Coding

M Performance Brake Coding (SPBR) With E-Sys

Fitted the M Performance brake kit and the pedal feels soft? Add SPBR to the FA and VO code the DSC, the same change a dealer makes.

Fitted the M Performance brake kit yourself and the pedal feels soft at the top of its travel? The car still thinks it has the old brakes. A dealer fixes that by adding one option to the FA and coding the DSC, and you can make the same change with E-Sys.

Credits Cool

The steps are Serpent720's, from the F30post thread M Performance Sport Brake Step by Step Coding, written in 2013. shawnsheridan explained how the dealer does it, and oceanview and Jadar tested the disc values so nobody else has to. Thanks to all of them.

Do You Need It?

The dealer fitted the kit. Then it's already done. They add SPBR to the FA and program the car with ISTA. That programming also wipes your custom FDL coding, so redo that instead.

You fitted it yourself. Yes, this is for you.

Your car came with Brembo brakes from the factory. One owner who has dug into this, johnung, says those cars already have the right brake coding for any of the F3x Brembo setups.

What You Need

E-Sys and an ENET cable. Lite PSdZData is enough, as shawnsheridan confirmed (see PSdZData Full vs Lite). This is VO coding, so no token either.

Step by Step

  1. In Expert Mode → Coding, read the FA and save a copy.
  2. Go to Editors & Viewers → FA-Editor and open the saved FA. Right-click HO-Wort, choose Edit and add SPBR.
  3. Click Calculate FP and check there are no errors. Older guides call this Calculate FA. It's the same button.
  4. In the vehicle profile, check that SPBR_18_ZOLL_SPORTBREMSE now appears under aftermarket fitment. One owner saw the 19-inch version instead.
  5. Write the FA to the car. No confirmation pops up, so read the FA again and check SPBR is there.
  6. Click Activate FA and Read SVT. Right-click DSC (the module itself, not the CAFD under it) and choose Code.
  7. Read and save the new FA, so your backup matches the car.

Leave the Disc Sizes Alone

In the DSC's FDL coding you'll find parameters like C_Variante_Bremsscheibe_vorne_e and C_Variante_Bremsscheibe_hinten_e. They still show the old disc sizes after VO coding, 340 mm front and 330 mm rear on oceanview's car.

oceanview and Jadar both FDL coded them to the new sizes and felt no difference. oceanview even set them to the smallest brakes on the list as a test, and still felt nothing. The VO coding is what changes the pedal. shawnsheridan's point was simple: dealers never FDL code, so FDL coding can't be part of the retrofit.

What Owners Felt

Serpent720 drove two weeks with the kit uncoded and found the pedal mushier than the stock brakes. After coding, the soft first part of the travel was gone, and pushing further gave more bite than before. Jadar described the mush as eliminated through the whole pedal travel.

Not everyone got there straight away. One owner still had a spongy pedal after coding. Another, whose kit was coded with ISTA, bled the brakes twice and still found the first touch slightly light. Coding doesn't fix air in the system, so bleed properly before you judge it.

FAQ

Does this work on other models?

The owners in the thread used it on F3x cars. An X1 F48 owner couldn't add SPBR at all, so it may not exist for every model.

Can I do it without E-Sys?

One owner made the same change with Bimmergeeks ProTool, from its options menu, and found it easy.

The attached one-page PDF has the steps on one sheet. More guides are under Coding, or I can do it remotely.

Files

  • M-Performance-Brake-Coding.pdf