Brake pad options...? And a few random maintenance questions.

[Nate047]

Hey guys, posting in here because the e36 section is dead. I'm in the process of toning back my car a bit, and I'm due for some routine brake service as well. Currently, I have PFC 08 pads which are great for track days, but for sure not ideal for the street. They are noisy, create a lot of dust, and are corrosive to wheel finish. I won't be tracking this car again anytime soon so I want to switch to a "regular" performance street pad, but I don't really know what the best choices are.

Key points I'm looking for:
Low noise *moderately important*
Low dust *moderately important*
Not corrosive to wheel finish *very important*
Brand, I don't really care.

Other random questions...
What are the recommended transmission and differential fluid service intervals? I am thinking I'll do both since there are 15-20 track days on both, but moving forward I'm just curious how frequently you guys do this for street cars.
Anyone have thoughts on cleaning your own fuel injectors vs. sending off to a service like RC? I have actually never done this before on any of my cars, I always shopped it out.
Related discussion, how often is this needed if the car is running fine?

TIA

[Mystic3]

Hawk ceramic, not the high performance track stuff, but great for street. No noise, no dust, good street stopping performance. Have them on my street e46 m3, and e39 530, and front of 2002 Chevy silverado.

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[simon_c]

Anybody have experience with Akebono euro pads for street use? Supposedly nearly zero brake dust and good pedal feel.

[Obioban]

OE BMW pads are about as good as it gets for street use, IMO. Not great for dust, but great feel, great modulation, progressive fade, don't hurt the wheel finish, long life, easy on rotors, and silent. Plus, free after the first set through FCP. If you're coming down from PF08s, you're not the sort that's going to be happy with ANY low dust pad-- they all feel like garbage.

Every ~25,000 miles is a decent interval for diff/trans fluid, if you're going by mileage. OE MTF LT2 is still available from ECS and hard to beat. Diff, I don't know what works well on the e36-- but don't get royal purple.

Fuel injectors I'd send off or replace completely. Recently cleaning services have gotten more expensive and injectors have gotten cheaper, so that's a harder choice than it used to be. I do an injector rebuild/replace every 100,000 miles, and put a bottle of Chevron fuel system cleaner (which is what BMW sells in their own branded bottles) the fuel fill before each oil change (as it contaminates the oil).

[digger]

OE 100% for the street, brake compounds ae one of those things that are a compromise. anything low dust i.e ceramic and such is not going to stop well when cold or have good initial bite like an OE pad thats the compromise. . avoid hawk street pads they are garbage IMO as they are neither here nor there i binned mine

[Shadytype]

Another vote for OE for street. Even for an Autox event.

[Arith2]

Anybody have experience with Akebono euro pads for street use? Supposedly nearly zero brake dust and good pedal feel.

These are the, save the customer money without going Chinese kind of pads. I would put on my car for everyday use. If they're cheaper than the Textars, why not? I believe they do have less brake dust but don't expect to take them through the Tail of the Dragon without glazing. I like Akebono because they're cheaper but quality isn't completely sacrificed.

[exodus454]

I've been running the OE Euro pads for a few years now, got them through FCP. They're dusty, but they stop well enough and don't trash the rotors. Personally I haven't found a ceramic pad that doesn't feel terrible. I think the euro pads have slightly better initial bite and slightly higher temp range than stock. I'd have to qualms about using akebono, the quality seems decent.

[Nate047]

Cool thanks for the input guys. I'll probably just get OE replacement pads and if I totally hate them, I'll get something else. Dust isn't that big of a deal as long as it isn't corrosive to the point of the 08s.

[Speed Monkey]

I’m a real fan of Porterfield pads. In fact, they’re a short drive from you; they’re located in Costa Mesa. The R4S pad works very well for street. They work in autoX, but don’t expect real stopping like the R4E compound, which will test the seat belt tensioner in your sled.

While you’re in that neighborhood, if you like some home cooked Mexican food, I highly recommend El Toro Bravo Tortilleria, located at 19th Street & Wallace Ave. If you don’t get there early, you’ll be stuck in a long line, but it’s completely worth it. The carnitas tacos and burritos are bueno! The Spanish rice is delish too.