Big Brake Kit
XYZ Racing Hollow Front Brake Kit — Bmw 5 SERIES E 28 M5 (1985-1988)
SKU: XYZ-BRK-BKF-BM-01-G-FRONT
- IncludesFront axle pair (2 discs + 2 calipers)
- PositionFront
- Disc Ø330–444 mm
- Caliper pots6 / 8 / 12-pot
- Lead time10–15 working days
Fits Bmw 5 SERIES E 28 M5 (1985-1988)
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Caliper render for this kit:
Few saloons from the mid-1980s carry the E28 M5’s backstory: handbuilt at BMW Motorsport’s Munich workshop, powered by the M88/3 inline-six producing 286bhp, and briefly the fastest production saloon on sale anywhere in the world. The original braking hardware was adequate for 1985, but 40 years of heat cycles, aged rubber seals, and period-specification calipers tell a different story for any owner using one of these cars properly on the road or at a circuit.
The XYZ Racing Hollow Front Brake Kit gives the E28 M5 the stopping hardware the M88/3’s power always deserved. It is a single-axle front kit, a left and right pair of calipers on two-piece floating discs, built to your spec at the configurator above. Three pad compounds mean you can match the kit precisely to how the car actually gets used: Street for preservation and light road work, Sport for more committed fast-road driving, and Racing for track days where the M88/3’s top end is finally let loose.
What this brake kit does for your 1985-1988 Bmw 5 Series E 28 M5
The two-piece floating disc is the engineering centrepiece here. By reducing solid mass through the hollow-vane casting, heat dissipates faster under sustained braking loads, the kind of loads that accumulate when you’re carrying the M5’s kerb weight into repeated braking zones, while the floating friction ring stays free to expand without coning. The result is better pedal consistency, reduced fade onset, lower unsprung and rotating mass at the front axle, and stopping performance that keeps pace with the M88/3’s character rather than acting as the limiting factor.
The caliper finishes span the included no-cost painted colours through to premium polished and candy options, letting you match the hardware to the car’s presentation, whether that’s a concours-adjacent example or a driver’s car that gets used hard.
About the Hollow Front Brake Kit
The XYZ Racing caliper is hollow-bodied as standard, which keeps rotational mass down at the front axle while the two-piece floating disc opens additional thermal dissipation paths a comparably-sized solid disc cannot match. For owners taking the M5 to the circuit, the optional Hollow Racing caliper removes the dust cover, is rated to 1000C, and carries a two-year warranty for hard, sustained use.
Three pad compounds cover the full spectrum of use the E28 M5 is likely to encounter in 2026: Street for occasional road miles with reliable, low-dust, fade-free stopping; Sport stepping up heat tolerance and bite for fast-road driving; and Racing for circuit sessions where consistent braking zones and sustained heat build-up are part of the day. Disc style is your choice of drilled or slotted at the same price.
Caliper finish runs from the included Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, and Anodized Black at no extra cost, through a Custom Color in any Pantone, to premium polished-forged Titanium, Polished Gold, and Polished Silver, and candy Teal, Blue, Red, and Orange. Centre bells can be upgraded to two-tone anodized in five colours or to titanium at checkout. The kit covers the front axle only.
Fitment for the Bmw 5 Series E 28 M5 (1985-1988)
This kit is specified for the E28 M5 produced between 1985 and 1988, the original Motorsport GmbH M5, not the later E34 generation. Confirm your chassis code and build date before ordering, as the E28 platform had production variants that may differ in front hub specification.
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Set your pad compound, caliper colour, and disc style above, and the kit is built to suit the car.
What’s in the kit
Front axle kit — supplied as a complete bolt-on assembly.
- 2×Two-piece floating discs — 330–444 mm: you pick the exact diameter with the "Disc size" option
- 2×Lightweight aluminium centre bells
- 2×Forged aluminium calipers — 6 / 8 / 12-pot
- 2×High-stiffness mounting brackets
- 2×Braided stainless steel brake lines
- 4×High-performance brake pads (1 set)
- 1×Fitting hardware & tools pack
Choosing your spec
Every kit is built to order around the choices you make above. Here is what each option actually changes, so you can spec yours with confidence.
Brake pads — Street, Sport or Racing
Every kit ships with a full set of high-performance pads; the compound is your call.
Street is the right default for fast-road driving — a strong, progressive cold bite with low noise, low dust and long disc life. Sport raises the working temperature and adds bite and fade resistance for hard road use and the occasional track day, while still behaving on a cold morning. Racing is a track compound built for sustained abuse: huge fade resistance and bite once heat is in it, at the cost of more noise and dust when cold. Match the pad to how hard you actually use the brakes — there is no benefit to a race pad that never gets up to temperature.
Caliper grade — Hollow vs Hollow Racing
Hollow is the standard caliper on every kit: a hollow-body forged caliper, lighter than a solid one, fitted with a dust cover and backed by a 5-year oil-leak warranty. For most fast-road and spirited track use it is all the caliper you need.
Hollow Racing is the track-grade upgrade. It runs the same hollow body but without a dust cover (so there is nothing to melt at sustained high temperature), uses a twin-metal piston that isolates heat travelling from the disc to the oil seal, and is rated to 1000°C. Available 286–380mm (front). Warranty is 2 years on oil leaks and 10 years on appearance. Built for professional racing and repeated track days.
Caliper colour & finish
Painted colours (Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, Anodized Black) are included at no cost. Want an exact match to your car? Custom Color (+£150) paints the calipers to any Pantone code you supply (15–20 day lead time).
Polished Forged finishes are the flagship: a forged caliper given a mirror-polished surface treatment that shifts colour with the viewing angle. Beyond the looks, the polished surface dissipates heat better, resists rust and stands up to the weather. Choose Titanium (neochrome, +£350), Polished Gold (+£300) or Polished Silver (+£250). They look their best paired with a titanium centre bell. Care: clean only with a dilute neutral cleaner or water.
Candy colours (+£200) use a deep candy-paint and polishing process for a mirror-reflection, boutique finish — pick Teal, Blue, Red or Orange (shown below right).
Centre bells
The centre bell is the CNC-machined aluminium hat that joins the disc to the hub. The standard anodized centre bell is included. The Two-tone bell (+£200) adds an anodized accent ring — choose Red, Yellow, Orange, Purple or Silver right here at checkout. The Titanium centre bell (+£500) is a forged titanium bell (bolts not included) that finishes off the polished-forged look.
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More XYZ products for the Bmw 5 SERIES E 28 M5 appear here as the rest of the range publishes.