VagBremTechnic Big Brake Kit for E85/E86 Z4 'M' models

Hey Guys,

Along with VagBremtechnic we've just finished developing a reasonably price Front Big Brake kit to suit the E46 M3 and the Z4 'M' Models.
The kit can be bought in two different orientations depending on whether you want to source your own Second Hand Calipers or whether you want brand new calipers complete with the kit.

The first of which is the Caliper Fitting kit.
This comes as a pair of Caliper Brackets, Braided Hoses and all the necessary bolts and fittings and weighs in at £290.00 inc VAT
It is a modular kit, so can either be run on the stock E46 M3 (325mm Discs) without the spacers or on the stock E46 M3 CSL / Z4 'M' Discs (345mm) with the spacers.


The second is the Kit including Calipers with Discs/Pads as an optional extra.
This comes as the Caliper installation kit as above, Plus the Black Aston Martin DB9 (Brembo 4 Piston) calipers - These do have an Aston Martin logo on them.
This kit comes out at:
- £890.00 inc VAT (Without Discs/Pads),
- £1195.00 inc VAT (With 345mm ATE Discs).
We have plenty of options for pads starting from a direct fit Pagid OE pad, all the way up to Project Mu (H16 Compound) BTCC Qualifying Spec pads.
- Pagid OEM - £78.00
- Ferodo DS3000 - £286.85
- Pagid RS4-2 - £261.46
- Pagid RS29 - £310.46
- Pagid RS19 - £326.82
- Project Mu H16 - £386.74



So far we've only had the opportunity to test this kit with the stock 18" E46 M3 alloy wheel, which required a 12mm Wheel Spacer to allow for adequate caliper clearance. I have been told that the Z4 'M' wheels do have a bit more clearance than the M3 wheels, but really we could do with finding someone to borrow a wheel from to check on the vehicle.

Our test kit as installed on the E46 M3:
(With 325mm Disc)

(With 345mm Disc)


On the development car, we went for the Pagid OEM replacement pads and the overall feel of the brakes is improved nicely. The piston sizes of the DB9 caliper are a fantastic match for the stock M3 / Z4M Master cylinder and give a nice firm pedal, as good as stock, but with stronger more progressive bite.

I hope this is of some interest to you guys I know it won't be for everyone as most will be wanting to keep their cars standard, but it's an option for the guys out there who like tinkering and modifying.

Many thanks, Al.
Awesome Ltd.

Having put a performance BMW kit(for a m135i on my z4m,with 6pot front caliper,they don't clear the wheels.
I have standard wheels and suspension.....minimum required would be 8mm spacers,but to get true hubcentric ones,u need to fit 10mm(min) or 12mm(max) spacer,as 15mm spacers on the front cause some rubbing issues at/near full lock.
Hope this info is helpful

Are these calipers good for a pad 'quick change'?

i.e. can you just take a couple of retaining pins out of the side of the caliper and slide the old pads out - so making it much easier to swap between a road pad and track pad on site?

craig3.2 said:

Having put a performance BMW kit(for a m135i on my z4m,with 6pot front caliper,they don't clear the wheels.
I have standard wheels and suspension.....minimum required would be 8mm spacers,but to get true hubcentric ones,u need to fit 10mm(min) or 12mm(max) spacer,as 15mm spacers on the front cause some rubbing issues at/near full lock.
Hope this info is helpful

Click to expand...

Thanks for that Craig

I've put an absolutely obscene offer in on a completely trashed wheel on eBay. I don't think the guys gonna accept, but I thought I'd chance it since the money would be coming out of my own pocket and not actually making me anything lol.

mmm-five said:

Are these calipers good for a pad 'quick change'?

i.e. can you just take a couple of retaining pins out of the side of the caliper and slide the old pads out - so making it much easier to swap between a road pad and track pad on site?

Click to expand...

That's correct yes!
Wheel off --> Knock the Retaining Pin out --> take the pad retaining Spring plate out --> Press the pistons back in --> In go the new pads!

FYI,this is a reasonable price,and a similar amount to the cost of the ones I got........compared to the same 6pot kit I essentially got that is brembo,as If u get the brembo GT kits they are based on it costs around £2800 for the four pot kit,and around £3400 for the 6pot kit...so a nice saving here

We're also going to be developing a larger disc kit using the same caliper.
It will use a bespoke CNC aluminium bell and be a completely floating disc setup using AP Racing outer rotors.

As of yet, we don't have much of an idea on what this would be coming out at price wise though.

Hope this helps

I take it this kit,as it's using the Aston Martin kit as per post info,also is based on the brembo GT kit?

It's crazy how much more brembo charge for these kits when bought from them,as opposed to being the same kits rebranded performance BMW range,Aston,etc.

I take it u have made caliper carriers to take these,as I had to get mine custom made from a racing!aerospace engineering company,courtesy of a guy on m3cutters,who had made some before?

Good kit,decent price ..nice one.

craig3.2 said:

I take it this kit,as it's using the Aston Martin kit as per post info,also is based on the brembo GT kit?

It's crazy how much more brembo charge for these kits when bought from them,as opposed to being the same kits rebranded performance BMW range,Aston,etc.

I take it u have made caliper carriers to take these,as I had to get mine custom made from a racing!aerospace engineering company,courtesy of a guy on m3cutters,who had made some before?

Good kit,decent price ..nice one.

Click to expand...

We do all of the development and the drawings in house. The first brackets are 3d Printed and mounted up to a Hub on a Hub Stand.
Once this is perfected, they are then CNC Machined and Hard Annodized by one of the companies who does work for RedBull Racing F1 Team.

With regards the BMW Performance kits, these are great if sticking to the smaller size disc, but the caliper is used as standard to work with a 25mm thick disc, so future adaptability to a large diameter disc can be limited.

This 4-Piston Brembo caliper is used on OE discs of 32mm disc thickness, so has almost unlimited adaptability if a larger diameter disc is required for track use or similar.

Cool

Anyone in Shropshire/ West mids area AP Automotive in Telford supply and fit these kits, and they know what they are doing with performance BMW's.
These kits are very reasonably priced

Nice looking kit, would be very interested if you could come up with something that uses the AP 356x32mm rotors (CP3581-536G8 / CP3581-537G8) as I've got a couple of spare sets in the garage

flapper said:

Anyone in Shropshire/ West mids area AP Automotive in Telford supply and fit these kits, and they know what they are doing with performance BMW's.
These kits are very reasonably priced

Click to expand...

That's right! They are one of the VagBremTechnic dealers.

Mister T said:

Nice looking kit, would be very interested if you could come up with something that uses the AP 356x32mm rotors (CP3581-536G8 / CP3581-537G8) as I've got a couple of spare sets in the garage

Click to expand...

I think the next step up from the 345mm is going to be a 362x32mm AP Racing rotor, but I'll certainly put the idea forward regarding the 356x32's and see what they come back with.

Regards, Al.
Awesome Ltd.

craig3.2 said:

Having put a performance BMW kit(for a m135i on my z4m,with 6pot front caliper,they don't clear the wheels.
I have standard wheels and suspension.....minimum required would be 8mm spacers,but to get true hubcentric ones,u need to fit 10mm(min) or 12mm(max) spacer,as 15mm spacers on the front cause some rubbing issues at/near full lock.
Hope this info is helpful

Click to expand...

Did you use 12mm on the front and 10mm on the rear?

nfbr said:

I think the next step up from the 345mm is going to be a 362x32mm AP Racing rotor, but I'll certainly put the idea forward regarding the 356x32's and see what they come back with.

Regards, Al.
Awesome Ltd.

Click to expand...

Cool, I think 362mm is a bit much to squeeze under an 18" wheel.

It's great to see cheaper options for a complete braking kit like this, instead of having to pick and match separately with the carriers, callipers etc.

Did you use 12mm on the front and 10mm on the rear?[/quote]


Just front spacers,back was okay on mine,but yes,12mm is the max you can go on the front,and you need to use hubcentric ones,eg. H&R,or Eibach pro spacers are both true hubcentric(stops any issues),also recommend having your wheels rebalanced by somewhere decent,so they are spot on

From what others have used,you can go to 15mm spacers on the back,but 10/12mm is enough,tbh

Mister T said:

Cool, I think 362mm is a bit much to squeeze under an 18" wheel.

Click to expand...

Yeah, Unfortunately so, although the 362mm version is more aimed at the E46 M3 Market where plenty of people are running the 19"s.

ga41 said:

It's great to see cheaper options for a complete braking kit like this, instead of having to pick and match separately with the carriers, callipers etc.

Click to expand...

I know right? If only it fitted my 3.0Si lol.

Pokes nose in

Got 19s on my Z4mr
And was possibly thinking of upgrading myself at some point, at end if life of the ds2500 pads ideally as they eat discs haha

What colours are you looking at doing ?
Plus be interested in possibly a floating disc

M

D4dawg said:

was possibly thinking of upgrading myself at some point, at end if life of the ds2500 pads ideally as they eat discs haha
What colours are you looking at doing ?

Click to expand...

Colours wise, the caliper comes in Black with the Aston Martin logo, however we can have the calipers professionally refinished in any colour you want. Just supply us with a paint colour code or a Manufacturer and Colour name and we'll get it done. There is a £100.00 charge for the custom caliper refinishing though.

very nice, very nice indeed and i think this will sell well.... well done!! and making it modular too


now talk to us about the piston sizing compared to stock if possible... lets get technical.