BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      12-14-2020, 12:08 PM   #1
jlc45
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Questions about Brembo brake swapability

I figured I'd ask here because 1addicts seem to know so much about the cars. My car is a 2012 135i coupe. It was made actually in 2011, but it's a 2012 officially. As with most 135i models, mine has the large diameter rotors and Brembo calipers, which is a fixed caliper design. It's easy to work on and looks great. Here's my question: Is it an easy and feasible task to switch out non-Brembo brakes and replace with the Brembo system on other BMW models? Are the Brembo rotors and calipers all the same on other models, like 3 series or 5 series? (Not considering the colours which may be grey, blue, yellow, red)
If I buy a 3 series or a 5 series without Brembos, can they be easily installed? Any ideas of the cost of the calipers? Thanks for any info you can provide.
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      12-14-2020, 12:27 PM   #2
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There is some compatibility across the model lines. For instance, the Brembo calipers work on various E9x models. The rears are where you'll sometimes run into some compatibility issues.

My advice would be to get the BMWP upgrade kit for the E9x 34110444738. It's still available from BMW and does exactly what you need for around $1300. You can get used calipers which may or may not need to be rebuilt for $900 and then you need to buy pads ($150) and rotors ($200-$400) on top of that. I don't know why anyone would risk buying used calipers when the brand new BMW Performance kit is the same price.
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      12-14-2020, 02:39 PM   #3
jlc45
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Thanks for the reply. After my post I went and checked out this topic on Google and Youtube which made me think my questions were a bit naive! From what you're saying though, I don't need to spend $8,000 like some of the ads suggest. LOL. Thanks again.
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      12-14-2020, 03:18 PM   #4
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Oh, if you want true Brembo-branded 6-pot front calipers and 4-pot rears, you're paying $8,000. The BMW calipers are made by Brembo, but they're heavier and not the same caliber as the Brembo-branded big brake kits. The Brembo rotors are a better 2-piece design rather than the BMWs hybrid 2-piece design. The true Brembo BBK is probably extreme overkill for anything but a pure track car. The BMW Brembo calipers with an aluminum piston upgrade might be 80% as good and 20% of the cost. If you're wiping your ass with $100 bills, I'd get the true Brembo kit, otherwise you can upgrade to a really good setup for around $1,300 + $230 for aluminum pistons.
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Last edited by Thunderguts; 12-14-2020 at 03:31 PM..
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      12-15-2020, 10:37 AM   #5
jlc45
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Thanks again! I am just speculating right now because I'm looking at used cars but many of them do not have brakes like my current 135i. To me the standard calipers look awful. How would you describe the setup on my car as shown in the pics? How would you identify these?
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      12-15-2020, 02:48 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlc45 View Post
Thanks again! I am just speculating right now because I'm looking at used cars but many of them do not have brakes like my current 135i. To me the standard calipers look awful. How would you describe the setup on my car as shown in the pics? How would you identify these?
People just refer to those as the oem 135i brembo's. It really is extremely dependant on which model you end up getting. I think some of the F series brakes are interchangeable, some might require a bracket to be able to adapt, or some might not be. Referring to your original question of putting Brembos on a BMW which doesn't originally come with them, sometimes you can but a BMW Performance part which will be straight bolt on, sometimes you might be able to interchange like I mentioned, sometimes you'll just have to get a full non-oem brake set to get that look. It really depends on a model by model basis.
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      12-15-2020, 03:18 PM   #7
jlc45
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Thanks.
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      01-22-2021, 02:21 PM   #8
jlc45
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I see there are many posts about this topic in the F series threads. Thanks again.
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