E36 M3 Brakes
By Thorney Motorsport
The E36 M3 chassis is a lot lighter than the E46 so it suffers a lot less in terms of braking performance but significant increase to this performance can be made with a range of upgrade options.
Click here to Purchase E36 Brake Upgrades Online.
Its important to realise however that brakes (and their relative performance) are subject to different driving styles, what may work for one person maybe overkill or not enough for another. Its best to contact us and discuss your requirements before making any decisons.
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Brake upgrades come under three different areas - pad upgrades, ancillary upgrades (hoses, fluid) and full system upgrades (calipers, disks etc).
Brake upgrades (regardless of model) come under three categories: road, road and track and regular track/race.
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Normally a simple pad change is sufficient to make a dramatic improvement in braking performance on the road. We tend to recommend the Pagid range for the more extreme end of road performance or Ferodo or Mintex for more user friendly options. All will improve performance dramatically. For the E36 M3 we recommend the Pagid RS421 as a good fast road pad whch can still perform well on track. It is still a road pad so doesn't suffer from brake squeal when hot and doesn't need any warming up to reach full operational level. For a faster and more sporty pad we suggest you use Pagid RS421 front and rear, these will give you good braking at high speeds on road and on track, however if you are looking for a more track orientated pad we suggest you use the Pagid RS29 front and rear giving you the best braking possible for track days and another other track events. |
Price List: Pagid RS421 (F&R): £348.55 Pagid RS29 (F&R): £453.62 |
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Thorney Motorsport BMW E36 M3 Brake Upgrades - Hoses/fluid
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Changing brake fluid to a decent 5.1 rating (we only use AP
Racing fluid) and fitting bragided hoses also improves performance
with limited downsides. The M3 is a relatively heavy car and it is likely that
you'll suffer some form of brake fade on the road. Changing the fluid to a decent
quality Dot 5.1 or ideally a Dot 4 racing level will resist boiling fluid, and
moving to a good quality Goodridge braided hose allows less deformation in the
line, inproving brake feel. |
Price List: Goodridge Braided Hoses (F&R): £66.17 AP Racing DOT 5.1 Fluid: £16.54 AP PRF DOT4 Racing Fluid: £38.60
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Thorney Motorsport BMW E36 M3 Brake Upgrades - Brake Kits
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Driving
cars on track is normally the fastest way to show up poor brakes and with most
of the BMW range the weight of the vehicle means that regular track work needs
more than just pads and fluid. We're pretty consistent in our brake kit recommendation - AP Racing. We've worked exclusively with AP in the past to develop brake kits and the fact is they know their business better than anyone. For this reason we tend to recommend their brake kits for the entire range of BMWs we upgrade. As with all brake upgrades pad choice, rear kits and choice of set up is crucial so again it's best to contact us directly and we can go thorugh the options. The E36 M3 has two choices from AP, a four piston kit and a six piston kit. The four piston kit is really all you need (even for racing) but you need to make sure your wheel choice is suitable. To check to see if your wheels are suitable download this AP Racing wheel measuring kit, it will show what kits you can fit without needing spacers etc. |
Price List: AP Racing 4-Pot Brake kit (F&R): £2,707.50 AP Racing 6-Pot Brake Kit: £2,289.00 |
Thorney Motorsport E36 M3 Brake Upgrades - Track and Race Car Set up
Racing application is a complete different kettle of fish and normally means the car is a lot less useful on the road. The top spec AP Racing front and rear kits with upgraded Pagid RS19 pads, Dot 4 PRF racing fluid and braided hoses should cope quite well with racing but it does depend on the type of racing, the application and style. We can work with you for any of your requirements for racing set ups, best to give us a call or see our TMS Racing site where we go into more detail on on our race car preparation, see here.
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND FITTING WHERE INDICATED
