Has anyone looked into putting larger front brakes on a 400i? While the stock brakes feel OK they lose their effectiveness after a couple of hard deceleration. Not planning to the track the car, but would like to offset the extra power and make sure I have the correct clearance before replacing the rims with non-metric. Any suggestions welcomed!
I just looked into this before replacing all 4 rotors. Our ate calipers are not that big and most would say that the cars are under-braked for their weight. The 308 guys have gone to a larger front rotor but then you get into adapter plates to locate the calipers and likely end up with balance issues. To resist fade I'd start with porterfield pads and a high temp fluid. Pagid may make a more aggressive pad that fits but I didnt look into it. Of course, with rotors at $250ea maybe an aggressive pad isnt a great idea! Our pads are similar to those on some bmw's. Maybe send an old pad to a BMW place like turner motorsport and see if they can find a match. My track car uses Castrol SRF which has been very effective.
Thanks for the insight. The initial bite is a little underwhelming and not very confidence inspiring,a more aggressive pad and good fluid will help - anyone found SS hoses? I certainly don't expect CCM performance but I can live with $250 a rotor considering I recently paid $2K for a set of front pads on my CS. BTW, I like SRF used it for a while on my other race car, switch to Motul 660 as it was a good alternative and slightly more reasonable.
I ordered hoses from superformance but they were too short. I JUST placed an order for DOT certified lines custom made here in the us of a (ss with black outer cover) and they are $35 per line. Contact me today if you want to get in on the order- maybe they'll knock the price down a few bucks.
It probably is but I don't know. Maybe eurspares has the charts but I'd verify by measuring what is on your car before ordering. What we need is the bulkhead-bulkhead measurement which is 17 3/4" on the 400. Turn your steering all the way to one side and you can stick your head in there to measure. My car had newer lines on the front and they were longer (unnecessarily).
EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads are available for the 400 for about $110. Many Ferrari owners have had really good luck with those pads adding extra braking power.
BMW pads are thicker because their rotors are thinner. Porterfield can supply either in a range of compositions. Ken
I ordered stainless steel brake lines for my '82 400i that are 445mm long with the nut-type end on both ends. They look exactly like OEM, but were 1/4 the price for all 8. I will try and find the receipt and let you know where I purchased them.
I've been hearing this about Superformance more & more lately, after Mike (I believe) left in 2006 How did you make out with these, & who did you source them from? I, too, am very interested in them as well!!
I went with these guys Industrial Hose & Supply, Inc. - Home and worked with Steve Vill. I found them on some forum thread somewhere and while it turns out that they supply brake lines to the guys at Pocono Sportscar ( Boxer specialists located nearby) the production of custom brake lines is really not a specialized process. Many shops have the DOT certified equipment and you might have more peace of mind walking into a local source and seeing exactly what components will be used on your brake lines. The lines are the hose (stainless flex and usually with a clear or colored plastic coating) and the end fittings which are attached in the DOT approved process. My lines are 17 3/4" from flange to flange. Steve charged me $32 per hose. You might try a place like this Brake Hose-stainless steel braided Or simply look up hydraulic hose dealers in your area. The fittings are somewhat odd at 10x1 so be sure to take in a sample hose and maybe a rigid line from the caliper to confirm sizing. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The oem rubber house uses a fiddley clip to hold the hose to the bulkhead where the rigid lines pass through. New lines will likely have a locking nut which is what I prefer although you can find someone to make up a completely OEM-look line in black covered stainless. Take a look at the rigid lines. If the ends are mushroomed or tubes are corroded or the wrench flats are no longer flat then consider replacing them. I used a place that made them from ezibend and it was about $70 for all 8 sections. Assembly of all new lines was a dream! Image Unavailable, Please Login
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