XSeries-forum

The OEM disks & pads as original build parts are on a very small budget.
As an ex employee of BMW, I found out that the set of 4 disks & pads for an E53 Diesel Circa 2004 actually cost BMW less then £25 for each WHOLE HUB & strut at the production line fitment.
The rear air bags cost LESS than £29 each as supplied by BWI Luton to BMW - I worked for BWI, so I remember  the numbers.

The best & cheapest set up I ever had a vehicle - as fitted to my X5 was a set of Vented Slotted Drilled disks & "Red-Stuff" pads all round....
This set up is a little noisy if the brakes are applied HARD, but re-assuringly good.
Disks were approx £150 for the set of 4 from e-bay...
The Red-Stuff pads cost about £50 a corner, but they have many advantages.... They become MORE efficient the hotter they get and absolutely WILL NOT give brake fade when hot... like standard pads will.

The Cold Bite from the Red Stuff Pads is similar to standard pads, but stopping force increases as the pads get hotter...
They are typically used for performance / track vehicles that require no brake fade.

Also they are comparatively dust free & the front wheels stay cleaner for longer.

Many people don't like the Red-Stuff pads due to the noise rumble they make on slotted disks, but personally, I find it reassuring to know that my 2.5 tonne beast will stop quicker & more reliably than anything else near me.... especially if you are braking down a long slope & need the brakes at the bottom of the hill lol.

Regards to all

Following a PM,
I thought I'd share some thoughts & hard earned knowledge...
copy of PM reply below..
......................
Re the disks....
For optimal breaking in all conditions...
= drilled & slotted disks - picture attached.

The BMW disks are already Center vented by default... the drilled & slotted versions assist in dispersing water Rapidly & will usually do this within 1 rotation after pad contact, or simply the pads will wipe as the disk rotates.... the slotted concept allows the water to centrifuge off the disks as the disk rotates even in deep motorway standing water.

Now the best bit..... Brembo, ATV, Lucus, Motorcraft, BMW, Mercedes, SAF, Jaguar / Landrover, AMG, and others... all these names have disks that come from the same place - BWI in Luton...

The Castings come from PDC in Poole Dorset & other UK sites...
So, in a nutshell, disks you buy from a UK seller will 95% be from the same factory plant under various brands.

The disks have different characteristics ie Vented & slotted -v- Flat plate surface...
The flat disks are cheaper, nasty, prone to warpage in high temperatures & don't dump water very fast....
these are typically the OEM disks made to fit a small budget & will arrive on the vehicle costing some £11 per disk part or less (not the whole hub)

The slotted drilled disks dump a lot more heat & water, less prone to warping (provided the caliper is free)
The slotted drilled disks can be slightly noisy when used hard as the pads rumble over the slots...
The other option is simply Drilled disks, which is a nice compromise...

Pads..... Drilled/Slotted disks will eat pads faster, due to rumbling effect & the sheering action against the pad as the slot passes.... however it ensures that the pad always has clean unburned surface to contact the disk..
The sheering effect is very small - ie sub-micro microns - Millionths of a micron..
That said, Im still only 1/3rd the way thru my Red-Stuff pads after 20,000 miles - mainly motorway though..
So, perhaps not a real expense to remain safe !!

The harder & more uncontaminated pad material (ie not filled or packed out with steel particals) the better & more expensive the pads, then the type of pad material also plays a part.
The pad adhesion to the backing plate is also a major headache for manufacturers too.

So, you want a Race track type brake assembly at a reasonable price ??.... simples..

Disks..
Find a set of vented/slotted & drilled disks off ebay - uk seller for about £200 or under & they will be GOOD, more than that you are paying $$$£££ for a name on a box & they will be the identical part from the same plant.....

Pads..
Now these come from all over the bloody place.... cheaper motor store named nominal brands are often from China where health & safety, dust extraction & pollution issues are not a cost during manufacture.
They work, but like the OEM parts are NASTY. they will bet hot, and fade rapidly, often due to the high iron/Steel content in the pad material that basically packs out the friction material to reduce cost & disperse a bit of heat...

The standard over heating pads simply BAKE. The outer surface cooks & becomes hard, the steel granules melt & results in a spongy pad that skids across the disk, lubricated by the molten steel particals & backed pad surface...

Personally, it's not a pad I want on my car when I NEED the bloody thing to stop in a hurry... and simply put..
If I need to brake hard, it's because its an emergency & I NEED to stop rapidly....

***So why in the name of all that is holy would I buy pads that will give up at this desperate moment  - just to save a few pennies......

So, BUY "Red-Stuff"  Yellow-Stuff"  or "Green-Stuff" pads all round to go with your vented slotted/drilled disks... they equate to about £40>45 per corner...
My X5 regularly does a route where there is a Dual Carriage way that goes down a steep hill for 1/2 mile & a roundabout at the bottom... Braking is VERY necessary 200 meters from the bottom & many cars simply over-shoot due to brake fade.... & end up on a rockery in the middle of the roundabout - even Luxury brand vehicles...!!!
Where as, I can belt down there at 75mph+ & heave on the brakes whenever it suits me..... and not a hint of brake fade.
The "Red-Stuff" pads actually get more efficient as they get hotter & I find myself Backing-off the brakes as they bite harder & Harder under load, where as drivers along side me are having heart failure when the middle peddle goes soggy & the roundabout is rapidly approaching lol...

It amazes me that so many men will spend a weeks wages on a stupid & noisey exhaust silencer & stickers for their Vauxhall Corsa or VW Golf etc, then they drive it harder & then end up crashing into things because the brakes are made of cheese...

Any way, you got the Low-Down on disks n pads - your choice now.....

I've recently bought front and rear discs and pads for just shy of £400, which I thought was quite reasonable.  Pagid items from ECP. 

Fitting them soon - although the car will be sold shortly so wondering if to bother or not as the current brakes are still all ok. 

Lots of useful info Salisbury, thanks.

Beanoir if you are p/xing the car and the current brakes are fine, do you need to change them?

Hi Max - always welcome.

liked the info on the brakes, bit depressing how little BMW pay in comparison to me.

Yeah, Scary I know...

Get this....
The latest wizzy Jaguar bits... the go faster model....

Air bag on each corner complete with strut = £85 to Jaguar's production line.
Vented disks on a hub + callipers = £35 per corner.

Gets worse, believe me...  it only take 14.7 hrs production assembly time to build a £120,000 Top of the range Range-Rover . . . . AND they make them out of Crappite & Nail the thing together, how they are built is simply shocking !!!!

To be fair though, they are ordering parts in bulk......though I can't defend the spares prices either.

My last Honda 800 was about £5k new (ex VAT) and £12k if bought as spares and built!  >:( :'(

Don't suppose 2 sets count as "bulk" )

Bulk No..... Bulky - Yes lol

I changed all four corners,discs and pads last year and brought cheap ones, one things for sure....cheap on this car means rubbish! Will be buying Brembo next time !

Am thinking of a set of PB brakes, discs are grooved and drilled 380mm with 8 pot calipers??

Interesting thread. Had both front and rear pads replaced by local dealership last month/1500 miles ago.

Took it easy the first few hundred miles but got to 'drive' the X5 properly to St Ives and back a couple of times. Fast A roads/roudabouts. Braking is totally inadequate if sudden or quick braking is required at speed. The nice and early bite of the previous OEM pads has totally disappeared 

I went back to dealership and queried whether BMW had changed their pad compounds or something. A technician took me out in the E53, preformed a few sudden braking manoeuvres on local A road and said he was happy with the pedal and that the pads had not bedded in properly yet. Suggested I too do a few strong braking and it should sort it. I left unconvinced.  ::)  Surely after 1500 miles which included heavy braking the pads should be bedded in already by now?

If it continues to be the case I may well get the fronts at least changed by an independent to Red Stuff (superb knowledge Salisbury, thank you also).