[RotorOver]

Installed PowerStop Z26 street performance pads and have been running them for about 10 days. They are carbon-fiber ceramic construction. I've added them to the spread sheet. I was looking for equal or better performance and less dust for daily driving then OEM.

Pretty inexpensive compared to others- paid $59.79 rear and $66.79 front.

Install was smooth on the front, no issues. Rear install was tight. I had to tap the pads in and the shims were dragging so they had to be tapped in separately to get them aligned with the pads. This was after I cleaned the inside of the calipers. I didn't pay attention to where the pins route through the OEM pads assuming they were the same as the front, but they pass through the square holes under the ears not a round holes like in the fronts. Lesson learned.

Did the recommended bedding and after ten days am happy with the performance. Similar to the OEM pads when cold except they do squeak more. Once up to temp, they seem to perform better based on the butt g-meter. Probably about a quarter of the dust. Washed the car on Saturday and the faces still look clean on Thursday- would not be the case with OEM pads.

[ZhpSteve]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

I just bought from TOP GEAR one of our sponsors, the slotted/drilled stoptech rotors and not the dimpled slotted OEM ones i have been using in the past. Why? $600 for all 4 vs $1100. Im not worried as they are reputable.

Will let ppl know how they go with a new set of EBC yellow and fresh squeezed motul 600.

Any update on how these are doing? I need to replace mine soon and was considering the zimmerman dimpled/slotted setup, so would be interested to know how they compared. I'm a 100% street driver and would prefer less brake dust with the least amount of brake squeal I can get. Do you have a link to the TOP GEAR site for the rotors?

[bryan_G01]

back ordered, just got the rotors and rear pads, waiting on front.

[MarcoZandrini]

Has anyone run into issues with switching between the factory pads and Performance Friction -08s at the track. I ran factory pads at Virginia International Raceway last spring. I changed to PF08s for Summit Point and notice shuddering after a few laps. The shuddering seemed to go decrease in severity as the day progressed. I’ve left the PF08 pads on the car as folks were saying the “glue” in the factory pads may be incompatible with the PF08s. Yes, the PF08s are noisy when they are warm but not hot.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini

Has anyone run into issues with switching between the factory pads and Performance Friction -08s at the track. I ran factory pads at Virginia International Raceway last spring. I changed to PF08s for Summit Point and notice shuddering after a few laps. The shuddering seemed to go decrease in severity as the day progressed. I’ve left the PF08 pads on the car as folks were saying the “glue” in the factory pads may be incompatible with the PF08s. Yes, the PF08s are noisy when they are warm but not hot.

I haven't run PF pads, and others will likely weigh-in with PF and/or PF08-specific data, but my experience with pad-switching suggests that the process of transferring the PF08 pad material was incomplete when you started leaning hard on the car. Questions that come to mind:

1) Did the shuddering go away completely later in the day?

2) Do you have a photo of a rotor when the problem was occurring? (Generally, you'll see streaks of pad material radiating from the inside to the outside of the rotors when you're experiencing incomplete pad deposit / shuddering issues. Those streaks are obvious and indicate that pad transfer is incomplete.)

3) While I know of PF pads and how highly-regarded they are by many BMW club racers, I haven't run them. That leads me to ask if PF has a specific (and involved?) process for transferring the pad material onto a used or a new rotor?

[bryan_G01]

i really only run my PFC's on new to slightly used rotors.

They will eat up your rotors.. The shuddering is probably due to warping, heat or un-even pads being used on different rotors they were matched to originally.

[MarcoZandrini]

The shuddering seemed to decrease as the day went on. I'll try to clean the rotors with garnet paper.

[ZhpSteve]

I am needing new pads/rotors for my 2015 M235i. It's done about 50K miles and I am looking at putting on the Zimmerman dimpled and slotted rotors along with the EBC Yellow pads. I don't do any track days, but plenty of spirited driving around town.

Any opinions on this setup? Is there a better pad option given my main considerations below;

I like the look of the dimpled/slotted rotors (would consider drilled as well)
I want to avoid brake squeal as much as possible
I'd like to cut down on the amount of dust produced if I can

Is it worth upgrading the lines at the same time?

I am looking at about $400 for the rotors and $275 for the pads. Sound about right?

[bryan_G01]

Steve, the yellows are going to be overkill i think... But if you want some insane stopping power, go for it. And most of them are squeaky... and for our cars... the better the brake pad, the more dust it makes.



im on the Stop tech dimpled and slotted. Paired with EBC yellow and a fluid flush, these things are grippy as hell..

like 3x harder and gripier than standard brakes..?

But your going to have tons of dust, and change rotors and pads more often than 50k, all depends on driving style, the fronts die before the rears...


I ran a cannonball to and from Fabspeed today and they handled better than any other setup the car has had.

I tried Pentosin Super Dot 4 this time, seems to be working. Its a bit thicker and less boiling temp than the Motul, only thing i could grab at 9:30 am.


I think the zimmermans rotors will be fine as well, go for it.

Pick what ever pad you like, i like ebc yellow, my setup is no bullshit 140 - 60 from the #2 sign breaking sign.

Make sure you use plenty of the blue stuff behind the pad or it will screeeech just like mine are right now.



Flush with motul 600 or Pentosin Super Dot 4, etc, racing fluid with steel brake lines kit... i run the bimmerworld ones that are shielded, others are fine...
Make sure you flush both bleeders!

[ggggbmw]

My initial thoughts and pictures were posted here, earlier in this thread.

This is my impressions of using Ferodo DS2500 pads on my car this past summer. I'm a noob with fancy brake pads, so this is primarily comparing these pads to the stock BMW pads on my M235i RWD. I had these pads on for 5 months, and about 4000 miles. This included 4 track days at BIR, 1 at DCTC, and some auto-cross practice events. I changed back to the stock pads for the winter, when I put the winter wheels on.

I had four goals for these pads:
1) Better than stock pads on the track.
2) Decent pad life, and easy on the rotors.
3) Quiet operation.
4) Acceptable street operation.

Overall, these pads definitely hit my goals. They never made a squeek. (I did use a thin layer of brake grease on the back, which I think helped.) The rotors still look as smooth and shiny as when I started. I didn't measure rotor wear, but it appears minimal. And most importantly, the pads didn't grind or groove the rotor surface. The smooth surface keeps it quiet, and makes it easy to change to other pads. I've also seen rotors with harsher pads be totally trashed in a short while. The discs on this car are expensive enough I'd like to make them last as long as possible.

On the street, these are definitely a higher temp pad than stock. The lack of cold grip was very unnerving when backing down my steep driveway first thing in the morning. (Especially when my neighbor kids GTI was parked across the way, and I felt like I was going to slam right into it.) This is a key reason I changed back to stock for my Minnesota winter. However, once I got out of my subdivision, a few gentle stops and normal brake drag warmed them up to operating temperature. After that they always felt great for routine street driving, although sometimes the inconsistency as they warmed up bothered me.

I did notice that after a lot of gentle street driving, the pads seemed to glaze. The brakes were not as grippy. But some hard bedding type stops would usually burn it off and they were back to normal. (Or some wheel cleaning with Sonax.)

On the track they did work better than the stock pads. I did two events at DCTC. One with the stock pads, one with the Ferodo. I had Motul 600 in the lines for both (more important than pads), so the brake fluid was not a factor. After a few laps the stock pads would get a bit, um, 'greasy'. They still worked well, but at maximum stopping pressure, they just didn't have the same friction. With the Ferodo pads I never felt that same loss in friction. They just worked. DCTC is a small driver training track, but depending on how it's configured the straights are long enough to hit 80+, with tight 20 mph corners. Brakes get a good workout, with little recovery time.

At BIR the brakes did everything I asked. Turn 3 is ~120 to ~40, and I could wait till nearly the #2 brake sign to jump on the brakes. No drama.

The only negative I've had with these brakes did happen at BIR. During my later sessions, I got some heavy pad transfer to the rotors, and I was getting some significant pedal pulsation. It faded slowly, but wasn't completely gone until days later. The pads do have some pockmarking on them. (pictures below) At this point my instructor really had me working on hard braking, and I think I may have been reaching the limits of these pads. But I can't rule out an inadequate cool-down and some transference at that point either.



Everyone always talks about 'bite' and 'modulation'. Not sure I can adequately answer that, but these are my impressions.

Bite: I think the stock pads actually have more 'initial bite' than the Ferodo DS2500. There onset of brake force with the Ferodo pads was actually softer, and didn't have that same grabbiness that the stock pads often exhibit. The Ferodo pads did have a steeper friction curve as you applied more pressure, once you were on them.

Modulation: I'm not sure which is better, but the modulation of the pads was different. Under light (street) braking I find the stock pads to be hard to control. The initial application is touchy, and the stopping point tends to grab (the 'rocking' some people complain about at stop). In contrast, the Ferodo pads were easier to drive on the street, with a softer initial onset, and easy to feather to a smooth stop.

On the track, under heavy braking, the Ferodo pads almost felt like air brakes. The harder and farther you pressed, the more they stuck. They responded well, and you could easily back off a bit to stop ABS, but it was more of a positional thing than any feel under your foot. In contrast, the stock pads had more feel under foot and took less pressure change to back off. The Ferodo pads felt 'gummier' under heavy braking, and felt like there was more ultimate stopping power, but it was harder to find that peak brake point.

Dust: These are at least as dusty as the stock pads on the street. And obviously massively dusty on track weekends. Wheels almost black at the end of the weekend.

Would I buy them again? I'm not sure. They fit my goals and did everything I asked of them. But I might see if something else might have a bit more headroom at the track, with a touch more feel. Then again, I spend 95% of my time off the track, and I really liked the impeccable quiet street manners.

They still have ~6mm of pad left, so I'll probably at least start the next season with them. At that point, the rotors will likely be worn enough that if I put on some harsher pads I won't feel so bad about using them up.

I also updated the google sheet with the correct part #'s.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

I might see if something else might have a bit more headroom at the track, with a touch more feel.

You can see below that in terms of temperature and friction the DS2500 is a street/track pad, and therefore the very minimum you need at the track if you're using the brakes properly. To be safe, fast and heavy cars like ours need a full-on race pad. I haven't used Ferodo's pads, but based on their published data, if I were to use them I'd choose their DS1.11 pad.

Something else to keep in mind is that pads act as a heat-sink, and the thinner they get the more they're able to transfer heat into the brake fluid. Also, chunking...any pad starting to come apart needs to be replaced regardless of how thick it still is.

Regarding bite and modulation, it's worth noting that different drivers react to different pads in different ways. If you were to query a half-dozen instructors driving the same make and model car, for example, you're likely to find they're using a wide variety of pads.

The opinions above are obviously my own.

Useful information regarding Ferodo's line of pads can be found here: https://www.essexparts.com/brake-pads/ferodo-brake-pads. Of particular note are the bold-faced comments for the DS2500.

[bryan_G01]

i would say any thing requiring Heavy Braking and track day should be using dedicated track pads... It also now becomes a science between your wheels and tires...

I have used the PFC08's and no pad issues with 18" x 255 , no fade, but they eat rotors and quite expensive... You could probably get 15-20 days out of a set. Noisy as hell.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

i would say any thing requiring Heavy Braking and track day should be using dedicated track pads... It also now becomes a science between your wheels and tires...

I have used the PFC08's and no pad issues with 18" x 255 , no fade, but they eat rotors and quite expensive... You could probably get 15-20 days out of a set. Noisy as hell.

I'm using PFC08s for track now as well.
They work fine from cold on the street but are incredibly loud!
I haven't got around to swapping back in the stock pads.

They perform amazingly on track.
They were hot enough to do this to my caliper paint and I felt no decrease in performance.

[msendit]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

I have used the PFC08's ... You could probably get 15-20 days out of a set.

I'm surprised you can get 15-20 track days on any pad. I run Pagid RS29, which is an endurance race pad supposedly optimized for long life. Went through a few sets last year, usually 6-7 days on the fronts, 9-10 on the rears. And it's not as if I was throwing them out too early:

[bryan_G01]

Originally Posted by msendit

I'm surprised you can get 15-20 track days on any pad. I run Pagid RS29, which is an endurance race pad supposedly optimized for long life. Went through a few sets last year, usually 6-7 days on the fronts, 9-10 on the rears. And it's not as if I was throwing them out too early:

All depends on track, driving style, etc... But they are pads that will last more than a few days and if you run a lot of hpde's, its worth investing in dedicated track pads.

I think we can all agree on that.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

All depends on track, driving style, etc... But they are pads that will last more than a few days and if you run a lot of hpde's, its worth investing in dedicated track pads.

I think we can all agree on that.

The cooler you can keep the pads the longer they will last. If you can duct air to the brakes, do it.

[Joe240]

Curious, for those who bought the EBC yellow pads, did yours come with new hardware as well (the metal tensioner that holds the pads in)? Just got my front set and it only had the pads inside.

Other question I have is about the brake sensor. If my brake light isn’t on indicating they need to be changed, does the sensor need to be replaced? My car just says brake service in 3100 miles. No squeals yet, but wanting to swap out the pads now.

[cxp213]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Curious, for those who bought the EBC yellow pads, did yours come with new hardware as well (the metal tensioner that holds the pads in)? Just got my front set and it only had the pads inside.

Other question I have is about the brake sensor. If my brake light isn’t on indicating they need to be changed, does the sensor need to be replaced? My car just says brake service in 3100 miles. No squeals yet, but wanting to swap out the pads now.

Just reuse stock hardware.
And no need to replace the sensor if you haven't tripped the lights.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by cxp213

Just reuse stock hardware.
And no need to replace the sensor if you haven't tripped the lights.

Appreciate it

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Appreciate it

You can reset the service indicator too...for pads, oil etc

[MikeG12]

I have a 2014 228i M-sport package with staggered wheels built 5/2014. According to the VIN decoder this is what I have also, but my front brakes appear to be only 312mm diameter(base model) rather than 330mm that the M Sport should have. What gives?

[CP911]

Okay, so #1 this thread is awesome. Awesome, but a bit daunting with all the options and consequences of running all of these different pads being discussed.

I am debating whether or not it's worth swapping to aftermarket pads when I perform a brake fluid flush (Motul RBF660) over the next few weeks in preparation for a 2-day HPDE at VIR.

When I took delivery of my car at the BMW Performance Center, one of the driving instructors told me the stock pads are engineered to "perform as good as any aftermarket pad, but won't last as long as a dedicated track pad." Is this true?

When I did a 2-day HPDE @ VIR in my bone stock WRX, I boiled the stock brake fluid, and after I got home I noticed my rotors had white colored streaks/lines going around them. Not sure exactly what this was, but it didn't look good. Can I expect the same thing from my OEM BMW pads and rotors even if using high-temp fluid?

I don't mind burning through the stock pads quickly since I don't drive many miles on the street with this car and I'll have saved myself the trouble of swapping to different pads to begin with. If I burn through them super quickly, then I'll go ahead and change to longer-lasting pads at that point to avoid swapping pads constantly.

I do not need absolute stopping power as I'm not going to win any trophies at a HPDE and I can just brake earlier. My main goals, in order are:

1. Having fun
2. Rotor preservation/cost
3. Minimizing hassle e.g. bedding in process, not being able to swap back to stock pads if needed, etc.
4. Reasonable performance/modulation on track and wide operating range so I don't have to worry if my brakes are cold when leaving the house.
5. Zero or minimal squeal (only going to tolerate minor squeal when cold/wet on the street)

Having not tracked my car yet, the OEM pads in my M Sport brakes feel outstanding on the street. The same pads also felt great in the M240i loaner they gave me at the Performance Center when we did the ~20 minute run on the short track. I didn't carry high speeds on the short track, but I sure pushed the brakes for what they were worth on every turn (which came up frequently being a short track) and they seemed to hold up just fine.

Am I a good candidate for some aftermarket pads? If so, please recommend what you think would work well for me based on my requirements above. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!