jw1977

Does anyone who previously owned an E46 M3 feel that the brakes were better on the M3. I don't track my car but it seems that around town the M3 brakes were a little grippier than the porsche's. Comments?

tmc

Wow, no not at all, not at all. I had a 2004 M3. The brakes on my Targa 4S grip better, fade less, and stop my big GT car shorter than I thought possible.

DanR

not had an M3 but my first impression was that the brakes did note bite as much as I would have thought they would. That said once progressively much pressure is applied the more they bite and the brake really kicks in. I put it down to design which allows you to feel the brake pressure applied

RonCT

Holy smokes, no. I had a 2003 M3 for 4 years and then my 997S for half a year and the Porsche brakes are far superior in every way.

axhoaxho

Porsche brakes are amazing.

On the other hand, many BMWs traditionally (until 135i) uses single caliber brakes with relatively-thin disc. They also use brake pad that has excellent cold bite feeling on road use, but is not very resistant to fade on track.

It is a very well known subject in the BMW community, especially those who track their cars.

With best regards,

Moogle

Own 04 m3 and 996 GT3 simultaneously, as well as having driven various 997s/etc.

The brake feel is much better on the Porsche in my opinion, much easier to modulate, instead of what I feel is ON/OFF on the M3. There is a large dead zone on the M3's brake pedal travel, whereas on the P-car there is a steady pressure that is both direct and progressive.

sullic

I owned a 2003 M3 and the brakes are not as nice as my 2006 C4. I really liked my M3, but the C4 is more more connected to the road, and the brakes are better on my C4 without a doubt. Now I do prefer the back seat of the M3

dndodd

I have Ceramics and ZERO complaints.

mooty

you have air in your brake lines.
full bleed NOW.
there are NO, i repeat, NO bimmer that has brakes comparable to porsches. even if you put stop tech on them, they are still not as good as porsche. have your brk checked.

Jerry Fisher

not even close ( 2002 M-3) ---Porsche brakes are much better

cviles

I had an '02 and an '04 M3 and I have a 987S and a 997S -- and there is no comparison between BMW brakes and Porsche brakes. The BMW's are tuned for a sharper initial bite, but the Porsche's are much easier to modulate and infinitely more fade-resistant.

Brakes have been on my mind a lot lately; I've had to replace 2 master cylinders and the hydraulic pump on the Boxster. The first MC went bad and was replaced but contaminated the pump and both had to be replaced again. While diagnosing these issues, I sat in 2 brand new cars and both had mushy pedals. These things are produced by Lucas Electronics (yes, *that* Lucas) and sometimes marginal parts get put into cars.

As mooty said, bleed your brakes good and see if that helps. If it doesn't improve have it checked out by the dealer and get it fixed.

jw1977

I think you guys are right, the initial bite may be better but overall the porsche's brakes are better.

elh0102

Sounds like a difference in pads. Assuming comparable pads, the Porsche brake feel is much better than the M3. I had two E46 M3's, and neither could compare with the '06 997S I had. I recently switched to a new ZO6, and it has better braking feel than the M3, but not as good as the the Porsche. With the right pads, you won't find any better factory brakes than yours.