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Brake Pad and Rotor - OEM Brand

13K views 27 replies 13 participants last post by  jfreeman 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I want to get rid of the break dust (if possible). Are there any rotors and pad that will not have break dust and yet efficient.

Also, what OEM brand of brake rotors (preferably those ventilated ones as they look cool), brake pads and brake fluid have you guys used on your E60 that you will always stick by?

My breaks would be coming up soon, and so I am starting to prepare for this DIY.

P.S.How expensive is to change the part which holds the brake pads and are coloured.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Yeah a dinan upgrade, but this is far more than just cool looking...

stick with oem and use wheel wax this will help you easily wipe away your dust at every stoplight as we all have too... I prolly wipe my wheels down 4 to 5 times a week. Thats part of this German thing. :thumbup:
 
#3 ·
#5 ·
The akebono's are an extremely good pad . The Hawk pads are something that we install and we use as well in our vehicles. The customers that we have installed them for seem to like them however some people don't like them as well as the akebono's or other pads of their preference. Of course we would like to have your buisness but I don't want you to buy anything that you wouldn't be happy with. I have not really received any commplaints on the akebono's so that is what I would recommend first. Take a look around and atleast compare our prices.
 
#7 ·
How can I fit a 348mm rotor on an E61? Are there calipers available to fit? :dunno:
 
#6 ·
Akebono are ceramic pads. They create less dust and it is more white or neutral, so less visible. However they are not as grabby as oems, so everyone need to decide what is more important to them. Highy efficient pads tend to be dirtier, so it's a trade off.
I tried ceramics and they came off after a week. I hated them. Brakes feel greasy and slippery and you have to press the pedal much harder to get a response. I almost rear ended a truck on the highway with them, that's when i phoned in an order for oems!
I heard good things about Hawk HPS and will give them a try at some point. (Either Textar or Jurid make BMW pads, so look for those as well.)

I have both a 535 sedan and wagon. The sedan has much better brakes and I discovered it is because the rotors are about an inch larger! Now I am researching how to get larger rotors on the wagon, at least in front where it matters. That should make a huge difference.
 
#9 ·
All E61s are Xdrive.
I wonder if anyone have come up with a better brake solution for that car.
There is a world of difference between my 535i Sport RWD and the E61 wagon. Night and day. It's like an F1 vs a tractor in terms of braking quality.
 
#10 ·
IMHO, BMW is lagging behind when it comes to AWD compare to Audi. Audi put real performance suspension, sits lower etc on their AWD cars. Wish I went ahead with 335is instead of 335-coupe xi, the is has bigger brake on already. No more AWD BMW for me unless it's an X6 50i
 
#12 ·
I have not used the Ferodo pads. Chances are, if the pads are a ceramic material, there will be less dust on your rims.
I replaced the fronts and rear pads with Hawk HPS pads recently. What use to be a weekly cleaning of the rims with original pads is now a once a month cleaning with the HPS pads. I like the HPS pads braking performance, a slight increase over the OEM pads, but I find that I have to apply more pedal pressure to hold the car when its stopped. For me, that's a reasonable trade off.
Before replacing the pads, check your rotor thickness with a micrometer. You'll need a 1"-2" range for the fronts. I think the minimum thickness is 28.4 mm (1.118") but you should check that. The OEM rims wear quickly. Mine were toast at about 70k miles.
 
#18 ·
Guys thanks for your contributions, so I have the following different ones listed;

Textar
Jurid
Hawk HPS
Akebono

Any more suggestions for pads and what about the rotors? Any brands for rotors?
 
#20 ·
E60 owners, this is a call for brake pads and rotors as everyone's contridbution is important. Following is the list I have so far and I can feel the brake pads are going to go anyday now as the car does not likes to stop or maybe it is my racing driving pattern, who knows. If you have had better experience than any listed below, then I would like to hear your voice.

Brake pads:
Textar
Jurid
Hawk HPS
Akebono


Rotors:
Centric
R1 Concepts
Zimmerman

Question I have about rotors, I have done enough research on rotors and found that the slotted or drilled or combo are mainly for racing and does not have much affect on street usage, they are mostly for the looks. Would you agree with it?
 
#24 ·
Question I have about rotors, I have done enough research on rotors and found that the slotted or drilled or combo are mainly for racing and does not have much affect on street usage, they are mostly for the looks. Would you agree with it?
They are mainly for looks, but they look great!! I love my slotted and drilled ones from ACUTE. Prem R1 w/ Hawk HPS. I will do it again..... no regrets. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#21 ·
I use Hawk HPS with Centric Cryo treated rotors. Quite pleased with them.

Slotted and crossdrilled actually reduce the amount of surface the pads are in contact with. Also wears down pads faster. It's intended for cooling, but for normal driving it is not necessary. The size of the rotors and the air that flows between the twin discs provide lots of heat dissipation. (Track duty is completely different. You are constantly stressing the rotors and heating them up. You'd never drive like that on normal roads, so there is plenty of time for the rotors to cool off.)

Textar and Jurid are oem pads, this is what BMW uses, just with their own name stamped on them. They work great, just throw off a lot of black dust. Hawks work just as well but are more durable and a lot less dirty.
I have heard good things about Akebono, but just happen to hate ceramic pads. They feel slippery to me and have no feel.
 
#26 ·
With regard to brake dust



I just posted a new thread where I discuss brake dust and how to get rid of it forever. I have extensive experience with CRYOGENICS with regard to BRAKE ROTORS. Go to FrozenRotors.com and check out their inventory. You will NEVER have brake dust again. CRYOGENICS is a one-time process.
 
#27 ·
I just posted a new thread where I discuss brake dust and how to get rid of it forever. I have extensive experience with CRYOGENICS with regard to BRAKE ROTORS. Go to FrozenRotors.com and check out their inventory. You will NEVER have brake dust again. CRYOGENICS is a one-time process.
Thanks jfreeman.

Has anyone used these rotors and know if they are good?
 
#28 ·
Thanks for writing. Please check out FROZENROTORS.COM. You will see the rotors that are available for your car. They will also ship an appropriate brake pad to match your new rotors. Also check out CRYOPLUS.COM to learn more about the many industrial applications of CRYOGENICS. Good Luck.
 
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