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Best brake pads for 130i?

3K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  docwra 
#1 ·
Is there a general consensus on the best brake pads for the 130i for everyday fast road driving?

The brake fluid in mine was changed only a few months ago and the brakes work fine, but wonder about getting better pads in the near future for a firmer brake pedal and slightly more responsive feel.

Have heard too many bad things in the past to consider EBC, can't find any proper info on Brembo HP2000, Tarox aren't particularly inspiring and that leaves Ferodo DS Performance, which sound like they could be what I'm looking for.

Anyone used any of these options or would recommend something else?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
EBC aren't as bad as people say. Apparently they have become more consistent with their pads. Not that I have any experience with any of the EBC pads but I wouldn't discount them out of hand based on old reviews/opinions.

Problem you have is that any pad with more bite comes at a cost/compromise.

For example - Most (not all) are extremely dusty.

Carbotech (search The Tyrant on here) sell some fantastic brake pads that are well worth the money. However the XP8's squeal when not up to temperature. And I do mean squeal lol

Textar, Pagid, Brembo, are all decent standard pads which are more than capable of normal fast road driving.

Plus upgrading your pads, you'll still get the same fading if pushing hard on the discs, so if you want more/better/less fade/stopping power you should maybe look at upgrading your brake calipers to the M135i 4/6 pot?

Exactly what I did on my 125.

Firstly I upgraded from the 125's 300mm front discs to the 130's 330mm with the 130 bigger brake carriers. Pads were the same but I had a bigger braking disc so brake fade was reduced. Stopping power didn't change of course but they looked nicer too. Did my one and only track day and the discs still didn't hold up as I'd hoped. So I bought the m135i front 4 pot calipers with 340mm discs and textar pads. Big improvement. Not massively, but definitely noticeable. Braking feels more controllable/progressive and they don't fade. Ever lol. Been tempted to upgrade to better pads but the compromise isn't worth it for me. More than happy with the current set up.
 
#3 ·
For road use ive always found the standard pads with good fluid work well enough on my 130's, making sure the are pads free to move in hanger (not rusted to it)) and caliper sliding as it should is essential though.

Uprating the pads is next step if needed and some find the EBC yellow work ok but im not a fan, ferodo DS performance are next logical step from stock pads i guess and if your struggling to find 130i fitment the E46 M3 uses same front pads which opens up the search somewhat, you may or may not to tweak a tiny bit of ends of pad backplate to get them to slot into 130i carrier but generally they go straight in.

We at Carbotech make several upgraded pad options but for a road only car often overkill, downside to all the extra performance is increased dust and possible squealing if not hammering the car on regular basis, while thats ok if you need the performance offered and a downside you have to live with, but if you dont need that much performance its not ideal :)
 
#5 ·
Twenny said:
EBC aren't as bad as people say. Apparently they have become more consistent with their pads. Not that I have any experience with any of the EBC pads but I wouldn't discount them out of hand based on old reviews/opinions.

Problem you have is that any pad with more bite comes at a cost/compromise.

For example - Most (not all) are extremely dusty.

Carbotech (search The Tyrant on here) sell some fantastic brake pads that are well worth the money. However the XP8's squeal when not up to temperature. And I do mean squeal lol

Textar, Pagid, Brembo, are all decent standard pads which are more than capable of normal fast road driving.

Plus upgrading your pads, you'll still get the same fading if pushing hard on the discs, so if you want more/better/less fade/stopping power you should maybe look at upgrading your brake calipers to the M135i 4/6 pot?

Exactly what I did on my 125.

Firstly I upgraded from the 125's 300mm front discs to the 130's 330mm with the 130 bigger brake carriers. Pads were the same but I had a bigger braking disc so brake fade was reduced. Stopping power didn't change of course but they looked nicer too. Did my one and only track day and the discs still didn't hold up as I'd hoped. So I bought the m135i front 4 pot calipers with 340mm discs and textar pads. Big improvement. Not massively, but definitely noticeable. Braking feels more controllable/progressive and they don't fade. Ever lol. Been tempted to upgrade to better pads but the compromise isn't worth it for me. More than happy with the current set up.
I have read that EBC is much better than it used to be, but I'm always wary of companies that sell shoddy products and hope they'll get away with it. EBC might be fine now, but I'm not sure I want to spend my own money to find out if there are viable alternatives...

Key thing for me is a responsive brake pedal and progressive braking. I'm not that heavy on the brakes, but want them to provide the same sense of control as the steering, damping and throttle if that makes sense. Brake pedal feels a little spongy in comparison at the moment. Current pads are surprisingly dusty, too.

With that in mind, think getting the right pads could make enough of a difference for what I'm after. Ferodo DS Performance are advertised as providing a firmer brake pedal and on paper offer decent braking power too. Has anyone used these?
 
#6 ·
RoVoFob said:
Twenny said:
EBC aren't as bad as people say. Apparently they have become more consistent with their pads. Not that I have any experience with any of the EBC pads but I wouldn't discount them out of hand based on old reviews/opinions.

Problem you have is that any pad with more bite comes at a cost/compromise.

For example - Most (not all) are extremely dusty.

Carbotech (search The Tyrant on here) sell some fantastic brake pads that are well worth the money. However the XP8's squeal when not up to temperature. And I do mean squeal lol

Textar, Pagid, Brembo, are all decent standard pads which are more than capable of normal fast road driving.

Plus upgrading your pads, you'll still get the same fading if pushing hard on the discs, so if you want more/better/less fade/stopping power you should maybe look at upgrading your brake calipers to the M135i 4/6 pot?

Exactly what I did on my 125.

Firstly I upgraded from the 125's 300mm front discs to the 130's 330mm with the 130 bigger brake carriers. Pads were the same but I had a bigger braking disc so brake fade was reduced. Stopping power didn't change of course but they looked nicer too. Did my one and only track day and the discs still didn't hold up as I'd hoped. So I bought the m135i front 4 pot calipers with 340mm discs and textar pads. Big improvement. Not massively, but definitely noticeable. Braking feels more controllable/progressive and they don't fade. Ever lol. Been tempted to upgrade to better pads but the compromise isn't worth it for me. More than happy with the current set up.
I have read that EBC is much better than it used to be, but I'm always wary of companies that sell shoddy products and hope they'll get away with it. EBC might be fine now, but I'm not sure I want to spend my own money to find out if there are viable alternatives...

Key thing for me is a responsive brake pedal and progressive braking. I'm not that heavy on the brakes, but want them to provide the same sense of control as the steering, damping and throttle if that makes sense. Brake pedal feels a little spongy in comparison at the moment. Current pads are surprisingly dusty, too.

With that in mind, think getting the right pads could make enough of a difference for what I'm after. Ferodo DS Performance are advertised as providing a firmer brake pedal and on paper offer decent braking power too. Has anyone used these?
Ummm maybe (probably) I'm being dense but how can a pad stiffen up the brake pedal?

Oh unless they're.......nope that doesn't work lol

Ok I give up.
 
#7 ·
Twenny said:
RoVoFob said:
Twenny said:
EBC aren't as bad as people say. Apparently they have become more consistent with their pads. Not that I have any experience with any of the EBC pads but I wouldn't discount them out of hand based on old reviews/opinions.

Problem you have is that any pad with more bite comes at a cost/compromise.

For example - Most (not all) are extremely dusty.

Carbotech (search The Tyrant on here) sell some fantastic brake pads that are well worth the money. However the XP8's squeal when not up to temperature. And I do mean squeal lol

Textar, Pagid, Brembo, are all decent standard pads which are more than capable of normal fast road driving.

Plus upgrading your pads, you'll still get the same fading if pushing hard on the discs, so if you want more/better/less fade/stopping power you should maybe look at upgrading your brake calipers to the M135i 4/6 pot?

Exactly what I did on my 125.

Firstly I upgraded from the 125's 300mm front discs to the 130's 330mm with the 130 bigger brake carriers. Pads were the same but I had a bigger braking disc so brake fade was reduced. Stopping power didn't change of course but they looked nicer too. Did my one and only track day and the discs still didn't hold up as I'd hoped. So I bought the m135i front 4 pot calipers with 340mm discs and textar pads. Big improvement. Not massively, but definitely noticeable. Braking feels more controllable/progressive and they don't fade. Ever lol. Been tempted to upgrade to better pads but the compromise isn't worth it for me. More than happy with the current set up.
I have read that EBC is much better than it used to be, but I'm always wary of companies that sell shoddy products and hope they'll get away with it. EBC might be fine now, but I'm not sure I want to spend my own money to find out if there are viable alternatives...

Key thing for me is a responsive brake pedal and progressive braking. I'm not that heavy on the brakes, but want them to provide the same sense of control as the steering, damping and throttle if that makes sense. Brake pedal feels a little spongy in comparison at the moment. Current pads are surprisingly dusty, too.

With that in mind, think getting the right pads could make enough of a difference for what I'm after. Ferodo DS Performance are advertised as providing a firmer brake pedal and on paper offer decent braking power too. Has anyone used these?
Ummm maybe (probably) I'm being dense but how can a pad stiffen up the brake pedal?

Oh unless they're.......nope that doesn't work lol

Ok I give up.
By using a material that's less compressible presumably.
 
#8 ·
THETYRANT said:
For road use ive always found the standard pads with good fluid work well enough on my 130's, making sure the are pads free to move in hanger (not rusted to it)) and caliper sliding as it should is essential though.

Uprating the pads is next step if needed and some find the EBC yellow work ok but im not a fan, ferodo DS performance are next logical step from stock pads i guess and if your struggling to find 130i fitment the E46 M3 uses same front pads which opens up the search somewhat, you may or may not to tweak a tiny bit of ends of pad backplate to get them to slot into 130i carrier but generally they go straight in.

We at Carbotech make several upgraded pad options but for a road only car often overkill, downside to all the extra performance is increased dust and possible squealing if not hammering the car on regular basis, while thats ok if you need the performance offered and a downside you have to live with, but if you dont need that much performance its not ideal :)
Thanks. Think the power of the standard brakes is ok, it's just the pedal response that is a little spongy (when braking normally, I'm not talking about tearing about like a lunatic). If the response to the pedal were a little sharper, I think the absolute braking power would be somewhat secondary. Like the sound of some hardcore Carbotech pads, but think they might be overkill, as you said!

Am I right in thinking Ferodo is a reasonably respected name in the industry?
 
#9 ·
I loved the yellow stuff on my 130i!
Better initial feel and bite when cold, combined with way more power from multiple high speed stops.

Slightly more noise, but a lot less dust stuck to my wheels.

When the oem pads would be fading away, the yellow stuff pads had just started to show more layers of ability.

However...
1. This was ages ago and they might have changed?
2. I never used them harder on track, so not sure where they run out, or how they behave at that point.
 
#10 ·
Red5 said:
I loved the yellow stuff on my 130i!
Better initial feel and bite when cold, combined with way more power from multiple high speed stops.

Slightly more noise, but a lot less dust stuck to my wheels.

When the oem pads would be fading away, the yellow stuff pads had just started to show more layers of ability.

However...
1. This was ages ago and they might have changed?
2. I never used them harder on track, so not sure where they run out, or how they behave at that point.
It all sounds very good, as does this:

However, I just find it hard to trust them after the negative reviews I've read over the years. And they're yellow. Yellow's a horrible colour!
 
#11 ·
RoVoFob said:
Red5 said:
I loved the yellow stuff on my 130i!
Better initial feel and bite when cold, combined with way more power from multiple high speed stops.

Slightly more noise, but a lot less dust stuck to my wheels.

When the oem pads would be fading away, the yellow stuff pads had just started to show more layers of ability.

However...
1. This was ages ago and they might have changed?
2. I never used them harder on track, so not sure where they run out, or how they behave at that point.
It all sounds very good, as does this:

However, I just find it hard to trust them after the negative reviews I've read over the years. And they're yellow. Yellow's a horrible colour!
I've seen some of the poor reviews too!
I know a chap that tried them on a TVR and they were rubbish. I don't pretend to fully understand this, but just know what I tried worked very well indeed!
Others here have similar 130i / yellow stuff experience.

Yes, they are actual yellow :lol2:
 
#12 ·
on best pads
I don't think there is such a thing, it depends on what you're looking for.
I remember when I was giving track instruction in the Netherlands and a lot of amateur drivers kept raving about a certain pad (not sure which one).
but having driven with 3 of those people, I wouldn't even class 2 of them as a beginner.
What I'm saying is, reviews are good, but proper review needs skill and experience, which on the internet can be hard to distill.

On ebc's:
you'll always get mixed reviews I guess.
I've had yellow EBCs on a few of my track cars, variation of e30s, FWD nissans and on my RX8.
especially the initial feel is quite good for the money, though the effect is less pronounced on heavier cars in my view.

bottom line is that its better than stock in my experience, holding up good enough for minor trackwork.
by all means, give them a try, it's not the end of the world if its not your favorite, given the cost is relatively low.
 
#13 ·
I think a lot of the issue is that EBC describe Yellowstuff as track pads, but their performance in pretty much every area falls well short of the likes of Carbotechs, Carbon Lorraines and Pagid RS29.
The payoff is the price, I personally think CL's are the bollocks but Ive just paid £300 just for fronts, Yellowstuff are £120 for the same. I use my 135i as a trackcar pretty much entirely (off to Ring tomorrow) so ultimate performance is the only thing Im looking for, Ill even accept a bit of noise from them but for most people they would be massive overkill.

If youre just looking for fast road Id recommend Ferodo DS2500's as a good compromise, they will stand up to track use as well and dont cost the earth :)
 
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