ongoing brake problem

[mikemike]

i have a problem with the brakes on my 1989 325i motorsport convertible , ever since I bought it the brakes never seem to be at their best , always seem to be slow to work even after a good push and also a fair bit of pedal travel . discs and pads are ok , brake pipes and calipers are ok , have fitted a 7 series master cylinder that has made a little improvement but its still lacking that confidence when you really want them to work . so i am looking for a better fix , I want to keep the original 15" bbs alloys so bigger discs and calipers are not really the answer I would be looking for . any advice and help would be greatly appreciated , cheers from mike

[Scotty200]

Hi
Have you tried adjusting the brake linkage bar? If that's what it's called? If you remove the lower panel above the pedals you can access it from there, turn it on way it takes up the slack,all the info is on the wiki on here, don't adjust to much as the brakes will drag and you won't have any hope this helps
Scott

[Partridge]

So your problem is excessive travel and then poor retardation?

If I have a car with excess pedal travel, assuming your new m/c isn't a smaller bore, there aren't any linkage issues (they don't appear appear of their own accord) and the system is properly bled, I have a helper clamp the flexible pipes one at a time, with pliers or the like to identify where the problem is.

In respect of the retardation, standard cheap pads will never inspire confidence, I use Mintex 1144, about £60 an axle. If your discs are clean and the calipers aren't seized, they'll give you all the confidence you need on the road.

[Gavt]

I had a similar thing thing with m/c from 7 series i think front and rear ports were 25 or 28mm so more braking effort was placed on the rear calipers due to the small piston diamiter. Try a new or good second hand master cylinder from e30 cant remember what the piston size should be but if everything is standard in the brake system then use a standard m/c.

[DanThe]

I tried a 25mm master on standard brakes before and it was horrible, you couldnt press the pedal hard enough to work the calipers to their full