Larger master cylinder for E36 M3?

[ahuff]

The pedal feel on my E36 (5/95) with M3 master cylinder, M3 brakes, steel braided brake lines and brass guide pins is a bit too soft for my liking. I have bled it properly several times since the upgrade but can't seem to stiffen up the pedal feel. The pedal feel is equivalent to my friends M3 (3/98) but not as good as my brother's early production '95 (4/94) M3. I guess the next thing to do is upgrade the master cylinder.

Is there any aftermarket or BMW master cylinder that pushes more fluid than the standard M3 master cylinder? If so, can you give me a link? TIA

[ahuff]

The pedal feel on my E36 (5/95) with M3 master cylinder, M3 brakes, steel braided brake lines and brass guide pins is a bit too soft for my liking. I have bled it properly several times since the upgrade but can't seem to stiffen up the pedal feel. The pedal feel is equivalent to my friends M3 (3/98) but not as good as my brother's early production '95 (4/94) M3. I guess the next thing to do is upgrade the master cylinder.

Is there any aftermarket or BMW master cylinder that pushes more fluid than the standard E36 M3 master cylinder? If so, can you give me a link? TIA

[dbbmwm3]

Do a search on brake booster.

[ScotcH]

Nope, unless you wanna go with a full tilton or some sort of race setup. The problem is not the MC. Its the booster. It's basically too much, and robs the car of feel. This is especially evident on track with the ABS turned off ... it's pretty hard to modulate the brakes before lock up.

[savage217]

Do a search on brake booster.

+1 it seems to be the culprit for low pedal.

[ahuff]

Let me rephrase my description...it is not so much the pedal feel as it is the distance I need to press the pedal before the car starts to decelerate that I do not like. Basically, I need to press the pedal ~1" or so before the brakes start to grab, whereas my brother only has to press ~1/2" or so before his grab. Could it be that the distance required to engage the brake booster is longer on my car than my brother's? Thanks again.

[jayhudson]

Threads merged. Please do not cross post in multiple forums.

Jay

[ahuff]

Threads merged. Please do not cross post in multiple forums.

Jay

Sorry, I didn't realize I couldn't do that. I just thought that people that view the track section may not be as inclined to view the M3 section and vice versa. I thought I could get more people to view my question that way and get a quicker response. Anyway, I won't do it again.

Could you possibly put it in the track section instead? The people there, in general, seem to have a better understanding of the functionality of cars (no offense to the non-track guys). Besides, it kind of relates to the track. If the pedal travels further than it should, then I cannot easily heal-toe making my lap times a bit slower than they could be. Anyway, thanks.

[tfro]

Yep, search for "brake booster" in the track sub forum. Lots of info.

[ahuff]

+1 it seems to be the culprit for low pedal.

So I take it the brake booster and not a "proper" two-man brake bleed fixed your pedal travel issues as you described in the following thread.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0#post14429500

[ahuff]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...63&hg=34&fg=25

What does the way sensor do? Part number 11 in the preceding link.

I do not have a way sensor on my 325i brake booster that is currently on my car. However, I have a spare M3 brake booster which has a way sensor. Can I put the M3 booster on my car without connecting the way sensor? Will not connecting the way sensor effect the functionality of the M3 booster?

I have asked whether I should put the M3 booster in before and I was told the boosters are more or less the same. Is that correct?
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1033437

[JamesM3M5]

Same booster on all E36s with ABS. That sensor on the booster is the pedal travel sensor.

[ScotcH]

Same booster on all E36s with ABS. That sensor on the booster is the pedal travel sensor.

Nope. 97+ 328is do NOT have a pedal sensor for some reason. There is no hole for it in the booster.

[mark.mcgriff]

Anyone know the bore diameter of the OE e36 M3 brake master cylinder?

[SG_M3]

Anyone know the bore diameter of the OE e36 M3 brake master cylinder?

25mm

[RRSperry]

Just a dumb, random thought, but how new are your pads? (what pads are you running?)

[scoobiedoo2029]

Nope, unless you wanna go with a full tilton or some sort of race setup. The problem is not the MC. Its the booster. It's basically too much, and robs the car of feel. This is especially evident on track with the ABS turned off ... it's pretty hard to modulate the brakes before lock up.

ive been curious about a tilton/willwood overhung brake/clutch setup, but i worry the brake pressure required is to much for a dual purpose car. i would really like to have better pedal ergonomics though and no deadzone and better feel. alot of e30 guys are running boosterless on the street.

Nope. 97+ 328is do NOT have a pedal sensor for some reason. There is no hole for it in the booster.

i think this has something to do with the limited slip. the ASC vs ASC-T thing, i think the T in the 328 means no lsd and diffrent brake software. i have seen this sensor moved to the pedal so it can be retained with a aftermarket pedal box, because if you knock this sensor loose the abs and asc lights come on, haven't tested if it really knocks out the abs.