Brake Ducts On A Budget

I needed some help cooling the front brakes on track days and found a set of brake ducts w/ 10 ft. of tubing for around $240 shipped. Best deal I could find, just thought id pass it along.



BMW E36 328/M3 Brake Duct Brackets

BMW E36 Brake Duct Brackets


Fits All BMW E36 (including M3 and 328)
This mod does NOT require the hub to be removed. It does require removal of the inner shroud by cutting with tin snips. The inner shroud is not used after installation of these brackets.



3” Silicone Brake Ducting

3” Aerospace Grade Brake Ducting

How did you connect them at the front lower fascia?

and why 240$
when http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...20B30%2FB32%20

Originally Posted by Eight Thirty

and why 240$
when http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...20B30%2FB32%20

This.

Even more so when the link he provided shows $105 for the same product he spouts as $240...

My car has them stock, do they only come on sport models?

Nope. They came on all models.

Originally Posted by jonesin

Nope. They came on all models.

Most are just missing! Lol

The $240 came from him ordering the backer plates along with the ducting (in the drop-down options menu, $220 total), plus shipping.

Ken is right. $105 is just for the backing plates. You then need to spend another $115 () for some ducting and clamps. Then there is shipping...

Also, Franklyn, all E36s come with front brake cooling ducts. They are okay, but are no comparison to the type of cooling ducts posted above. The OEM ducts just deliver air to the general area of the brake rotor. The cooling ducts like seen above (similar/identical setups are also made by numerous other manufacturers, BTW) channel air directly into the inside center of the rotor, and out through the rotor fins. It's MUCH more effective at cooling than the OEM setup. They're on a totally different planet.

I've been considering braking options for a while now. At first I wanted a BBK. They seem nice, and they are pretty, but they add a lot of un-sprung weight and are expensive. Then I considered swapping to E46 330 front brakes and E46 328 rear brakes, which would still be great, but unless I got the parts used it would still be kinda expensive. Then realizing that there isn't much difference in pad size between the M3 and non-M E36, I decided that it maybe made more sense to just get a good set of pads, braided lines, and run some cooling ducts to ensure brake fade will never happen. That's probably the route I'll go. I just have to figure out how to hook everything up to the front fascia. Most E36 racers buy special inlets that go where the fog lights are, but I'd like to keep my fogs and use the stock inlet location somehow.

Regardless, I get the sense that the OP of this thread works for the company that he provided the links to, so I'm a bit suspicious... He only has one post, unspecified location, copied exact text from their website, etc... Big no-no if that's what is going on.

Agreed Karl.


That's exactly what it looks like.

Silicone brake fluid will almost eliminate brake fade, but you will have to completely flush the system first. The cost is a bit more also.

[QUOTE=ZeGerman;6633660]Then I considered swapping to E46 330 front brakes and E46 328 rear brakes, which would still be great, but unless I got the parts used it would still be kinda expensive. Then realizing that there isn't much difference in pad size between the M3 and non-M E36, I decided that it maybe made more sense to just get a good set of pads, braided lines, and run some cooling ducts to ensure brake fade will never happen. That's probably the route I'll go. I just have to figure out how to hook everything up to the front fascia. Most E36 racers buy special inlets that go where the fog lights are, but I'd like to keep my fogs and use the stock inlet location somehow.QUOTE]

E46 Brakes are a good way to go but would be spendy, there's a guy here in utah that is selling some brembo rotors and calipers for $650. When I put SS lines on my GSXR the brakes felt soooo much better.

Yeah, I priced out all the parts needed for an E46 brake swap, and it came to over $800 for everything. Not terrible, but not great either.

I don't really expect much, if any, fade with proper pads and fresh fluid even with the stock cooling ducts, but having the additional cooling capacity helps prolong pad & rotor life in addition to simply reducing the possibility of fade. Full annual brake fluid flushes are mandatory here if you want track time, anyway, so fluid is never a worry of mine.

Hey guys, thanks for clearing up the confusion for me. I was mearly tring to spread a good deal, as for the pelicanparts.com ducts there is no comparison. I hope you finally figured out how to add Jonesin!

Rather than spending $115 extra for hoses and clamps, you can get the same hoses and clamps from Turner for $90. You'd have to pay separate shipping, though.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-13...th-clamps.aspx

Originally Posted by ridinstyle

I needed some help cooling the front brakes on track days and found a set of brake ducts w/ 10 ft. of tubing for around $240 shipped. Best deal I could find, just thought id pass it along.


3” Aerospace Grade Brake Ducting

Where exactly do I need to learn to add?

You make a claim, I click the link you provide and staring me in the face is a different price from what you'd just said.

Ed, settle down. You gotta actually read the website. Look a the "options" drop-down menu. If you spend only $105, you get the backing plates and nothing else. If you want the complete package, you have to pony up for the full $220, which includes backing plates, ducting, and clamps. Then add some extra money on top for shipping.

I thought this was me being calm

Why then did BMW give solid rotors with brake ducts?

What? They're vented rotors.

True. They're "solid" as opposed to being drilled and slotted on the faces, but all of them have cooling vents in between the disks.

$240 for brake ducts is "on a budget"? Sure as hell isn't on my budget.

If I really wanted brake ducts, I'd probably make some with random stuff from Home Depot.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

What? They're vented rotors.

I have a set of stock BMW brand rotors on my car and they are solid. I asked the steelership for oem cause I was on a budget, and the parts guy was giving me employee discount cause I replaced his toilet, and that's what I got.

You have fully solid rotors? Like, no vents in the middle? I'm just wondering if we're talking about the same thing. The M3 came with vented front & rear rotors, and non-Ms came with vented fronts and solid rears. I don't think I've ever seen a non-vented front rotor in my life.