Hi all,
There have been lots of debate and issues and failures etc as far as the lack of Front Brake caliper / Pad cooling espically if the car is a weekend warrior at the track.
theses are some related threads:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=658932
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577979
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=527501
basically the factory backing plates are so backset into the wheels that they allow no direct air flow in to the center of the rotor and out the edges ( that is how rotors are cooled by the way, from the center out )
To add insult to injury the 135 / BMW Perf. BBK Calipers that we all love the looks of have a week spot that many have found, the ceramic pistons and seals. Add to this , Track / racing pads and 50 laps one weekeend at your local track and you end up with a very expensive fix, not to mention brake part failures.
1 simple fix that some have tried to varying success is simply bending the backing plate over to help direct air to the center of the rotor, this works to some degree, but i feel there is no true focus of the incoming air to be directed towards the rotor center. It does seem to work as i have done this myself with no bad outcome.
Another Member, Pixelblue, even went so far as cutting the backing plate to even get a larger volume of airr toward the center, and It seems to work for him. You do have to live with the cut plates, and may be an issue with Leased cars, but no worries as the plates cost all of 25-30 bucks to replace.
I even went so far as design and actually make backing plates with "scoops" in them to basically do what the 2 above ideas do, but direct the air better hence better cooling as airflow is the only thing we have. see pic below, and in links that i copied above )
Then 1 Member saw a pic of the new F30, and guess what..... They have backing plates with BIG SCOOPS stamped right into them !!!! Wooo Hoooo.
So, I order a set to try out.. I realize theses plates are for an F30 3er but i suspected that our spindels were somewhat similar. I guessed correctly !! they are near exact, sans a few modificats that require a tin snip and a drill bit.
theses are the 2 part numbers i ordered:
PROTECTION PLATE LEFT 34116792237
PROTECTION PLATE RIGHT 34116792238
These new plates have about a 2.5 / 3 inch scoop in them that stick past the edge of the wheel so it draws in cooler air and jams it toward the center of the rotor.
This is our stock plate that are trapped in our wheels ( mind you theses are my OEM 17's
Big difference with the F30 plates installed
OEM plate installed
F30 OEM plate installed
Both plates side by side F30 on the left
fittment no problem on OEM 17's
The installed shield
My original "Cool Brake Plate" from may of last year
The F30 Plate installed on an F30
The little bit i trimmed from the upper right corner
Minor modification ( drill new 5/16th mounting hole )
The installation was relatively easy:
Remove Rotor
Remove e82 backing plate ( 4 10mm bolts )
Temp install F30 plate
Mark new hole using crayon to transfer marking to back of plate)
Use tin snip to cut of about 1 inch of upper right hand corner of plate to clear bracket
( discard one of the 4 bolts that backing plate attached with, as it can no longer be used, and actually makes thing easier)
reinstall all componets and turn wheel lock to lock to make final tweek to plate to make sure it clears control arms.
I only have a left side, as the right side has not come in yet.. im sure BMW was suprised when i orderd a part for a car that barely hit the road. i suspect ity will be here in a few days.
Now i know it may not seem that the scoop is large, but im tellyou the that fact that it directs the incoming air to that area, has got to be beneficial... AND BMW did it for the f30's so i guess they saw my old post LOL ...
I know some guys have recently toasted some brand new rotors and pads ( sorry to see that guys, really) and they may go to "ducting" and brake hoses and the such, But Personally i cant see driving around all the time in my DD and have to deal with those hoses / ducts / etc etc .. They are fine for a dedicated track car, but most of us dont have that luxury.
I have my first event on 4/14 at lime rock, so ill update with temps and such after that. I have high hopes for this Mod and it cost all of 50-60 bucks retail, and your car looks stock, no need to take off at lease return etc etc etc etc
feel free to ask any questions as i will respond quickly.
rEGARDS !!