Front discs

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
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Alan W
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2013 10:56
Posts: 670

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Bexley, Kent UK

Front discs

Post by Alan W »

I'm sure I read somewhere that you can 'upgrade' the front discs to ones with drilled holes and scored lines? Does anyone know of a reasonably priced good make? Can you use them with the original calipers? Do you have to use different pads?
1999 facelit Z3 Roadster 2.8 Auto in Cosmos Black aka 'Gloria'
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Nad
Joined: Tue 01 Oct, 2013 07:23
Posts: 34

  Z3 roadster 1.8 TU

Re: Front discs

Post by Nad »

Yes Alan
I fitted a pair of Front discs with drilled holes and curved grooves on then, they also came painted in black. Mine were solid discs not the vented type and got them from an eBay site, the cost was about the same as the non drilled type. :P
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Front discs

Post by Southernboy »

Front discs account for 80% of your braking.... don't go cheap. Brembo are a good brand andyou'll find them on eBay too.
"Normal is overrated"
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Z3 Upgrades and Additions
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Front discs

Post by Del »

Have used MTEC front discs (drilled and grooved) on another car my son and I were "playing with" and they were fine. Good bit of British engineering as opposed to an unknown Chinese ebay source. I would suggest the ones with the extra coating so that the bits not in contact with the pads resist corrosion and continue to look nice through the alloy wheel.

Original callipers are fine (assuming the discs are the right dimension for your car) and it is good practice to renew pads when fitting new discs. The drilled holes don't really achieve anything for the solid rear discs but drilled/grooved discs look sporty which is all part of the sports car experience. :)
deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
Posts: 761

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Front discs

Post by deni2s »

I am looking forward for Zimmermann x-drilled fronts 325x25 and bigger calipers from 330i. Looks like quality discs for reasonable money. Brembos IMHO are overpriced. So I think you can also consider Zimmermann - they are available on ebay.de site.
deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
Posts: 761

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Front discs

Post by deni2s »

Del wrote: I would suggest the ones with the extra coating so that the bits not in contact with the pads resist corrosion and continue to look nice through the alloy wheel.
This was important point for me too, I believe Zimmermanns are not coated, but I heard, that you can just cover the discs with clear coat before installing, just break a few times carefully after installing to remove excess clear coat and then everything should be fine.
Mike Fishwick
Joined: Fri 19 Jun, 2009 10:27
Posts: 2093

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Daglan, France

Re: Front discs

Post by Mike Fishwick »

I have been using Zimmermann drilled discs on our VWs and the Z3 for about twenty years - no problems, good value, and a disc life of about 100,000 miles, with about 50,000 for the EBC Green or Red pads. They do not rust badly, and the later versons are plated, which resists rust around the edge very well.

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A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
therealdb1
Joined: Tue 25 Jun, 2013 21:47
Posts: 263

  Z3 roadster 2.0

Re: Front discs

Post by therealdb1 »

Don't forget to tell your insurance company that you have non-standard discs fitted. It probably will not increase your premium but will certainly give them an excuse not to pay up if you claim and they were not aware of the modification.
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Front discs

Post by Del »

Decent brands also include ATE, Pagid, Textar, Brembo and Zimmerman - not sure if the first three offer drilled/grooved for the Z3 ? :shrug

I think the anti-corrosion feature is important to help "dress the wheel", I think it is particularly important for a drilled/grooved disc as it looks awful if the surfaces inside the drill holes and grooves start to rust along with the usual hub and disc edge. I know Pagid and Textar offer a coated disc. MTEC offer it for a small extra cost. I think it is quite a tough coating and there is no waxy oil to clean of the discs from new. They also claim TUV quality approval.

http://www.mtecbrakes.com/?gclid=CJDfoZ ... tAodbBoAfA
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