Brembo GT 380mm Kit Review

[Curt2000]

It goes without saying that Brembo is the industry standard when it comes to performance aftermarket brakes. They produce the preponderance of OEM equipment on cars ranging from Mitsubishi to Ferrari and have a 50+ year pedigree in the automotive racing community.

Every Rotor and Caliper is produced in Italy and shipped world wide, for the U.S. market they are imported by Race Technologies LLC out of Southern California. When I ordered my 380mm Front and Rear Gran Turismo system from Ilia@iND I promptly received notification that Race Technologies was constructing the kit from the imported lots. I imagined some Brembo utopian warehouse where crates and crates of beautiful calipers and rotors were neatly stacked from floor to ceiling. My options were drilled, slotted, or hook slotted rotors and a myriad of colors for calipers both standard and custom. I chose type 3 hook slotted rotors and Yellow calipers for no other reason than the type 3 rotors look cooler than regular slotted and Yellow goes nicely with just about any color scheme.

I received the 4 discreetly packaged kits on my doorstep within two weeks. They are packaged in 3 layers of protection and figuring out how to open them up was half the fun of receiving them

I went with the 380mm GT kit for a couple reasons. As most of you know, for only a couple hundred more dollars, a 405mm kit is available for the front but this diameter definitely precludes you from 18" wheels and even some 19" wheels out there. Would it have been cool to have, yes! But will I notice a huge difference at the track or even daily driving? No...and I would lock myself into big aftermarket wheels, not even able to put the stockers back on without a brake swap.

Which brings me to why I chose a Brembo BBK in the first place, Having not driven the F80 on the track yet at the time of purchase I couldn't attest to the stock brakes but I could report on the E92 system. After one lap on the Nurburgring I could already feel the notorious brake fade which all E9X owners who have tracked their car complained about. A BBK significantly extends the onset of fade and thermal issues experienced by the OEM system. Additionally there is the obvious advantage of much larger rotors and more powerful calipers with better purposed pads (depending on what you choose to run) which significantly increase the stopping power of the car.

So here's the big question..."Why did I choose Brembo's over the Carbon Ceramic Brake offering from BMW?" They are similarly priced and there is no argument that the CCBs are constructed of a superior material. But am I really going to be able to over task the Brembo kit at a speed district event? I think not...for a HPDE every other month I can guarantee I will never complain about how I wish I had better brakes than a Brembo GT kit. If I were planning on some sort of endurance event or even prepping the car for NASA or Lemans circuit duty then maybe the CCBs would be worth the investment but for street driving with the occasional track day...Brembo's are more than enough!

"But they cost about the same as the CCBs" Do they? If you purchase an aftermarket kit from Brembo then you have the option of reverting the car back to stock and selling the kit for a significant re-coupe of your investment. Obviously with the CCBs this is not an option. Additionally with the recent discovery of how much the CCB rotors are to replace paired with the inherent vulnerability of ceramic brakes to damage from rocks and wheel install, you can expect many times your initial investment in maintenance/repair costs if you plan on tracking the car. Not to mention significant depreciation if the CCBs are in need of attention when you try to sell the car. So all of these factors considered the Brembo's are actually looking like a far better investment!

Install
Just about the easiest of all the major installs I had with this car...

1. Unscrew two bolts and the stock calipers come off
2. Pinch the brake line and disconnect it
3. Unscrew the two screws that keep the rotor on the hub
4. Remove the dust shield by unscrewing three bolts
5. Once everything is off, mount the rotor with the same screws, mount the rotor bracket with two bolts in the OEM rotor mounting holes, then mount the caliper to the bracket with two more bolts.

For the rears you have the option to disassemble the e-brake assembly to remove the dust shield or just use tinsnips to cut it off...I chose the more involved process of taking the dust shield off in tact. After the kit was installed we performed a full brake flush and we were ready for action!

The brake in cycling is critical... you have to go through a series of acceleration followed by light braking meant to burn off the layer of zinc preservative on the rotors, the new rotors and pads are not seeded yet so its kind of scary to press the brake and have very little grip. After 10 cycles of light braking you allow the brakes to cool off. You then roll into 10 cycles of heavy ~80% braking where you begin to feel the grip improve. After the cycling you are ready for the road!

Driving
The feel is much different than the stock system. Brembo went to great lengths to provide a linear brake response. The stock calipers tend to be very grippy initially and taper off. The Brembos are very predictable...the amount of grip you get is exactly proportionate to the pressure on the pedal. It makes the pedal throw a little longer which takes some getting used to. Grip is incredible though and Ive yet to feel any fade even after a HPDE at Speed District. The linear pedal really helps out with applying light braking to finesse entry speeds even while in the turn without unsettling the rear end.

Overall I flat out love this kit...show car respect, track credibility, legitimate improvement over stock, the Brembo GT kit is a top notch product that is a wise investment for any weekend warrior.

[dahherwang]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Install
Just about the easiest of all the major installs I had with this car...

1. Unscrew two bolts and the stock calipers come off
2. Pinch the brake line and disconnect it
3. Unscrew the two screws that keep the rotor on the hub
4. Remove the dust shield by unscrewing three bolts
5. Once everything is off, mount the rotor with the same screws, mount the rotor bracket with two bolts in the OEM rotor mounting holes, then mount the caliper to the bracket with two more bolts.

For the rears you have the option to disassemble the e-brake assembly to remove the dust shield or just use tinsnips to cut it off...I chose the more involved process of taking the dust shield off in tact. After the kit was installed we performed a full brake flush and we were ready for action!

About the front dust shield, the OE one indeed can't be compatiable with the Brembo GT caliper, but you can use the one which is equiped with OE ceramic brake to instead(PN: 34112284767 & 34112284768). About the rear dust shield, there is no need to cut it off because it should be compatiable with Brembo GT caliper.

Or you just remove the dust shields for the other reason?

[dahherwang]

Is there someone willing to share about why the dust shields have to be removed? In Taiwan, we will do our best to keep them on, at least trimming them for containing the calipers rather than getting rid of them...

[jacobe92]

It doesn't have to be removed but trimmed to make it fit.

[dahherwang]

Originally Posted by jacobe92

It doesn't have to be removed but trimmed to make it fit.

I choose to use the one which is equiped with OE ceramic brake to instead(PN: 34112284767 & 34112284768), because they are big enough to contain GT calipers.

I am just curious about why there are some guys just determine to get rid of them directly...

[James0518]

Great read thanks for the write up! This has made me lean more towards the Brembo GT kit for the near future.

[edwinm3]

Yup I got the 405mm and all I had to do was trim the heat shield (it's not really a dust shield)

[stranger]

wouldve liked to have seen a review against an upgraded stock setup

I couldnt see the need to change after changing the pads and fluid but these do look fantastic

[infamousdiz]

why not just get the ceramics? I assume you save 4k going this way and perishables are less expensive?
BMW should out source their brakes to brembos but im sure it has to do was profit and cost cutting.

those wheels and calipers are mint

[dahherwang]

Originally Posted by infamousdiz

why not just get the ceramics? I assume you save 4k going this way and perishables are less expensive?
BMW should out source their brakes to brembos but im sure it has to do was profit and cost cutting.

those wheels and calipers are mint

In Taiwan, the dealer's price of OE ceramics is almost 3 times of the Brembo GT kit's price. This is why we go for Brembo GT kit.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by dahherwang

About the front dust shield, the OE one indeed can't be compatiable with the Brembo GT caliper, but you can use the one which is equiped with OE ceramic brake to instead(PN: 34112284767 & 34112284768). About the rear dust shield, there is no need to cut it off because it should be compatiable with Brembo GT caliper.

Or you just remove the dust shields for the other reason?

I didn't want to trim them at all so I opted to take them off.

Originally Posted by dahherwang

Is there someone willing to share about why the dust shields have to be removed? In Taiwan, we will do our best to keep them on, at least trimming them for containing the calipers rather than getting rid of them...

Seems I was mistaken that they had to come off

Originally Posted by jacobe92

It doesn't have to be removed but trimmed to make it fit.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by dahherwang

I choose to use the one which is equiped with OE ceramic brake to instead(PN: 34112284767 & 34112284768), because they are big enough to contain GT calipers.

I am just curious about why there are some guys just determine to get rid of them directly...

I'd rather not trim the shields if I just plan on replacing them later when I part out.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by James0518

Great read thanks for the write up! This has made me lean more towards the Brembo GT kit for the near future.

Originally Posted by edwinm3

Yup I got the 405mm and all I had to do was trim the heat shield (it's not really a dust shield)

Humm I wonder if it is required to protect the rubber sway bar bushings or something...guess I'll find out!

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Humm I wonder if it is required to protect the rubber sway bar bushings or something...guess I'll find out!

well I doubt it'll affect it during normal street daily driving but on the track maybe where temps get really high

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by stranger

wouldve liked to have seen a review against an upgraded stock setup

I couldnt see the need to change after changing the pads and fluid but these do look fantastic

Similar effect...but modding bro!

Originally Posted by infamousdiz

why not just get the ceramics? I assume you save 4k going this way and perishables are less expensive?
BMW should out source their brakes to brembos but im sure it has to do was profit and cost cutting.

those wheels and calipers are mint

Stocks are probably rebranded Brembo to begin with, would be cool to have the logo on there though.

[edwinm3]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Similar effect...but modding bro!

Stocks are probably rebranded Brembo to begin with, would be cool to have the logo on there though.

Stocks are indeed Brembo brakes, it's embedded on the back of the calipers

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by edwinm3

Stocks are indeed Brembo brakes, it's embedded on the back of the calipers

[Curt2000]

[Curt2000]

Several thousand miles and they still grip like new!

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

I went with the 380mm GT kit [...] "Why did I choose Brembo's over the Carbon Ceramic Brake offering from BMW?" They are similarly priced...

For the record, OEM F8x rotors are 380mm front and 370mm rear.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part...0-BMW-M3&mg=34

You, basically, dropped $8K to increase the rear rotor diameter by 10mm !!?!?

Originally Posted by Curt2000

[...]Additionally there is the obvious advantage of much larger rotors and more powerful calipers with better purposed pads (depending on what you choose to run) which significantly increase the stopping power of the car.

Sorry, that's not true at all.
Assuming your OEM brake calipers can clamp the pads to rotors with enough force to lock them (all OEM brakes do!), your ability to slow the rotation of the wheel will not change with the size of the rotor.

What upgraded brake systems do bring to the table is a larger heat sink (rotor) that will delay brake fade by absorbing and dissipating heat before it degrades the brake pad's coefficient of friction. Therefore, the first point of upgrade (if you are fading your brakes on track) is installing track pads that preserve constant coefficient of friction through higher temp ranges.

If that is not enough, then you improve brake cooling. If that is not enough, only then do you need to invest into larger heat $ink$.
Which you did not do, since you went with the same 380mm front rotors.

Originally Posted by Curt2000

If I were planning on some sort of endurance event or even prepping the car for NASA or Lemans circuit duty then maybe the CCBs would be worth the investment but for street driving with the occasional track day...Brembo's are more than enough!

Indeed - though your description is 100% appropriate for the stock brakes, which, coincidentally are 380/370mm Brembos!!


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P.S.: What you did accomplish, though, is upgrading from 2-piston to 3-piston front calipers. Hope that's a small consolation.
P.P.S.: Any brake response difference described are 100% attributable to the change in pads (not calipers or rotors) between OEM pads vs. aftermarket pads that came with the Brembo kit.

[Warren-RB]

Rotor is a critical part of the whole brake system especially on tracks, it's the torque arm which dominates the braking efficiency.

A rotor with better metallurgy can sustain it's strength (stiffness) with less yield, and provides better coefficient of friction for a brake pad under high temperature operating condition, thus you would require less pedal pressure to generate the amount of brake force you need than a "soft" rotor (arm).

[elmerzasty]

When calculating brake torque, you use the effective radius (the mean radius of the disc contact patch), not the outer radius. I am not 100% sure, but it seems that the Brembo rotors have a narrower contact patch than OEM, thus the effective radius is increased, hence brake torque should increase proportionately. Furthermore, increased caliper stiffness also increases brake torque and makes for a more direct and linear pedal feel. To sum up, despite the system being 380mm (as the OEM system is), braking should be better than stock.