Project E36 323is: Building the Poor Man’s M3, Part 3 – Brakes, Wheels, Tires,
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This is definitely the last time they'll all look so clean, so we had to get a nice family shot of our soon-to-be installed front StopTech kit.
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| The real stars of our show… The StopTech ST-41 calipers! The 2-piece forged aluminum calipers use StopTech's patented bolt-in bridge, which helps them to prevent deflection and have an incredibly low amount of flex under hard use. Better than some mono-block calipers! Combined with the stainless steel lines mentioned before, the response time and pedal feel of the StopTech kits are very impressive. |
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| The underside view of the ST-41s shows even more of the beauty, as well as the piston sizing, which is where the StopTechs shine, as they're tested and designed to maximize brake bias. Bigger (pistons) isn't always better, and will often shift too much bias forward having a negative effect on stopping distances. This is not an issue with the ST engineering. |
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| A nice view of the new rotors we have matched up with the ST-41s. They're 325mm x 28mm directional and internally veined 1-piece Sport Rotors. The hats have their “e-coating,” which is an electro-statically applied finish to avoid corrosion and rust. They'll not only look great for their entire life on the car, but will also help avoid any lateral run out issues due to rust accumulation. |
The directional cooling vein pattern aids in cooling during heavy use, but the Power Alloy used to produce their Sport Rotors helps to control the rotor's cooling rate during production to ensure the proper tensile strength and hardness.
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| Our pad choice was pretty easy. We decided to go with StopTech's 309 Street Performance pads for their all-around usability. They have a nice, linear response at just about any temperature, have low dust, which won't leave your wheels looking dirty or ruin your finish, and are very good with high-temperature use, so fade won't be an issue. They also come scorched in order to make bedding easy and to increase their cold-bite effectiveness. Plus, they come with anti-squeal shims built in, so you don't have to sound like a school bus around town. |
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