F30 335i Calipers On A E34

[XCRN]

Just food for thought.

Was mocking things up for the rack and pinion conversion and had an idea since I had things off. I had some F30 4 piston calipers and F30 340mm rotors lying around after I replaced the calipers with the M-performance BBK on my F30 335i. Almost damn near bolt-on, just need to add some spacers. The rotors spin freely and do not contact anything they should not. Knowing this I will play around with the rear and see how to adapt that as well to allow the use of the rear 2 piston calipers. So if so desired, this may allow the use of the M-Performance BBK that is 370mm front and 345mm rear rotors. The unfortunate thing is I will not be able to actually prove this since this car is going to be a long term project now. I might just buy a cheap E34 as a testing apparatus to prove out these wild things I am making for my LS E34.

[cgott91]

Subcribed. This looks promising.

[XCRN]

Subcribed. This looks promising.

It will be awhile before I can do anything serious with this, but it should be simple. What part of OH are you from?

[cgott91]

Dayton, but I recently moved away from Ohio to Virginia.

[BleedsBlue]

There is someone on Instagram already making brackets for the M-Performance kit on an E34, just FYI. They are readily available components, for sure.

[XCRN]

There is someone on Instagram already making brackets for the M-Performance kit on an E34, just FYI. They are readily available components, for sure.

Really? I have never seen them. For the fronts you do not need brackets at all. Other than offset, it lines up perfectly.

[BleedsBlue]

Really? I have never seen them. For the fronts you do not need brackets at all. Other than offset, it lines up perfectly.

The guy's username is @sonata.e34 I believe (I do not think he's on the forums). And I think you're right, just some shims would be required for the front.

This M-performance kit is potentially a very nice near-off-the-shelf kit, so much so that we might have to investigate it more thoroughly... the 340mm front option is perfect for 17s, and the 370mm option is great for hardcore track needs. New, these parts are high dollar but used they come up often for very cheap (sub $500 an axle).

[XCRN]

The guy's username is @sonata.e34 I believe (I do not think he's on the forums). And I think you're right, just some shims would be required for the front.

This is potentially a very nice near-off-the-shelf kit, so much so that we might have to investigate it more thoroughly... the 340mm front option is perfect for 17s, and the 370mm option is great for hardcore track needs. New, these parts are high dollar but used they come up often for very cheap (sub $500 an axle).

Ill be getting some measurements on the fronts and make some prototype shims this weekend. I will also doing more investigating with the rear this weekend as well. I don't have the 2 pistons lying around but if the floaters fit then the Brembos SHOULD fit. I am just concerned with the parking brake portion.

The front standard 4 piston calipers can still be easily acquired for $500 but the rear 2 piston sets are going for $700+ Though I got lucky and got my M-Per remanned calipers for $900 for them all off rockauto.

[BleedsBlue]

Ill be getting some measurements on the fronts and make some prototype shims this weekend. I will also doing more investigating with the rear this weekend as well. I don't have the 2 pistons lying around but if the floaters fit then the Brembos SHOULD fit. I am just concerned with the parking brake portion.

The front standard 4 piston calipers can still be easily acquired for $500 but the rear 2 piston sets are going for $700+ Though I got lucky and got my M-Per remanned calipers for $900 for them all off rockauto.

The parking brake solution is by far the trickiest- no doubt. Deals can be had on these components, mainly because they are so comparatively prevalent. Have you even tried to find E31 Brembos lately? Sheesh.

Keep us posted and we'll do the same

[XCRN]

The parking brake solution is by far the trickiest- no doubt. Deals can be had on these components, mainly because they are so comparatively prevalent. Have you even tried to find E31 Brembos lately? Sheesh.

Keep us posted and we'll do the same

Who knows, it could just simply bolt up too and just require a spacer. I was surprised by the fronts so it is possible the rears will be just as easy.

They are definitely sparse, but I can see the similarities between the 2 setups. If you are interested in purchasing some calipers I might be able connect you with someone through another F30 forum that I have been a part of. There are quite a few sets available for sale at this current time.

When I get this figured out, I will probably go with the 370mm rotors personally just because I am already going ridiculous with an LS and a rack and pinion. And those 370mm rotors look so sexy behind the 18s on my F30!

[ross1]

Does the E34 master displace enough fluid for those?

[XCRN]

Does the E34 master displace enough fluid for those?

That is a very good point.

I honestly have no idea but the pistons are not too large. I am going with a GM truck MC so I know for sure I am coverd but can't really say for certain on stock. Ill do some calculations later today on the calipers. Anyone know what the stock MC bore is?

[ross1]

25mm according to some parts catalogs

[Billyj]

This is very interesting. I'd be willing to test if anyone wants to send me a set ��

[BleedsBlue]

We're already on it, a set of 340s was acquired earlier today

This will displace our 996 setup, updating that thread now.

[XCRN]

We're already on it, a set of 340s was acquired earlier today

This will displace our 996 setup, updating that thread now.

Did you get the rears too?

[BleedsBlue]

Did you get the rears too?

No- the rear is an entire different handbasket due to the parking brake. This budget kit (like the 996, and E31 Brembos) was always intended to be front-axle only.

The guy on Instagram using the M Performance two-piston rears, is using the rear E46 M rotor, which we have been investigating for some time. The rotor, not the two-piston.

[Hofmeister]

For me the question here is cost. We know e36m3 has the same brakes as the M5, just swapped sides, so wouldnt the C6Z06 adapters also work on our cars? Figure those are easier to find used for a nice price. Plenty of aftermarket pad options too.

[XCRN]

For me the question here is cost. We know e36m3 has the same brakes as the M5, just swapped sides, so wouldnt the C6Z06 adapters also work on our cars? Figure those are easier to find used for a nice price. Plenty of aftermarket pad options too.

I can find stock front and rear 335i sets all day for $500. So many F30 335i owners (me included) upgrade to the M-Performance/M3/4 set and sell the old calipers to recoup the cost. Even the M-Performance set is a great bargain for what it is. I built my set for $1400 front and rear but I got lucky with the calipers. How I see it, the front adapter will probably be $20-$40 for the adapter and hardware.

[BleedsBlue]

With the help of others, I proved in my 996 thread that the brakes are not the same betwixt E36 M and E34 M (pre-late '94). You would have the same issue with the Z06 adapters as with the 996; the offset is very different between E36 and E34, and for us it's the "wrong" way, requiring 15mm+ spacers. This is a large reason we gave up in favor of F30-based set-ups.

XCRN nailed it above, the prevalence of F30 kits means they are easy to find used; and we've priced out the new kits as well, and they are excellent value for the money considering they are near bolt-on. We're not talking adapters or brackets, just shims and longer bolts (front axle, at least).

[XCRN]

I tried messing around with the rear, not nearly as nice of a bolt on solution. The holes line up on the F30 bracket, but are different thread size than the E34. The parking brake diameter is larger by about 1/2" on the F30 and the rotor offset is too deep so the F30 rotor does not seat all the way. Maybe you could swap the backing plates from an F30 but I do not have a spare one of thoes lying around.

[south42]

That means these brakes will also work on an e28.


Andy

[E38740iMD]

bump for updates

[BleedsBlue]

Not to take over, but we have a simple kit for the front brakes here: https://www.angryasssolutions.com/parts/stage-1-bbk
It's stainless caliper spacers, longer appropriate bolts sourced from BMW, and proper Loctite.

As noted above, the rear F30 set-up was a pain to adapt. The front calipers actually shift bias rearward, closer to the late Euro M5 set-up, so pairing the front kit with an aggressive rear pad is sufficient for most driving. We will be developing a larger rear rotor and sliding caliper kit for more demanding applications, but no ETA on that yet.

[JoeyBimX5din]

What are the part numbers for the calipers? They seem to be pretty pricey on eBay, but I know brake stuff tends to not be cheap.