Brakes - 45mm to 51mm strut

Post Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:07 am

I have a 318i with 45mm struts and standard brakes on the front, but due to my M52 conversion I have bought 51mm struts which are waiting to go on as soon as I can afford the new shocks/springs.

If I bought brake pads/discs now for my standard 318i, would I be able to transfer it all over (calipers, pads, discs etc) when I install the 51mm struts or do they use specific ones?

Basically I need new brakes but I don't wanna buy new disks and pads now and then find they're useless when I change the struts in a few weeks time.

Post Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:18 am

Does you 318i have solid or vented discs? You won't want to run an M52 conversion on solid disks

If they are vented disks, everything should just swap over.

Post Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:39 am

The wider calipers and vented discs etc will fit the 45mm struts just fine. So you can buy all that gubbins and transfer across the to the 51mm struts at a later date.

It's only the calipers/discs that are incompatible with one another as the vented discs are wider than solid.

Post Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:32 am

jmc330i wrote:Does you 318i have solid or vented discs? You won't want to run an M52 conversion on solid disks

If they are vented disks, everything should just swap over.

Ha, I've had drums on the back for the past 2 months I've had the conversion! Other than losing the rear end under heavy braking in the rain once, it's been fine. I don't drive like a nutter so it's been okay.

jmc330i wrote:The wider calipers and vented discs etc will fit the 45mm struts just fine. So you can buy all that gubbins and transfer across the to the 51mm struts at a later date.

It's only the calipers/discs that are incompatible with one another as the vented discs are wider than solid.

Okay cool, thanks. Is anything ABS specfic? I don't think I have ABS although truth be told I haven't yet braked hard enough to find out..