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Just an FYI update for people interested in other rotor options. ECS tuning has come out with two piece "semi floating" drilled and slotted rotor. The weights according to ECS are as follows:

  • 135i stock solid rotor 22.5 lbs
  • BMW Performance 135i rotor 21.4 lbs
  • ECS two piece rotor 17.8lbs
I am not sure how this RB rotor stacks up as far as weight is concerned, but unless prices have gone down the RB rotor is much more expensive. Although the RB rotor may be a better track option.


BMW E82 135i N54 3.0L > Braking > Rotors > ES#2550968 2-Piece Brake Rotors - Pair (338x26) - 000506ECS01AKT
 

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$370 for some aluminum brackets!! That's plain outrageous and price gorging at its best.. I love how the drawings for the brackets are being kept a secret from the board because someone wants to make a buck. So much for community.. I wouldn't pay more than $100 at the most for those.

CHEERS THAT
 
$370 for some aluminum brackets!! That's plain outrageous and price gorging at its best.. I love how the drawings for the brackets are being kept a secret from the board because someone wants to make a buck. So much for community.. I wouldn't pay more than $100 at the most for those.
Even the original brackets cost 270 EUR, which is USD 340, and were sold at cost price by Frits. If you can buy the material needed for less than $100, you might want to enlighten us, where you'll get that from and if it'll hold up to the stress. Has to be the proper grade material, too.

Please do a bit research before shouting around.

/M
 
$370 for some aluminum brackets!! That's plain outrageous and price gorging at its best.. I love how the drawings for the brackets are being kept a secret from the board because someone wants to make a buck. So much for community.. I wouldn't pay more than $100 at the most for those.

CHEERS THAT
So, you can produce these brackets for less than $100 a pair? Please expound on how you would do that.

7075-T6 aluminum for the raw material would be about $50 to make a pair of brackets. I guessed at the dimensions based on the pictures. Speedy Metals - 1-1/4" {A} x 1-1/2" {B} 7075-T6 Aluminum

I'm assuming that 7075 was used as it is the strongest, commonly available aluminum alloy. None of the bracket descriptions I've seen mention any special processing (ie..forging) of the base material.

Most of the cost comes from CNC machine time (~$100/hr), setup time, fixture tooling, and recouping design time. Anodizing is not free either. The more parts that can be made in one run, significantly reduces the per piece cost. I don't think the price is unreasonable for low part count runs. Even if someone is doing the work/organizing for the benefit of board members, they deserve some compensation.

At least one of the individuals involved in making these brackets has stated that they would share the prints.
 
Why do they have to be aircraft grade aluminum? Or anodized even for that matter ? Steel would work just as well as the aluminum, yes it's heavier but we're talking ounces. Some things just don't need engineering to make.. Come on guys this isn't an F1 car that needs brackets.. #facepalm
 
Why do they have to be aircraft grade aluminum? Or anodized even for that matter ? Steel would work just as well as the aluminum, yes it's heavier but we're talking ounces. Some things just don't need engineering to make.. Come on guys this isn't an F1 car that needs brackets.. #facepalm
The raw material in garbage grade 1018 steel would be $15/ft vs. $25/ft for aluminum. That is not where the cost is. It's obvious you don't know what you are talking about or you would've provided details on a solution for less than $100 that you will stand behind (or in front of a car so equipped in case they fail). I suggest you go to the scrap yard, get your material and a hand file and get busy. Let us know how they turn out. Pics are required.
 
I'm sorry I work on aircraft all day everyday and see how easily things like this are made. Making this bracket isn't rocket science of you've got the dimensions. That garbage steel you speak of is the same garbage that came on the M5 stock as well as the garbage steel calipers and whatever else is made of steel. I forget sometimes the type of people that are residents of the board... Doctors, lawyers, ceo's and general cubicle rats that never get their hands dirty or that have no mechanical ability to do anything for themselves so they're quick to throw dollars around like monopoly money. Think about the PBK price before it went up, it was around $1000 and you got 2 calipers and 2 rotors. Let's do easy math and say each caliper was $350 at the most. So why should these dinky little brackets be the same price as a caliper? I understand time and materials but average joes machine shop could spit these out in a day or two.
 
You're right, these brackets aren't rocket science but do you know how many setups are required to make them? How much do the people making those aircraft parts make per hour and how much do the machines they use cost? All of that goes into the value of a produced product, not just the raw material. I'm an electrical engineer for the largest industrial automation company in the US. I deal with product and tooling changes on a regular basis and have a good idea of the costs involved for even small changes. I also have a home shop consisting of three lathes, two milling machines, welders, etc so I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to get from a print to a finished product. When I repair lower oil pans for board members, the cost is not in the raw material for the parts I make, but the time to make them and the value of the service. Could these brackets have been sold cheaper with different material or cheaper finish? Maybe, but is that what the customers want? Also, the braking system on a car capable of the M5's performance is not the place to cheap out. I think these were done at an outside shop that isn't going to give away their machine time. And, the person doing the engineering and organization deserve to be compensated. Accept it or not, that is the reality of producing a product for sale.

The beauty of a free market system is that the market will tell you when a product is over-priced and in this case they all sold out, so the market seems to be OK with the price. I too rebel against the cost of some things for these cars, but I don't disparage those that are providing them. If I can do it myself, I do. Otherwise I go without or buck up and pay the price for being in the M5 club.

If you are willing to do the work and supply them for ~$100, I applaud you. I just think it is bad form to come on here and accuse someone of gouging when you don't have all the facts or a solution, and that is the reason I replied in the first place. Good luck.
 
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I forget sometimes the type of people that are residents of the board... Doctors, lawyers, ceo's and general cubicle rats that never get their hands dirty or that have no mechanical ability to do anything for themselves so they're quick to throw dollars around like monopoly money.
Looks like I am outed hiha

I have not found many places that actually take Monopoly money - a list would be helpful so that I can search it from my cubicle.
 
I'm sorry I work on aircraft all day everyday and see how easily things like this are made. Making this bracket isn't rocket science of you've got the dimensions. That garbage steel you speak of is the same garbage that came on the M5 stock as well as the garbage steel calipers and whatever else is made of steel. I forget sometimes the type of people that are residents of the board... Doctors, lawyers, ceo's and general cubicle rats that never get their hands dirty or that have no mechanical ability to do anything for themselves so they're quick to throw dollars around like monopoly money. Think about the PBK price before it went up, it was around $1000 and you got 2 calipers and 2 rotors. Let's do easy math and say each caliper was $350 at the most. So why should these dinky little brackets be the same price as a caliper? I understand time and materials but average joes machine shop could spit these out in a day or two.
Odd, you say that you see how easily things like these are made; but you aren’t speaking from experience? I know Doctors, Lawyers, CEOs, Cubical Dwellers, who; when released from the requirements of work and family produce some pretty amazing products. Some are even willing to share their products for little or no profit, or even drop by your house to help you with your project. On the flip side; I know plenty of professional engineering technicians and fabricators that still need three or four tries to make a simple mockup from a print.

I know of no one who just throw their money around, some, like myself for the last two years have had so little free time that my only way to get thing done was to pay someone to do it for me. Does that make me in capable of getting my hands dirty, or even breaking my nails? I design, prototype, test and analyze automotive sensors (current job), I have built a 1000 hp Suburban show vehicle (previous job), and even tuned a 1988 Chevy Spectrum (while in college, and almost a decade before it was cool) that put V-8 Mustangs in the rear view mirror.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" /><o:p></o:p>
Your tone is a little condescending and offensive.<o:p></o:p>
 
I'm sorry I work on aircraft all day everyday and see how easily things like this are made. Making this bracket isn't rocket science of you've got the dimensions. That garbage steel you speak of is the same garbage that came on the M5 stock as well as the garbage steel calipers and whatever else is made of steel. I forget sometimes the type of people that are residents of the board... Doctors, lawyers, ceo's and general cubicle rats that never get their hands dirty or that have no mechanical ability to do anything for themselves so they're quick to throw dollars around like monopoly money. Think about the PBK price before it went up, it was around $1000 and you got 2 calipers and 2 rotors. Let's do easy math and say each caliper was $350 at the most. So why should these dinky little brackets be the same price as a caliper? I understand time and materials but average joes machine shop could spit these out in a day or two.

I don't know you like I know some of the people on this board but judging from your post and stated "experience" you are a glorified parts-changer and nothing else; you clearly have no concept of how the parts you work with "all day everyday" are made or how industry, specifically the machining world, works. Owning a guitar doesn't make you a musician.

At first I was taken aback by your post but then I remembered that there are some people on this board who have no freaking idea what they are talking about and seem incapable of backing down from an opportunity to prove it.

You could do better than coming into this thread, ****ting in it and accusing a few of us as money-grabbing opportunists and generalizing the rest as seemingly incapable and naive.

I say put up or shut up. If you can make these brackets for $100 then do it and help the community out. Until then stop complaining because some of us have the dollars to be able to throw it around like Monopoly money and some aren't as handy as you around the shop. Sorry we don't live up to your standards.
 
Quite simply, the brackets cost so much because of the limited manufacturing of them. If I'd had a thousand made, it would have significantly driven the cost down. Its a niche market; if you want something different you are quite simpy going to have to pay for it.

Oh, BTW the brackets I designed and made for members here didn't include any design overhead either. Factor that in, and needing to make multiple test brackets because no matter how good you are you never get everything perfect the first time, and your price goes up.

$300 for a set isn't a bad price. Deal with it or get something different for brakes ;-)
 
I don't know you like I know some of the people on this board but judging from your post and stated "experience" you are a glorified parts-changer and nothing else; you clearly have no concept of how the parts you work with "all day everyday" are made or how industry, specifically the machining world, works. Owning a guitar doesn't make you a musician.

At first I was taken aback by your post but then I remembered that there are some people on this board who have no freaking idea what they are talking about and seem incapable of backing down from an opportunity to prove it.

You could do better than coming into this thread, ****ting in it and accusing a few of us as money-grabbing opportunists and generalizing the rest as seemingly incapable and naive.

I say put up or shut up. If you can make these brackets for $100 then do it and help the community out. Until then stop complaining because some of us have the dollars to be able to throw it around like Monopoly money and some aren't as handy as you around the shop. Sorry we don't live up to your standards.
... Yes indeed a "glorified parts changer" that only does all the navigation and communication functional system checks of ALL the major passenger airlines. Southwest, Delta, AirTran etc... So think about that next time your sittin first class cryin about them not having diet coke to drink. Point is someone with the willpower and tooling can produce these efficiently enough to make them under $100 IF they wanted too. I personally don't have the will or need to but it unnerved me to see something so simple cost so much because somebody wants sub-par brakes on their car.. $300 brackets plus the kit and you're almost in the $2k range which is barely worth the minimal braking advantage you're looking for.

Happy motoring, I'm looking to "go fast" not slow down. :p
 
I personally don't have the will or need to but it unnerved me to see something so simple cost so much because somebody wants sub-par brakes on their car.. $300 brackets plus the kit and you're almost in the $2k range which is barely worth the minimal braking advantage you're looking for.

Happy motoring, I'm looking to "go fast" not slow down. :p
Why are you then participating in the discussion here? Clearly you don't rate the brake system, hence don't want it, ergo are just trolling. Come back, when you're actually willing to contribute something.

You might also spend a bit time on research on the purpose of brakes and the advantage of these ones, because clearly you don't know much about them.

/M
 
... Point is someone with the willpower and tooling can produce these efficiently enough to make them under $100 IF they wanted too.
Just because you say it, doesn't make it so.

Willpower has nothing to do with it.
That number is not possible unless design and manufacturing costs are donated, or they are done in large quantities.
 
The real point here is that airplane fares are waaaaaay too expense, they should be a lot less. I could form an airline and charge a lot less, if I wanted to.hiha
 
Be sure fter retro-fitting the LSXs that you take off the brakes, they only slow you down.:eek:h:
 
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