Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread
Please consider that the six pot Brembos are not suited for track use, while the one piston M3 brakes at least hold up okay. BMW isn't known for good track brakes, but either way, number of pistons isn't a good indicator of ultimate performance. Proper cooling ducting to the brakes, pad material and overall system capacity means a lot more than piston count. Simply look at the track forums to see multiple examples of the poor quality of the 135i brakes, or look at other forums to see how poorly Brembo calipers on 370z's, Evo's and STi's fare under track usage.
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I've driven Brembo mult-piston brakes on the racetrack for years. They are superb. I said the rotors are too small on the 135i and that is their only deficit (larger rotors sink the heat away from the calipers, pads, and brake lines - 135i rotors are way too small for such a heavy & fast car). There is a reason that all Porsches and Ferraris have come with multi-piston Brembo brakes for decades (and a reason that BMW M owners who track seriously are required to make brake upgrades).
For comparison - My Brembo brakes on my Porsche are 304mm x 32mm front and 309mm x 28mm rear and the car weighs 1,900 pounds. Now compare the weight of the 135i and its rotors' sizes (and pay particular attention to rotor width which speaks to amount of iron to act as heat sink).
135i calipers with M3 rotors (or bigger) would be a big improvement over either car's current brakes.