Took the X1 to the track

[0w40X1]

Originally Posted by paradoxical3

It's been one of the most consistently mentioned things in reviews of the x28i. There has been some debate whether it's due to poor tires or just undersized brakes, but one way or the other the x35i stops better (and has physically bigger and better rotors and calipers).

I wouldn't know about the x28i, since I have the s28i which has incredible brakes.

I saw those reviews and knew I wanted only rear wheel drive (less is more to me).

It's likely the front drive parts add rotational mass which the smaller brakes can't overcome like the bigger x35i.

[Van1]

I have found the brakes to be more than adequate and actually quite good on my x28i.

What is the size of 28i rotors vs 35i rotors? Having a hard time finding good info on a google search.

[mabrahams]

Originally Posted by UMBC2015

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the 28i have smaller brakes, and the 35i have the larger brakes. X and S drive have nothing to do with it.

Correct. The 35i does have larger rotors. 312X24 on 28i and 348X30 on 35i. They also have different calipers.

[paradoxical3]

Originally Posted by Van1

I have found the brakes to be more than adequate and actually quite good on my x28i.

Well, it's not like we're talking about a Tercel. It's still a BMW which means they are better than 85% of the other braking systems on the road.

For daily driving either braking system is more than adequate. It's only in comparison to the 35i that the 28i's brakes are not great.

[TTGator]

Hey paradoxical3... I just finished reading your huge post with the M3 guys the other day... You never went back to that thread to update them with your track info did you? I read that thread after reading the beginning of this one and was laughing to myself right along with you when they couldn't comprehend you weren't saying the X1 was better than the M3, but better at certain things. Hehe

[Van1]

Para, glad you had a good time on the track. Hope you keep it up and look forward to doing some laps with you in the future. Mid Ohio is on my list of tracks to instruct at but this job in Germany has side tracked my track endeavors for the time being.

As a regular track guy myself, I am confident in the braking ability of the x28i. I wouldn't characterize the x28i brakes as poor in any case. I'd say they are good and that the x35i may be a little better than good.

[0w40X1]

Originally Posted by UMBC2015

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the 28i have smaller brakes, and the 35i have the larger brakes. X and S drive have nothing to do with it.

Yeah, but the x28i has to be able to slow down the front drive shaft, too, which the s28i doesn't have.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by 0w40X1

Yeah, but the x28i has to be able to slow down the front drive shaft, too, which the s28i doesn't have.

Your argument might work better if you just kept to the fact that the sDrive is slightly lighter. The awd aspect, apart from the corresponding weight gain, is not relevant to stopping distances.

[paradoxical3]

Originally Posted by TTGator

Hey paradoxical3... I just finished reading your huge post with the M3 guys the other day... You never went back to that thread to update them with your track info did you? I read that thread after reading the beginning of this one and was laughing to myself right along with you when they couldn't comprehend you weren't saying the X1 was better than the M3, but better at certain things. Hehe

Nah, it's not worth it. I had my fun stirring the hornet's nest already. But the funny part is that one of the guys in that forum (though not an instigator in the thread) is one of the guys I passed on the track

He was a genuinely nice guy and came up to me afterwards to say how impressed he was with the car so I'm not going to name names!

Para, glad you had a good time on the track. Hope you keep it up and look forward to doing some laps with you in the future. Mid Ohio is on my list of tracks to instruct at but this job in Germany has side tracked my track endeavors for the time being.

As a regular track guy myself, I am confident in the braking ability of the x28i. I wouldn't characterize the x28i brakes as poor in any case. I'd say they are good and that the x35i may be a little better than good.

Mid-Ohio is such a cool track. Frankly, I'm afraid I've developed a severe addiction. I think my friends and family are sick of me by now because every other sentence starts with, "When I was at the track..." I will be finding a way to get out there each and every opportunity this coming season, so I'm sure we'll run into each other eventually.

I should have been more careful with my choice of words. The 28i's brakes aren't "poor" (and as I said, I believe the longer braking distances are largely a result of the less-than-ideal all season tires that the review samples have). I should have said that they are less powerful than those of the x35i.

[Van1]

For those on the fence about attending a drivers education event (DE) with your local BMWCCA chapter or other marque chapter in your X1, realize that any car can be tracked. The X1 is more than capable of providing fun on the track as Para has shown. A few years ago, shortly before I became an instructor with the BMWCCA and PCA, I tracked my 5800lb VW V10 TDI in the advanced group at a BMWCCA DE. I was not the slowest person in the group. By the end of the weekend everybody was giving me high fives. I could not have gotten more attention if I had brought a Lambo.

If you are not a member of the BMWCCA, join and get involved in your local chapter. Go attend a Drivers Education Event. You will be paired up with an experienced instructor who will teach you about high performance driving on a race track. It will be the most fun you've ever had. At worse, you will become addicted and become an instructor yourself.