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Most folks in this thread have brake kits on their cars, and most are happy with what they have, so in this respect I am glad for all of you and am not making any attempt to state which brake kit is better than another.
With that said, I do think that this test leaves some ambiguity on the table, and as always IND's goal is to ensure that as many M3 owners are as educated as possible about the factors involved in modifying their cars. The better informed M3 enthusiasts are, the better it is for everyone in the community.
This test seems to focus on two key criteria: stopping distance and pedal feel.
Stopping distance is largely a result of compound choice. Put a terrible compound in a good brake system and you'll have a long stopping distance. Put an excellent compound in a terrible brake system, and you'll have an excellent one time stopping distance.
Pedal feel is once again largely a result of compound choice. Anyone who has swapped between various pads on their track cars can attest to just how tremendously pedal feel can swing back and forth, depending on what pads you use.
Again, because of the vastly dis-similar pads used in this test, this test is more a test of brake pad than it is a test of BBK hardware.
I absolutely appreciate the desire to test the kits as-supplied. Different manufacturers make different choices on which pads to supply- some feel that their clients will appreciate the phenomenal performance of the Pagid RS29 as a pre-loaded pad, and will tolerate the noise and dust. Others elect to pre-load their kits with a street oriented pad that is less competent on the track, but has low noise and low dust characteristics. This is more than anything manufacturer preference, and is a tough call to make. Which segment of your consumer base will you choose to please? Brake pads are not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it is exactly for this reason that many of our clients swap between many different pad choices depending on what they are doing with the car that day, no matter which brake kit they have.
Although testing the kits as-supplied has some journalistic merit, it is in no way a scientific test of the quality of the hardware itself. This is why I say this test is of no use, as a test of BBK hardware- it's a brake pad test.
For a fun experiment, buy the cheapest off-brand brake kit you can from an overseas supplier like XYZ, D2, etc, and drop an Endless sprint pad into the kit. You'll find extremely short stopping distances and excellent pedal feel, in an otherwise terrible package.
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