E60 Brake Job with Akebono Pads
04-05-2009, 06:55 AM
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Hi guys,
Well, I'm relatively new to the site and haven't posted much but I've certainly learned a lot here by reading, so I though I would contribute something that I hope is useful.
I have a 2005 530i and needed to get the brakes done. As everyone knows the brake dust from the OEM pads is simply horrific, so I decided to get something different. I look at Axxis (PBR in Canada), Hawk, and Akebono. Axxis isn't available in Canada (where I am), and PBR doesn't have a pad for the rear, only front. Hawks are next to impossible to find for this car, so I decided on Akebono. They are little more expensive, but they are higher rated than all the others for both durability, fade, and most importantly (to me) brake dust.
Starting a search for the Akebono pads I ended up getting them from TireRack.com. Maybe not exactly the lowest cost supplier (close) but they make it easy to ship them to Canada so that's were I went.
The front pads from Akebono (Euro Ultra-Premium line) are part number EUR918. But when it came to the rear ones, there appears to be a lot of confusion about what to use.
For example, AkebonoBrakes.com site lists EUR1042 and they also say it's not yet available. However on TireRack.com's database they list EUR683 as the correct ones for the rear. After speaking with TireRack technical support directly about this, they say that their database is directly from Akebono so they are not sure if the are correct or not. I ordered them anyway under the pretense that if they are wrong I'd send them back.
Well, to make a long story short, the EUR683 absolutely WILL fit the OEM calipers with no problems whatsoever! Including the brake pad wear sensor too. The back mounting plate is a little different than the OEM pads, but they still fit anyway. The wear material on the pads are identical in area, shape, and depth to the OEM ones... the only real difference is a little "tip" on the top of the shoulder on the in-board pad that is on the EUR683 and is not on the OEM but it doesn't interfere with anything on the caliper or hammer head.
Bottom line is the following, I can personally confirm that beyond ANY doubt the following Akebono pads WILL ABSOLUTELY fit on this car:
Front: EUR918
Rear: EUR683
Couple comments on the job of replacing them:
- it's next to impossible to save the break wear sensors. The sensing head is made of some kind of plastic that seems to get brittle over either time, or heat, or both and despite my best efforts there was no way I could get them out without breaking them.
- I replaced the rear rotors only as the fronts are still fine, and I did not upgrade to any slotted/drilled/plated/etc... I am just using the standard Zimmermann rotors, although they are coated to prevent corrosion.
- So far braking seems to be a little softer than the OEM pads, but that's quite likely due to the fact that they are brand new and have not yet had enough time to bed-in yet. This seems to be common with the Akebomo pads, and apparently in a few hundread kilometers (miles) they should "stiffen up).
- Still to early to tell about the brake dust, but from putting around town today the wheels are still spotless as opposed to the OEM ones where there would already be a visible buildup of black dust.
I hope this helps out anyone out there...
D
By the way, attached are drawings of the EUR683 and the OEM pads, you can see the "tip" I referred to above on the inner pad, you can see it on the EUR683 and not on the OEM. Everything else is pretty much identical.
Well, I'm relatively new to the site and haven't posted much but I've certainly learned a lot here by reading, so I though I would contribute something that I hope is useful.
I have a 2005 530i and needed to get the brakes done. As everyone knows the brake dust from the OEM pads is simply horrific, so I decided to get something different. I look at Axxis (PBR in Canada), Hawk, and Akebono. Axxis isn't available in Canada (where I am), and PBR doesn't have a pad for the rear, only front. Hawks are next to impossible to find for this car, so I decided on Akebono. They are little more expensive, but they are higher rated than all the others for both durability, fade, and most importantly (to me) brake dust.
Starting a search for the Akebono pads I ended up getting them from TireRack.com. Maybe not exactly the lowest cost supplier (close) but they make it easy to ship them to Canada so that's were I went.
The front pads from Akebono (Euro Ultra-Premium line) are part number EUR918. But when it came to the rear ones, there appears to be a lot of confusion about what to use.
For example, AkebonoBrakes.com site lists EUR1042 and they also say it's not yet available. However on TireRack.com's database they list EUR683 as the correct ones for the rear. After speaking with TireRack technical support directly about this, they say that their database is directly from Akebono so they are not sure if the are correct or not. I ordered them anyway under the pretense that if they are wrong I'd send them back.
Well, to make a long story short, the EUR683 absolutely WILL fit the OEM calipers with no problems whatsoever! Including the brake pad wear sensor too. The back mounting plate is a little different than the OEM pads, but they still fit anyway. The wear material on the pads are identical in area, shape, and depth to the OEM ones... the only real difference is a little "tip" on the top of the shoulder on the in-board pad that is on the EUR683 and is not on the OEM but it doesn't interfere with anything on the caliper or hammer head.
Bottom line is the following, I can personally confirm that beyond ANY doubt the following Akebono pads WILL ABSOLUTELY fit on this car:
Front: EUR918
Rear: EUR683
Couple comments on the job of replacing them:
- it's next to impossible to save the break wear sensors. The sensing head is made of some kind of plastic that seems to get brittle over either time, or heat, or both and despite my best efforts there was no way I could get them out without breaking them.
- I replaced the rear rotors only as the fronts are still fine, and I did not upgrade to any slotted/drilled/plated/etc... I am just using the standard Zimmermann rotors, although they are coated to prevent corrosion.
- So far braking seems to be a little softer than the OEM pads, but that's quite likely due to the fact that they are brand new and have not yet had enough time to bed-in yet. This seems to be common with the Akebomo pads, and apparently in a few hundread kilometers (miles) they should "stiffen up).
- Still to early to tell about the brake dust, but from putting around town today the wheels are still spotless as opposed to the OEM ones where there would already be a visible buildup of black dust.
I hope this helps out anyone out there...
D
By the way, attached are drawings of the EUR683 and the OEM pads, you can see the "tip" I referred to above on the inner pad, you can see it on the EUR683 and not on the OEM. Everything else is pretty much identical.
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