E39 M5 Braking Upgrades
By Thorney Motorsport
BMW seem to want to fit desperately crap brakes to all their cars and this is most evident on the M-Division cars. Take any BMW M car out on circuit and within 2 laps we guarantee you that your brakes will be cooked. The M5 is a classic case in point, it's a heavier chassis so needs more help in the braking department, especially with 400bhp on tap!
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 decisions. Brake upgrades come under three different areas - pad upgrades, ancillary upgrades (hoses, fluid) and full system upgrades (calipers, disks etc).
Thorney Motorsport BMW E39 M5 Stage 1 Brake Upgrades
Pagid Fast Road / Track Pads (RS421 / RS29) - From: £330 (Front & Rear Supplied)
 Pagid Brake Pads for BMW E39 M5 Normally a simple pad change is sufficient to make a dramatic improvement in braking performance on the road. We recommend the Pagid range for just about every application. For fast-road driving, the RS421 is king. Also known as 'Pagid Blue', the RS421 works from cold with near zero squeal. For heavier brakers out there, the RS29 or 'Pagid Yellow' is for you. The track pad that reigns supreme for just about any BMW application. We use the RS29 on every single race car we run. Changing brake fluid to a decent 5.1 rating (we only use AP Racing fluid) and fitting braided hoses also improves performance with limited downsides. The M5 is a 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 level will resist boiling fluid, and moving to a good quality braided hose allows less deformation in the line, improving brake feel. Changing hoses and fluid is not about increasing braking power its about improving feel and control - beneficial for both road and track. |
Price List: Pagid RS421 [F]: £193 |
Thorney Motorsport BMW E39 M5 Stage 2 Brake Upgrades
AP Racing 6-POT Big Brake Kits - From: £2,199 (Supplied)
AP Racing 6-POT Brake Kit
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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 tune. |
Price
List: AP Racing Big Brake Kit [F]: £2,425.99 |
