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Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob
Per the coding, I'm with you - I don't really know why the car would need it, but I do know that the procedure is outlined in the BBK installation instructions (car must be coded with "retrofit - sport brakes" or something like that), so it's not like some dealer made up crap. The only thing I can think of is that it tweaks some of the computer systems that interact with the brakes (ABS/DSC/etc.) while obviously doing nothing to the brakes directly. Who knows? I have a tough time that BMW would write it into the instructions if it were complete BS.
And no, I'm not at all experiencing fade, but I was planning on going for a more aggressive compound pad, like HP+, which I'm sure you know is a pretty popular AX pad. My impression was that people did this to stop better. Is it just about feel, then?
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Yes and no... I guess the way I'd phrase it is that pad is more conducive to performance (auto-x) driving. Hawk HP+ have better initial bite, but picture this for a moment. If you had a pad that was overy touchy/sensitive, just imagine how annoying it'd get during city driving. Folks have a tend to drag the brakes during normal driving when they approach a red light. They slowly get on it and increase pressure as they get closer to the light. But if the pad had significantly more intial bite, the brake would be harder to modulate. It'd feel more like an on/off switch, and your body weight would constantly shfit back and forth abuptly.
But when it comes to auto-x, you're not dragging the brakes nor are you doing hi speed hard stops as if you were on a road course. You want to shed enough speed quickly to set yourself up for the next turn and quickly get back on throttle. This is actually one area where auto-x and road courses differ; auto-x has very choppy input, road course requires smooth inputs.
Some may prefer better initial bite even on street (and that's why many run Hawk HP+ on street), others prefer a more linear feel. I'm more of the latter, plus I can't stand how bad Hawk pads squeal and dust. Hope this answers your question.