coding for sport brakes "required"?

[tfunk88]

Hi, looking for input, especially from those who have upgraded their brakes from standard to the M Performance brake kit or other big brake kits.

I have a 2016 F15 X5 50i. Pedal feel was…less than ideal. By a lot. I was considering the M Performance kit but found a good deal on F85 X5M calipers and rotors. Installed them on Friday with Hawk pads from Bimmerworld. Holy cow…the braking power is really good, with good initial bite…and the pedal feels great!

I have read that for the F15 chassis coding for “sport brakes” SBRE is a must to do. Supposedly it increases brake line pressure or something along those lines. Mine already feel great…is it REALLY necessary? What am I missing?

[tfunk88]

Anyone out there added performance brakes and tried them out, then later had the car coded? What was the difference, if any?

[Variante Alta]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

Anyone out there added performance brakes and tried them out, then later had the car coded? What was the difference, if any?

I added front M5 calipers and rotors to my 2015 35d MSport...was disappointed with the oem set up and definitely inferior to our old E70 braking performance.

I did not do the coding initially and the brakes were an excellent upgrade. About 6 months later someone here posted a good step by step guide to code the Sport Brake Kit so I did that successfully.

Frankly, I didn't notice a darn thing. Maybe there are some brake balance algorithms that may differ in extreme braking or other situations but to my feel, no difference.

I've considered a more powerful master brake cylinder to bring even more power to the M5s but clearly it's not a big deal as I've not really looked seriously at it.

Upgrade your stock F15 brakes - for sure! Coding SPBR? Wouldn't sweat it. Mileage may vary....

[terryz84]

Highly recommended. Especially you're going to do upgrades on increase horsepowers, it's a most.

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by terryz84

Highly recommended. Especially you're going to do upgrades on increase horsepowers, it's a most.

I’ve done the brake upgrade. It’s awesome. I’m asking if the coding for it is actually required and makes a difference

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by Variante Alta

I added front M5 calipers and rotors to my 2015 35d MSport...was disappointed with the oem set up and definitely inferior to our old E70 braking performance.

I did not do the coding initially and the brakes were an excellent upgrade. About 6 months later someone here posted a good step by step guide to code the Sport Brake Kit so I did that successfully.

Frankly, I didn't notice a darn thing. Maybe there are some brake balance algorithms that may differ in extreme braking or other situations but to my feel, no difference.

I've considered a more powerful master brake cylinder to bring even more power to the M5s but clearly it's not a big deal as I've not really looked seriously at it.

Upgrade your stock F15 brakes - for sure! Coding SPBR? Wouldn't sweat it. Mileage may vary....

Thanks! I can’t imagine the brakes getting more responsive…they’d be like a light switch lol

I’ve seen several threads where after coding people have said they’ve “maybe” felt a difference. I don’t have ISTA-P or ESYS. Dealer wants $270 (at least) to code, Indy shop says $200. I’m thinking skip it for $0

[jiggz]

Congrats on the new setup!

If you're happy with the way they feel now, probably save the $ and forget it? I recently had the MPBK dealer installed which included coding, so I couldn't compare with and without coding, but a number of forum members initially did not have the coding done and reported back improved pedal feel after coding (see thread below). I also recall some posts where people reported little to no difference after coding, so who knows.

https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...formance+brake

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

Thanks! I can’t imagine the brakes getting more responsive…they’d be like a light switch lol

I’ve seen several threads where after coding people have said they’ve “maybe” felt a difference. I don’t have ISTA-P or ESYS. Dealer wants $270 (at least) to code, Indy shop says $200. I’m thinking skip it for $0

Do what you want, I'm no expert on these cars. Nonetheless, IMO $200-300 is a minimal cost to do it right. These cars have traction systems and electronics that might also be affected by the brakes. More than just brute braking force to consider.

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by 1norseman

Do what you want, I'm no expert on these cars. Nonetheless, IMO $200-300 is a minimal cost to do it right. These cars have traction systems and electronics that might also be affected by the brakes. More than just brute braking force to consider.

Yep, that’s what I was considering. Turns out the coding IS for ABS and DSC purposes…not brake line pressure or vacuum boost assistance. However, the values changed are basically inconsequential according to several technicians I’ve spoken with. So, I’m gonna skip it for now. However, I don’t recommend that anyone else skip it lol

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Congrats on the new setup!

If you're happy with the way they feel now, probably save the $ and forget it? I recently had the MPBK dealer installed which included coding, so I couldn't compare with and without coding, but a number of forum members initially did not have the coding done and reported back improved pedal feel after coding (see thread below). I also recall some posts where people reported little to no difference after coding, so who knows.

https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...formance+brake

Yep, have been doing research on it and the claims people are making about what the coding does is pretty interesting. From “it increases brake line pressure” to “it increases vacuum boost assist” to “it reduces pedal travel” to “the 50i doesn’t need it but the 35i definitely does”. Lol

The 50i and 35i use the same master cylinder and brake booster. The coding is strictly a VERY slight change in ABS and DSC calibration according to several techs I’ve spoken with. They all said “the coding won’t hurt, but it isn’t necessary the change is so slight. Doesn’t change pedal feel at all.”

I’m skipping it for now, will probably do it once my buddy upgrades his ISTA version from ISTA+ to ISTA-P

[blue dragon]

It absolutely changes the pedal feel. I did the coding myself so I have direct experience with the before and after

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

It absolutely changes the pedal feel. I did the coding myself so I have direct experience with the before and after

What vehicle do you have? After bleeding my pedal is crazy firm…barely have to touch it to slow down. What was your pedal like before and after?

[blue dragon]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

What vehicle do you have? After bleeding my pedal is crazy firm…barely have to touch it to slow down. What was your pedal like before and after?

35D, but with the 6 piston calipers, not the 4 ports from the sport brake kit

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

35D, but with the 6 piston calipers, not the 4 ports from the sport brake kit

Yep, I have the 6 piston calipers from the F85 X5M as well.

What was the pedal firmness like before and after coding?

Mine without coding is really firm

[blue dragon]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

Yep, I have the 6 piston calipers from the F85 X5M as well.

What was the pedal firmness like before and after coding?

Mine without coding is really firm

Brakes were firm as the fluid was swapped completely and all calipers bled (power bleeder along with ISTA).

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

Brakes were firm as the fluid was swapped completely and all calipers bled (power bleeder along with ISTA).

So the pedal was firm before coding, what changed after coding?

[blue dragon]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

So the pedal was firm before coding, what changed after coding?

How the brakes respond, not just the initial frimness. Go try doing a panic stop by quickly taking your foot off the accelerator and hitting the brakes hard. In situations like this, the car will boost the brake line pressure in anticipation of a panic stop.

Ultimately its about letting the DSC system know what brakes are installed so it can adjust the line pressure appropriately. Situations where active brake assist or conering brake control all require the DSC to know the system parameters to be used

[tfunk88]

Ahh, ok. I did several panic stops like that just to make sure everything was good. Perhaps at some point I’ll do the coding and see if I notice a difference in response.

[ErikV55]

Yes you need the coding as well. If you buy the official kit it is explicitly mentioned.

[Turbob18c1]

So here is my experience with the bbk and coding.

I just installed the M front brake caipers, SWH cross drilled rotors, 50i rear calipers and new cross crossed rears from zimmerman.

Pads are OEM rear and Powerstop front.

The install was simple and because the used front calipers came with brake lines, i figured I will use those since it came with the factory M.

Painted the calipers with G2 paint, didn't like the blue so used VHT high heat blue paint and clear. ALso got some M stickers as well.

Brakes were bedded in properly.

After bleeding the brakes they still felt spongy and pedal almost to the floor. So I pressure bled them again. Still spongy, so I bled them again with my mighty vac. Still spongy.

Went on this forum and many are saying the coding is not needed so I went to an indy that deals with BMW and they bled the brakes, and they were still spongy.

At the end since I had BimmerUtility I downloaded esys. This forum guided me on coding the brakes, and right after coding the pedal was back to normal. No spongy feel and it did not go to the floor.

So for those saying coding is not needed, it is if you have a CDN X5 F15 x35i. This is my personal experience so maybe it is different with other vehicles.