2011 BMW E90 M3 Project Car - Project M3 Makeover Part 2: Brakes

See the video at eurotuner.com and youtube.com/eurotuner
Last month we began modifying our 2011 E90 M3 project car by installing a few carbon pieces from BMW Performance and Turner Motorsport. We had intended to install the last items this month until a friend at Race Technologies - Brembo's North American distributor - told us they were looking for a car for an installation video... The trap was laid, the bait taken; we have six-piston Brembo brakes on our M3. Sometimes this stuff is too easy!

As a result, you can see our footage at eurotuner.com and youtube.com/eurotuner or a more indepth instructional video will be available from Race Technologies.

Brembo has several options for the latest M3, and while we were obviously tempted by the more expensive 380mm kit, we chose the 365mm Brembo Gran Turismo Six-Piston Monobloc GT Kit.Admittedly, the 365x34mm rotors aren't significantly bigger than the stock 360x32mm rotors, but they're 2mm thicker and have 72 internal directional ventilation vanes rather than 48 on the stockers. These rotors were designed to fit inside stock 18'' M3 wheels while delivering incredible stopping power.

Interestingly, the aluminum hats on the OE floating rotors meant they were considerably lighter than previous E46 M3 parts, tipping the scales at just 10.17kg (22.48 lb), whereas the bigger Brembo rotors were 10.88kg. Although heavier, the advantage is we'll have a noticeable increase in thermal capacity, leading to lower operating temps and fade-free performance.

Fortunately, we saved some weight with the calipers. The stock part with pads and line attached weighed in at 6.6kg, whereas the six-piston Brembo part with pads and line is only 5.34kg (11.8 lb) despite its massive size.

With the heavier rotors equalized by the lighter calipers, there's no weight penalty fitting the Brembo parts.

Apart from dissipating heat more effectively, the main advantage of the caliper's six pistons is to distribute the braking force across the pads more evenly while improving pedal feel and modulation. The pads themselves are approximately 60% bigger than stock, providing greater pad and rotor longevity. The extra force this allows you to exert, and the heat it can absorb should be reflected in significantly better high-speed braking power.

We had a choice of red, yellow, black or silver calipers but opted for the trademark red, although black would have worked too, considering the stock rear calipers are still black.

With the front brakes contributing up to 80% of a car's stopping force at speed, the stock rear brakes on the M3 are capable of matching the Brembo fronts. And with it being a new car, the components are performing at their best. So we weren't too worried about neglecting the rear.

Physically installing the brakes is relatively straightforward, but bleeding the fluid to ensure there are no air pockets is difficult. Failure to remove all the air could result in unresponsive brakes. If you're unsure of the procedure, consult an expert or have the brakes fitted by a specialty shop.