ZHP brake advice/input

[Fender215]

Hey guys, I've tried searching here and the e46 forums but don't seem to find a clear answer so thought I'd try asking you all...if there's a link please feel free to post directly.

What is the OEM replacement for our ZHP brakes (presuming there is a difference between the ZHP and std. sport editions)? Tirerack.com is the only place I've seen them allow you to input the 330i performance package vs. just a 330i.

What is the consensus on blank, slotted, vs. cross-drilled rotors? How about Pads (I see Hawkeye mentioned favorably)

Is an e46 M3 system worth/easy doing? (The Brembo 135i seems too involved)

Though I'm in no immediate need, I would like to evaluate braking options (rotors, pads, ss lines) that are better than OEM preferably within a reasonable budget (i.e. around $500 give or take)

Thanks in advance!

[Fender215]

Should've mentioned that the reason I was thinking e46 M3 is because of the TMS package:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1311-complete-front-rear-brake-package-e46-m3.aspx

[BavarianZHP]

If you're only cruising around town, stick with the blank rotors. The drilled/slotted ones are only for appearance, though it could be argued that they reduce weight, cool faster, and have better bite in some conditions (eg: rain). I would only consider drilled/slotted if I was a track guy.

[Hermes]

there are no difference between stock ZHP brakes and regular 330 brakes

[BCS_ZHP]

Drilled & slotted rotors are mainly bling, maybe the holes and slots help cool things off faster, I don't know but have or getting them on most of our cars. If you have them for daily use and maybe once a year auto cross, they're fine. But if you intend to track the car the drilled holes are prone to crack from the heat. If you're planning on a lot of track time, get the slotted rotors.

So why have the slotted & drilled rotors? I use them in combination with ceramic pads. I want the ceramic pads to cut down on wheel dust but found ceramics on solid rotors don't bite as well as stock pads on blanks. However, my personal experience has been ceramics with S&D rotors, that's a good combination with bite equal to or slightly better than the stock setup. Ceramic pads will not work for track time, they don't shed heat quick enough and you'll get brake fade too quickly.

A caveat, the preceding was based on your budget threshold of $500-ish. S&D rotors on high dollar rotors like Brembos, BMW Performance, etc, you won't crack those drilled holes on such beefy rotors, but a set of those rotors will set you back $400 for just the front or rear set.

[M0nk3y]

Blank rotors, higher aggressive pad.

You'll outbreak any 135i or M3.

KISS. Going to M3 rotors and calipers or any other option will just add unnecessary weight.

[echo46]

I replaced mine with blanks and Akebono ceramic pads. After bedding and short break in they are pretty good.

[3ZHP]

On my Wife's 06 330 Cabriolet with Sport Package I went with Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads and Brembo Replacement Rotor from Tire Rack. They seam to have slightly more bite than stock, are low dust and the rotors don't show significant rust after nearly a year. Her car is is just street driven and not pushed very hard at all. Quite happy with these but she does complain about a slight squeal that I can't hear. FYI Bedding is recommended by Hawk.

On my ZHP I'm running Mintex pads and solid rotors from Bavarian Autosport's. I've used these on both my 323I and ZHP and haven't had any issues. The ZHP has had several track days and Auto Cross days with out any fade ore rotor warpage issues.

Once the current Mintex pads were out on the ZHP, I'm going to go with Hawk HPS Street brake pads and the Brembo Replacement Rotor from Tire Rack to give me that little extra bite for my track days.

FYI; many of the guys that do week end driving schools swap out their pads, rotors and tires for the track, then switch back for daily driving.

[BCS_ZHP]

On my Wives 06 330 Cabriolet with Sport Package I went with Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads and Brembo Replacement Rotor from Tire Rack. They seam to have slightly more bite than stock, are low dust and the rotors don't show significant rust after nearly a year. Her car is is just street driven and not pushed very hard at all. Quite happy with these but she does complain about a slight squeal that I can't hear. FYI Bedding is recommended by Hawk.

On my ZHP I'm running Mintex pads and solid rotors from Bavarian Autosport's. I've used these on both my 323I and ZHP and haven't had any issues. The ZHP has had several track days and Auto Cross days with out any fade ore rotor warpage issues.

Once the current Mintex pads were out on the ZHP, I'm going to go with Hawk HPS Street brake pads and the Brembo Replacement Rotor from Tire Rack to give me that little extra bite for my track days.

FYI; many of the guys that do week end driving schools swap out their pads, rotors and tires for the track, then switch back for daily driving.


"On my Wives 06 330 Cabriolet..." -- want to better understand how you get your multiple "wives" to share a cabriolet???? I'd like to be able to do that, either or, have multiples or have them agree on something, lol.

[KevinC]

I replaced mine with blanks and Akebono ceramic pads. After bedding and short break in they are pretty good.

I've recently done the same, first the rears a few months ago, then the fronts recently. At first I had REALLY clean rear wheels, and typically filthy fronts, in almost no time. I was glad that the fronts were soon gone too so that I could complete the transformation. Now I have perpetually clean wheels, and with the PITA that cleaning the stock ZHP wheels is, it's a godsend.

As someone else noted earlier, you'll lose a tad of the stock pad's bite with Akebonos and non-slotted or drilled rotors. But for a street car, it's more than adequate. Zimmerman makes a stock equivalent replacement rotor that's readily available.

[Hermes]

"On my Wives 06 330 Cabriolet..." -- want to better understand how you get your multiple "wives" to share a cabriolet???? I'd like to be able to do that, either or, have multiples or have them agree on something, lol.

hahahahahaha

[Avetiso]

Instead of starting a new thread, can someone recommend some decent rear brake pads? Mine need changing. Nothing crazy, just a decent replacement.

[johnrando]

There are also some good discussions that exist on here with brake pad opinions. I'll see if I can find one.

[Rovert]

First when you're about to switch to a different brake pad setup you want to gauge what you want in braking feel.

Low Dust vs More Dust,
More initial bite vs less initial bite, and
Higher temperature range vs average temperature range,
Louder vs quiet.

The lower the dust, generally, the lower initial bite. That's why OEM brake pads that dust a ton have crazy initial bite/grab. When I drove my friend's E46 I had to get used to the grab because it would launch anything sitting still forward if it wasn't buckled up. LOL. Higher temperatures allow you to brake many more times in a short period of time vs only a few panic stops before brake fade starts to creep in. As heat rises in a brake pad, friction becomes less and less depending on what material makes up the brake pad material because the byproduct is more gas in between the rotor and pad. So certain materials have a higher threshold for heat, therefore affording a friction that you feel is good enough for slowing down in a hurry. Some pads behave with more noise than others just because they have a harder material that can generally handle more heat and last much longer at the cost of premature rotor wear. Think of a high performance pad as a fingernail across a chalkboard vs an average performing pad as chalk across a chalkboard. One squeals and wears a little vs the other is quiet yet wears quickly.

This seems like a good read here:
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/chassis/hrdp_1003_brake_pad_technology/viewall.html

Blank rotors are great for street application, longevity, and price,
Slotted or drilled rotors are great for more aggressive driving so that those holes/slots allow hot brake pad gases to escape faster to alleviate brake fade.
Slotted rotors are usually less pricier than drilled by a small amount but much more cost than blanks. Another myth of slotted/drilled are they allow for better wet performance when the rotor is cold at high speed. I've felt that in the rain and not using the brakes for a few miles on the highway my blanks took a second to the squeeze out the water which added to my braking distance. Changing to drilled lessened that dramatically for me. I've used slotted to and felt the same. I did find my drilled Zimmerman rotors had very fine micro-fractures at the holes but never did I feel that my rotors were just going to brake apart inside my wheel hub. Slotted never had the "cracking" issue.

A rule that BMW maintenance purist follow are they never machine rotors or reuse them on the next pad change. When I went to machine my new slotted rotors because of warping the machines couldn't do it because they were slotted. I bought Zimmerman drilled for $120 per front corner since I needed them asap. The shop said the machines will either machine blanks or drilled that are parallel/the same hole on each side. My friend machined a BMW OEM blank that was warped but after a California coast road-trip from Vancouver through San Fran and the Grand Canyon, they warped again. So it seems like just replacing rotors when they get warped or on 1st pad change is a good choice to go because now more time is needed to replace just the rotors on the car.

I run Stoptech Street Performance pads on my car because I can be aggressive with my brakes and I like having the security that my brake pads won't overheat as quickly. I found tracking my car on this tight 1.4 mile track...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Mission_Raceway_Park_%28British_Columbia%2C_Canada %29_track_map.svg/800px-Mission_Raceway_Park_%28British_Columbia%2C_Canada %29_track_map.svg.png
...that OEM brakes could only hold up to a max of 20 minutes of abuse. The straight away speed I got up to the top of 3rd gear which is around 80-85MPH then brake hard for a 20mph hairpin turn. At the 17-18 minute mark the brakes were smelling strong and brakes felt mushy. This could also be a shared cause of brake fluid overheating which causes it to boil. When I was bedding my Stoptech brake pads during one evening I wanted to see how many times I could stop so I would go up to 60mph and slow down to 10mph aggressively without ABS intervening. I don't remember how many times I did it but I think I did it at least 10 times and there was only a hint of brake pad smell so I braked a few more times but the braking felt close to the same amount of bite as the first try. By then my front rotors were glowing so it was time to take off slowly and NOT STOP to let the rotors cool.

My Stoptechs feel more linear without that hard OEM initial bite because they emit hardly any dust which is orange/rust in color. It takes a long time to make me feel the need to clean the wheels which I love. They bite perfectly fine when cold and they are built to handle to heat. There is no noise from them but as I said that initial jolt is much less. That's not to say they don't stop fast. You get used to it and I can initiate ABS anytime I wanted. Some people enjoy that initial bite because it instills a confidence that isn't found in most non-German vehicle manufacturer brake setup. I know I loved that the car felt it could stop lightening quick! But once I got used to how the car drove and I wanted to feel the performance aspect out of it, I changed the pads so I could have a more linear feeling. Squeeze more and get more brakes instead of the OEM method: squeeze a little, get a ton of brake, and have to let off the pedal so a slow down isn't too premature.

Oh and BTW an M3 setup on a 330 would require a whole new suspension/subframe swap to make it all fit. It's cheaper to get an aftermarket Big Brake Kit (BBK) that's made to fit a non-M E46.

There you have it! :) That's what I know about brakes. If anything is wrong then I accept gladly to be corrected. LOL. I'm always learning too!

[Newjack]

Blank rotors, higher aggressive pad.

You'll outbreak any 135i or M3.

KISS. Going to M3 rotors and calipers or any other option will just add unnecessary weight.

Came here for this. Thank you.

I've always been curious though. What's the point of a pad with more "bite". If your brakes can trigger your ABS to kick in, then you can't brake any faster. Does the extra "bite" lower that threshold so your brakes can trigger ABS quicker?


Also cross drilled and slotted rotors dont last as long as blanks. You pay to play.

[az3579]

Came here for this. Thank you.

I've always been curious though. What's the point of a pad with more "bite". If your brakes can trigger your ABS to kick in, then you can't brake any faster. Does the extra "bite" lower that threshold so your brakes can trigger ABS quicker?


Also cross drilled and slotted rotors dont last as long as blanks. You pay to play.

More bite means better pedal modulation, which means easier threshold braking. Threshold braking is more effective than ABS braking.

I'll take a firm brake pedal with bite over ABS any day of the week.

Granted, this won't help you on the street, but there is something to be said about not having to push as far on the pedal to scrub off a little speed here and there.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[Dave1027]

Instead of starting a new thread, can someone recommend some decent rear brake pads? Mine need changing. Nothing crazy, just a decent replacement.

Well, for street use I like Wagner Thermo-Quiet pads. Nothing fancy. They just work with no surprises.

[M0nk3y]

More bite means better pedal modulation, which means easier threshold braking. Threshold braking is more effective than ABS braking.

I'll take a firm brake pedal with bite over ABS any day of the week.

Granted, this won't help you on the street, but there is something to be said about not having to push as far on the pedal to scrub off a little speed here and there.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

+1

As well actual braking distance is determined on tires, not pads


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

So I've been reading about the trade off in dust and initial bite, and that ceramics, while preferred by most, and producing less dust, don't have the bite that the oem pads have. I thought, what if I were to use ceramics in combination with drilled or slotted rotors? and then I see Bruce already posted how he gets a nice bite from that combo. Seeing as how I own one of his previous cars now, I think I will take that as a sign and go the same route.
Mind ye, I do not track the car, nor do I plan on doing so. Just want to cut down on brake dust without sacrificing stopping power. Plus if I buy from FCP, who cares if they wear faster?
Here is what I want to get:

Zimmerman drilled rotors
Akebono pads
SS lines

I would love your input, and any suggestions if you have any.

George

[ZHPizza]

Nice revival on this 5 year old wealth of information. I mean, just look at @Rovert up there sharing well thought out technical advice instead of spamming CSL trunk pics!

I went deep into the search for greater initial bite years ago too and took away the same general idea of cross drilled rotors helping bite a bit. They will slightly increase dusting (think cheese grater), but it's really about finding the happy place between dust and bite.

I'm still looking for a good method for handling brake dust so that I can go back to OE pads/rotors for that slap-yo-momma-good bite.

[Rovert]

I mean, just look at @Rovert up there sharing well thought out technical advice instead of spamming CSL trunk pics!

I'm still looking for a good method for handling brake dust so that I can go back to OE pads/rotors for that slap-yo-momma-good bite.

ROFL.

Downforce bro. It helps keep the rear down on braking hard. [emoji41]

If you want to keep OEM then just coat your wheels with ceramic. That should make for easy cleaning.

[Newjack]

Nice revival on this 5 year old wealth of information. I mean, just look at @Rovert up there sharing well thought out technical advice instead of spamming CSL trunk pics!

I went deep into the search for greater initial bite years ago too and took away the same general idea of cross drilled rotors helping bite a bit. They will slightly increase dusting (think cheese grater), but it's really about finding the happy place between dust and bite.

I'm still looking for a good method for handling brake dust so that I can go back to OE pads/rotors for that slap-yo-momma-good bite.

I don't think slotted/drilled rotors actually add any extra bite. They are soley used for shedding heat which helps on the track. If they do add bite it's probably negligible.

Pads are what determine the bulk of your bite or lack thereof. My car has centric slotted rotors and OEM BMW pads. I've driven my moms car (2010 128i) and she has ceramic pads with stock blank rotors. Braking is totally fine in her car, but I find myself having to press the brake pedal a moderate amount harder than my car if I need to stop quickly.

If your pads and rotors have the ability to lock your wheels, then you cant physically slow down any faster. Things like tire compound and weight start to take effect.

[3ZHP]

So I've been reading about the trade off in dust and initial bite, and that ceramics, while preferred by most, and producing less dust, don't have the bite that the oem pads have. I thought, what if I were to use ceramics in combination with drilled or slotted rotors? and then I see Bruce already posted how he gets a nice bite from that combo. Seeing as how I own one of his previous cars now, I think I will take that as a sign and go the same route.
Mind ye, I do not track the car, nor do I plan on doing so. Just want to cut down on brake dust without sacrificing stopping power. Plus if I buy from FCP, who cares if they wear faster?
Here is what I want to get:

Zimmerman drilled rotors
Akebono pads
SS lines

I would love your input, and any suggestions if you have any.

George

I put the Zimmerman rotors on my 323i years ago and wasn’t real happy with them. They seamed to rust on the hub and I did have a shimmy when braking. Not sure if that was from the brakes or the suspension. Traded it for my ZHP before finding out.

On the pads, I’m currently running Hawk Performance’s High Performance Street 5.0. http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance-street/pads/hps-50, that give me better stopping power than stock with low dust. On the rotors, I’m running Brembo solids. They have a zinc coating the doesn’t rust. Even after a year or two they still look new. Both are available from tirerack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

I put the Zimmerman rotors on my 323i years ago and wasn’t real happy with them. They seamed to rust on the hub and I did have a shimmy when braking. Not sure if that was from the brakes or the suspension. Traded it for my ZHP before finding out.

On the pads, I’m currently running Hawk Performance’s High Performance Street 5.0. http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance-street/pads/hps-50, that give me better stopping power than stock with low dust. On the rotors, I’m running Brembo solids. They have a zinc coating the doesn’t rust. Even after a year or two they still look new. Both are available from tirerack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've read good things about Brembo; people mostly prefer it over Zimmerman. The Hawks I can buy from FCP for ~$170, but the Brembo solids are sold only for the front :(. Maybe I should contact FCP and see if they just haven't updated their catalogue to show Brembo rears under 2005 330ci search.

[slater]

I've read good things about Brembo; people mostly prefer it over Zimmerman. The Hawks I can buy from FCP for ~$170, but the Brembo solids are sold only for the front :(. Maybe I should contact FCP and see if they just haven't updated their catalogue to show Brembo rears under 2005 330ci search.

i've run a few sets of coated zimmermann rotors on a few different cars; enough now that i won't buy them anymore, as my experience has been hit or miss.

trying pagid rotors next.

[Newjack]

I've read good things about Brembo; people mostly prefer it over Zimmerman. The Hawks I can buy from FCP for ~$170, but the Brembo solids are sold only for the front :(. Maybe I should contact FCP and see if they just haven't updated their catalogue to show Brembo rears under 2005 330ci search.

Or just check places other than FCP

[3ZHP]

I've read good things about Brembo; people mostly prefer it over Zimmerman. The Hawks I can buy from FCP for ~$170, but the Brembo solids are sold only for the front :(. Maybe I should contact FCP and see if they just haven't updated their catalogue to show Brembo rears under 2005 330ci search.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180221/076689ac2a833c0b1084826dca246da7.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180221/edadee2f069bef97d96f795b5528491e.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

Or just check places other than FCP

I only love FCP and lifetime replacement, I'm sorry

[az3579]

I only love FCP and lifetime replacement, I'm sorryThis. Don't like spending money more than once for the same item. [emoji846]

It helps that they're only 15 minutes from me.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[dpark]

I am also a big FCP Euro fan. My indy repair guy will let me buy the rotors and pads from FCP and install them. Very happy about that. I like the idea of never paying for those items again.

[Newjack]

I will never give them another dollar of mine for the rest of my life.

[slater]

I am also a big FCP Euro fan. My indy repair guy will let me buy the rotors and pads from FCP and install them. Very happy about that. I like the idea of never paying for those items again.


I will never give them another dollar of mine for the rest of my life.

i get a chuckle when i see these post juxtapositioned.

i've bought a few things from FCP and so far my experiences have been OK, but i never buy because of the 'lifetime' bit - living in canada means stupid shipping costs to return stuff so it's just not worth it, really.

plus, hey, it sounds too good to be true.

[3ZHP]

I can remember buying a lifetime starter from Forest City auto parts when I was a kid. After replacing 5 of 6, I looked for better quality instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[slater]

I can remember buying a lifetime starter from Forest City auto parts when I was a kid. After replacing 5 of 6, I looked for better quality instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

time = money!

[dpark]

I can remember buying a lifetime starter from Forest City auto parts when I was a kid. After replacing 5 of 6, I looked for better quality instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But the difference is I can buy OE brake parts from FCP.

And we have a great shipping feature from USPS called "flat rate shipping". I can send everything back in one box to FCP for $17.95.

I don't see how you can beat OE parts with a lifetime warranty for only the cost of return shipping. No brainer to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Newjack]

But the difference is I can buy OE brake parts from FCP.

And we have a great shipping feature from USPS called "flat rate shipping". I can send everything back in one box to FCP for $17.95.

I don't see how you can beat OE parts with a lifetime warranty for only the cost of return shipping. No brainer to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

By giving terrible customer service, not communicating with your customer and inducing unwanted stress and the cost of coolant loss over another week of wasted time.

I work in a customer service industry. My time is money. I'll give my money to ECS every time because their shipping is consistent. I've had to return an item to them before and they took it no problem. Claim was handled via their chat service in a matter of minutes instead of me wasting 3-4 days waiting for a reply from FCP.

Lifetime warranty sounds great, but after my experience I don't ever want to deal with them again. Customer service is a lot more important to people than I think a lot of companies realize.

[az3579]

By giving terrible customer service, not communicating with your customer and inducing unwanted stress and the cost of coolant loss over another week of wasted time.

I work in a customer service industry. My time is money. I'll give my money to ECS every time because their shipping is consistent. I've had to return an item to them before and they took it no problem. Claim was handled via their chat service in a matter of minutes instead of me wasting 3-4 days waiting for a reply from FCP.

Lifetime warranty sounds great, but after my experience I don't ever want to deal with them again. Customer service is a lot more important to people than I think a lot of companies realize.Interesting. I've had dozens of purchases with them, every transaction from a customer service perspective has been flawless.



Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[SaltyNC]

I spread the love around to the different vendors based on price, availability, lifetime warranty, etc. So far, I've had good experiences with all of them. BAVAuto shipped me heavy brake calipers for free, even though should have been excluded. They agreed to let me send the calipers back with the original boxes broken down in a flat rate box VS $50 to ship a big heavy box via FedEx, UPS, etc. I thought that was cool. ECS has always been reliable for me. They even called to tell me they were splitting an order and shipping what they had, because they were doing inventory, and didn't want to risk losing my order in the process. They also took back an expansion tank, because I didn't like the quality. No questions asked. FCP's free shipping often arrives within one to two days depending from which warehouse it ships. I haven't had a chance to try their lifetime replacement, but it's cool. I think it could end up hurting them in the end, though. I hope they don't go out of business due to that.

I also like to try reward vendors that produce how-to's, videos, etc. They help me, I help them.

Anyway, I'm really sorry to hear that everyone's experience hasn't been great. Companies make mistakes, but if they try to make it right, that goes a long way in my book. There are unfortunately some companies that are great until it costs them to do the right thing, and then they become bad.

Salty

[slater]

Interesting. I've had dozens of purchases with them, every transaction from a customer service perspective has been flawless.

what about your PSS10 issue(s)?

[dpark]

Interesting. I've had dozens of purchases with them, every transaction from a customer service perspective has been flawless.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Same here. I don't have a prob with BavAuto or ESC. Ordered from both in the past, but FCP gets all my money now with the lifetime guarantee. Only reason I won't buy is if they don't stock an OE part or a non-Chinese OEM part.

[az3579]

what about your PSS10 issue(s)?

That was no fault of FCP. Let me explain why.

PSS10's come as a set from the manufacturer, so that is how FCP has to replace them. They don't stock individual parts.
If I bought a kit that consisted of multiple individually available parts thrown into one kit, then individual parts can be replaced. But, one shock from a set of PSS10's that are only sold as a set from the vendor can't be replaced on its own. It makes sense now that I've reflected on that.

If the shock was indeed bad, then I would have had to go through Bilstein's warranty to get a single replacement. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. If the warranty on the PSS10's was only a year or two and not lifetime like it actually is, then my only recourse outside of warranty would have been to replace the whole set through FCP, which is still better than being out of warranty with no recourse. :)

[slater]

That was no fault of FCP. Let me explain why.

PSS10's come as a set from the manufacturer, so that is how FCP has to replace them. They don't stock individual parts.
If I bought a kit that consisted of multiple individually available parts thrown into one kit, then individual parts can be replaced. But, one shock from a set of PSS10's that are only sold as a set from the vendor can't be replaced on its own. It makes sense now that I've reflected on that.

If the shock was indeed bad, then I would have had to go through Bilstein's warranty to get a single replacement. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. If the warranty on the PSS10's was only a year or two and not lifetime like it actually is, then my only recourse outside of warranty would have been to replace the whole set through FCP, which is still better than being out of warranty with no recourse. :)

gotcha.

and let me tell you that bilstein's warranty used to be good, but it ain't anymore. i had to deal with them recently and if their damping wasn't so good i'd absolutely shop elsewhere. their customer service SUCKED. and had zero interest in making things right. excuses left and right.

[az3579]

gotcha.

and let me tell you that bilstein's warranty used to be good, but it ain't anymore. i had to deal with them recently and if their damping wasn't so good i'd absolutely shop elsewhere. their customer service SUCKED. and had zero interest in making things right. excuses left and right.

I did experience that; I called Bilstein in hopes of getting a single replacement (before finding out the shocks are just fine) and the guy was definitely dismissive. He kept trying to pawn me off to the vendor where I purchased them from. But, with the Cup Kit I had before, I had no problem getting a shock replacement. It's kind of weird how hit-or-miss it is.

[slater]

I did experience that; I called Bilstein in hopes of getting a single replacement (before finding out the shocks are just fine) and the guy was definitely dismissive. He kept trying to pawn me off to the vendor where I purchased them from. But, with the Cup Kit I had before, I had no problem getting a shock replacement. It's kind of weird how hit-or-miss it is.

it's because of how the company has changed in the last couple of years - i had a warranty claim with them about 5-6 years ago and it was nothing short of remarkable. i also had them revalve a set of dampers and that went really well too.

now it's all gone to heck. who are we gonna get quality dampers from now?

[papa_g]

By giving terrible customer service, not communicating with your customer and inducing unwanted stress and the cost of coolant loss over another week of wasted time.

I work in a customer service industry. My time is money. I'll give my money to ECS every time because their shipping is consistent. I've had to return an item to them before and they took it no problem. Claim was handled via their chat service in a matter of minutes instead of me wasting 3-4 days waiting for a reply from FCP.

Lifetime warranty sounds great, but after my experience I don't ever want to deal with them again. Customer service is a lot more important to people than I think a lot of companies realize.

Most of my business is with FCP, but I would have to agree, that their customer service isn't that great. They are kind of hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes they respond before end of day with all my questions answered, sometimes it takes days to get a question answered. For example, I contacted them on Wednesday to see if they sell rear brembo rotors; I want to go Brembo blanks with the Hawk HPS 5.0. I put my VIN into the inquiry form, and some guy named Kyle responds a couple hours later asking for my VIN... Anyway I gave it to him and he hasn't responded. If he doesn't get back to me tomorrow, I will have to wait until next week to hear back. I need new brakes bad lol

[Newjack]

Most of my business is with FCP, but I would have to agree, that their customer service isn't that great. They are kind of hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes they respond before end of day with all my questions answered, sometimes it takes days to get a question answered. For example, I contacted them on Wednesday to see if they sell rear brembo rotors; I want to go Brembo blanks with the Hawk HPS 5.0. I put my VIN into the inquiry form, and some guy named Kyle responds a couple hours later asking for my VIN... Anyway I gave it to him and he hasn't responded. If he doesn't get back to me tomorrow, I will have to wait until next week to hear back. I need new brakes bad lolKyle was who handled my return after Jessica got sick. Kyle is the human version of a sloth and I was pretty sure he tried to duck my emails before the weekend came around and make me wait until Monday.

Never again.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[ZHPizza]

gd kyle

[3ZHP]

Most of my business is with FCP, but I would have to agree, that their customer service isn't that great. They are kind of hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes they respond before end of day with all my questions answered, sometimes it takes days to get a question answered. For example, I contacted them on Wednesday to see if they sell rear brembo rotors; I want to go Brembo blanks with the Hawk HPS 5.0. I put my VIN into the inquiry form, and some guy named Kyle responds a couple hours later asking for my VIN... Anyway I gave it to him and he hasn't responded. If he doesn't get back to me tomorrow, I will have to wait until next week to hear back. I need new brakes bad lol

If you would have ordered from TR, you would be installing them tomorrow.

NUFF SAID!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

Kyle replied. They are ordering new Brembos for the rear, will try them on one of their 330 e46s, then if all goes well, they will update their catalogue to include the rear Brembos. I happy.

[az3579]

Kyle replied. They are ordering new Brembos for the rear, will try them on one of their 330 e46s, then if all goes well, they will update their catalogue to include the rear Brembos. I happy.Sounds like damn good customer service to me.

Just sayin'.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[danewilson77]

I will never give them another dollar of mine for the rest of my life.:rofl

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Newjack]

Sounds like damn good customer service to me.

Just sayin'.

Sent from my Pixel using TapatalkHang on let me hold my breath for Kyle to respond with that info

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

Hang on let me hold my breath for Kyle to respond with that info

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

You can breathe now....Newjack? NEWJACK!!!!
They cannot add the rear brembo's to their catalogue. Here is what Kyle wrote:

"We unfortunately, are unable to add these to the site as we are experiencing getting consistent rotors from our suppliers. We ordered a few from all over and got parts made in a few different countries including China and Italy. We are afraid the quality of these may be affected for this reason. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience on this matter."

I don't know what ordering from all over means, but I am not going to dig any deeper into this. I will explore other options.
Also, you will be tickled to know that I had my first bad experience with FCP recently... They sent me a windshield cowl with 6/7 clips broken, and completely forgot to send me eccentric camber washers I ordered. They have sent me new clips and washers since then, but using USPS first class. I complained lol

[Newjack]

You can breathe now....Newjack? NEWJACK!!!!
They cannot add the rear brembo's to their catalogue. Here is what Kyle wrote:

"We unfortunately, are unable to add these to the site as we are experiencing getting consistent rotors from our suppliers. We ordered a few from all over and got parts made in a few different countries including China and Italy. We are afraid the quality of these may be affected for this reason. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience on this matter."

I don't know what ordering from all over means, but I am not going to dig any deeper into this. I will explore other options.
Also, you will be tickled to know that I had my first bad experience with FCP recently... They sent me a windshield cowl with 6/7 clips broken, and completely forgot to send me eccentric camber washers I ordered. They have sent me new clips and washers since then, but using USPS first class. I complained lol

"as we are experiencing getting consistent rotors from our suppliers"

Kyle tried so hard to form a sentence there. His replies always sound so robotic, corporate and just plain awful. It's hard to tell sometimes if he's a real human or just some bad AI sending slow ass replies. Only took him 7 days to reply to an email.

They don't care at all how things get shipped. I swear Ace Ventura works in their shipping department just kicking boxes around and throwing random shit in the orders. I'd bet they ship broken parts on purpose sometimes just to get the shipment sent out on time, or hope the person doesn't say anything. If they do it's free replacement so the customer just needs to send it back. Too bad that's a pain in the ass for the customer.

Done with them.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[papa_g]

"as we are experiencing getting consistent rotors from our suppliers"

Kyle tried so hard to form a sentence there. His replies always sound so robotic, corporate and just plain awful. It's hard to tell sometimes if he's a real human or just some bad AI sending slow ass replies. Only took him 7 days to reply to an email.

They don't care at all how things get shipped. I swear Ace Ventura works in their shipping department just kicking boxes around and throwing random shit in the orders. I'd bet they ship broken parts on purpose sometimes just to get the shipment sent out on time, or hope the person doesn't say anything. If they do it's free replacement so the customer just needs to send it back. Too bad that's a pain in the ass for the customer.

Done with them.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

LOLOL if only I knew how to attach a gif of Ace Ventura kicking a box down the street

[cornercarver]

LOLOL if only I knew how to attach a gif of Ace Ventura kicking a box down the street
https://media0.giphy.com/media/CDKHX8jgiCdtm/giphy-downsized-large.gif

[papa_g]

Decided to go for Zimmermann drilled rotors with akebono ceramic pads, stoptech SS lines. FCP had a pi day sale on zimmermann rotors today, that with 5% off code (PLA341), came out to be a pretty good deal. $427.35 for front and rear rotors, brake pads, and 2 new sensors. I'm not planning on tracking the car so yeah, the drilled rotors will be for the looks and MAYBE a little extra stopping power given the ceramic pads.

[holyc0w]

Decided to go for Zimmermann drilled rotors with akebono ceramic pads, stoptech SS lines. FCP had a pi day sale on zimmermann rotors today, that with 5% off code (PLA341), came out to be a pretty good deal. $427.35 for front and rear rotors, brake pads, and 2 new sensors. I'm not planning on tracking the car so yeah, the drilled rotors will be for the looks and MAYBE a little extra stopping power given the ceramic pads.

I'm thinking of doing the same. Are there any other parts that need to be ordered for this, besides sensors?

[papa_g]

Maybe some antisqueal paste? If you want to upgrade your brake lines, now is the time to do it as well. If you are upgrading the brake lines, have some brake fluid handy because you will need to bleed the brakes again.

[NickZHP]

Hey everyone, Im looking to buy new brake rotors and pads. While my car isn't a track car, my driving is pretty spirited and I do the occasional autocross so I'm looking for something a little better than stock that isn't a big brake. Rotor-wise I am thinking either the OEM BMW Brembo discs or Zimmerman (either normal or drilled). I can't imagine the drilled rotors having any real impact on the driving that I do, even in autocross. For the brake pads I see Hawk HPS pads frequently brought up. I also saw someone say they can start to squeal very loud. Anyone here have these? Anyone have any other recommendations?

[papa_g]

I went zimmerman drilled and akebono ceramics. Immediately regretted going ceramic haha. I am used to it now, but there is no initial bite anymore like I got from OE pads. From what I've heard, Hawkes are a great set of pads