted. Brake porn .
They may not be addressing brake bias ( front/rear brake balance) though.
It likely favors the front wheels given the caliper/rotor changes front vs. rear.

This is worth a read regarding brake bias.

http://stoptech.com/technical-suppor...alance-matters
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      12-21-2017, 08:12 PM   #108
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Those Russian M5 adapters are pretty trick and would work just fine. I'll mention that all of of the cross referencing I've done seems to indicate that the last two generations of X5 and X6 brakes are direct swap bolt on with X3 an X4, at least in the front.

That would appear to include the X5/6M brakes. They range in sizes up to 395x36mm, and the calipers don't require adapters. They appear to be cheaper than M5 calipers on the used market, too. Other than mounting style and color, they appear similar to the M5 calipers for the six piston versions. The four piston versions are quite nice, too.

The rears on their site seem to use a blend of OEM BMW caliper and carrier from a 5-series and a custom bracket to fit the large M5 rotor. Pretty nice, and it looks like the only rear upgrade I've yet seen, as OEM parts don't seem to interchange with the X3 and X4 for the rear brakes as easily as the front. Thus the need for a custom bracket.

As far as 19" wheels, it's likely that many won't fit. Other BMWs running brake sizes between 385 and 400 mm seem to need 20" wheels, unless they get lucky with fitment.
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      12-22-2017, 08:40 AM   #109
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hardparker View Post
Those Russian M5 adapters are pretty trick and would work just fine. I'll mention that all of of the cross referencing I've done seems to indicate that the last two generations of X5 and X6 brakes are direct swap bolt on with X3 an X4, at least in the front.

That would appear to include the X5/6M brakes. They range in sizes up to 395x36mm, and the calipers don't require adapters. They appear to be cheaper than M5 calipers on the used market, too. Other than mounting style and color, they appear similar to the M5 calipers for the six piston versions. The four piston versions are quite nice, too.

The rears on their site seem to use a blend of OEM BMW caliper and carrier from a 5-series and a custom bracket to fit the large M5 rotor. Pretty nice, and it looks like the only rear upgrade I've yet seen, as OEM parts don't seem to interchange with the X3 and X4 for the rear brakes as easily as the front. Thus the need for a custom bracket.

As far as 19" wheels, it's likely that many won't fit. Other BMWs running brake sizes between 385 and 400 mm seem to need 20" wheels, unless they get lucky with fitment.
So let me understand: I can replace my x3 front calipers and rotors (328x28) with a stock X5 f15 caliper and rotors (332x30)? Anyone done this?

The reason being I want to improve my x3 brakes and I have spare f15 front calipers (no rotors at the moment).

If the calipers would fit, how about the rotors? Any issue with the hub size?
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      12-22-2017, 09:09 AM   #110
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nonot View Post
So let me understand: I can replace my x3 front calipers and rotors (328x28) with a stock X5 f15 caliper and rotors (332x30)? Anyone done this?

The reason being I want to improve my x3 brakes and I have spare f15 front calipers (no rotors at the moment).

If the calipers would fit, how about the rotors? Any issue with the hub size?
I've not measured it, but according to interchange of parts between X3/4/5/6, rotor bore size is the same and caliper bolt spacing is the same in the front. In theory, any X3/4/5/6 brakes will bolt right on up front.

If you have spare calipers, you'd probably only need the rotors. That said, the upgrade from 328/28 to 332/30 is so negligible I wouldn't bother.

The 395/36 four or six piston setup are the real performance upgrade options.There's a dual piston sliding caliper 365/36 or 385/36 option, too, for those wanting to clear smaller wheels.
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Last edited by hardparker; 12-24-2017 at 04:32 PM..
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