It was more than I wanted to pay but I couldn't think of a better car to take to my local tracks (Road America, Black Hawk Farms). My first Mini was a 2006 r50 chili, manual and I drove it till the clutch went out at 185,000 miles. It was getting rusty around the tail lights so I reluctantly sold it. Since then I have always fondly remembered that car, so I finally bought a Mini again.

So my question is this, what brake kit should I install for track days? It has stock r53 non-JCW brakes on it now. Was really planning on doing the GT2 6 PIston kit, rear r56 JCW with the R56 aluminum trailing arm update and 18" wheels BUT upon attempting to order the GP2 Brembos the retailer was adamant that the Wilwood was a better brake. I plan on under 8 track days a year. My concern is the balance with keeping the car JCW but being a safe track car.

A little on how we got here..........

We bought my wife a gt500 last year and I required that she take a driving school in it before hitting the streets, she took three schools and wanted to keep going..... enter the Mini. No way I was going to prep her car for more advanced driving as it just isn't going to be a GT350. But I thought a R53 could be fun, hence the R53 JCW.

Let me know your thoughts guys.

 

A few thoughts, having driven every possible OEM brake kit on 1st and 2nd gen on the track.

First, the GP2 brakes are brilliant…but only on 2nd gen. They are too big for the brake booster on R53.

The R53, R53 JCW, and R56 S brakes are just okay for HPDE. Proper pads, SS brake lines, and fluid can get the job done. But they are single piston and don’t inspire confidence at the limits.

My preference is the R56 JCW 4 pistons with SS brake lines. Have them on my current R53 and prior R55 JCW. Bonus, they are lighter than any of the other options too.

18” wheels not ideal for track. I’d go with the smallest option which fits your brake choice. OZ has a few decent options, and can save weight too.

Don’t have experience with the Wildwood setup, but some people like them and may chime in.

Congratulations, enjoy the new car!

 

I paid more than that 6 months ago for my (sig) non-JCW R53 but as described in (sig) thread, only 4k total miles and already track-prepped at that time. No tracking plans for me, so I've been taming it for real-world road conditions and nearly there. As shown, mine has AP Racing "big brakes" (UK) which need specific 17" wheels to clear those calipers. Mine are Team Dynamics with brakes/wheels sourced by the original owner in 2006, which obviously clear and without need for spacers. Not suggesting the optimal selection in 2021/2022 vs alternatives, however one worth consideration with those components still available.

 

I bought my mcs in April. I opted for the Porsche Boxster front caliper swap. I also ordered a new set of OEM rear calipers. I have driven the car gently and the small matter cylinder seems well matched. It doesn't appear over braked. Only the next hpde will tell. Check out minibrakes.com

 

Great info guys!

JackMac - Have you had to rebuild your calipers yet? I read about people complaining about the pistons going out and they don't seem to sell stainless replacements anymore. Do you use 1 piece solid rotors? 17"+ rims only with those bad boys, correct? What wheels are you running? Are there a decent amount of pad options?

MCS4FUN- Sounds like a great car, those brakes are serious. Thanks for sharing.

2out2sea- I love that idea, what size wheels are you running? 4 pot or 6 pot calipers? Dothey make a rear kit?

Thanks Guys!

 

The issue with piston caliper rings is with the GP2 brake kit. Haven’t heard of issues with the 2nd gen JCW brakes, but I’ve only done two sessions with those so not a lot of experience.

 

The boxster brakes are only on the front. They use the 316mm rotor and hat. Perfect clearance on the oz allegerita hlt 17 with 38mm offset. If I find I'm under braked in the rear I'll upgrade to something bigger. From my very limited time after the swap the balance feels good. A track weekend will tell the tale.

 

Congrats and welcome to the fold. We’re you able to figure out how the car ended up with non-JCW brakes (front)? I wouldn’t think it was because the aftermarket wheels didn’t have enough clearance?

 

Hey Jonny,

Not all JCW cars had brakes installed. I am actually happy about this because it would be sacrilege to replace JCW parts IMO and those 1st gen brakes are not impressive. . You are correct the 16" wheels limit me to the 4 piston Wilwood brakes or 1st gen single piston JCW brakes.

 

I have an '04 JCW that I have Wilwood Calipers & 12.9" rotors on. I had them on the OEM17" R90 ET 48. I just replaced the rims with 17 OZ Racing WRC rims 40ET and have no issues with anything.

 

^^^ Aha, active duty at Pt Hueneme Naval Station! Greetings from former 35 yr resident of Camarillo (across the Oxnard Plain). Thanks for your extended service to our Country!

Nice looking R53 for sure! Curious about those circular decals on the rear window(s). Perhaps relates to USN duty stations?

 

No longer active duty. Got out in '93 after almost 10yrs in. If I had to do it over would have stayed in 20. You are correct...Duty Stations and Deployments.

 

USNAE2- Great info, thanks for the real world fitment, If I go wilwood I would probably do it to keep running my 16" SSR Comp wheels and do the 12.19 Rotor version..

Though I am leaning towards the 4 piston JCW if it is true they don't have piston problems when tracked..... Sadly that means I have to get new wheels, and I agree with JackMac 18" are not ideal for track use, I just figured the were my best bet to clear 6 piston brembos. That being the case I will probably go with 17", thinking the R112 and some JCW centers......Just need to find a set.

 

Update-

Went with the r56 4 piston JCW brembo front calipers, Also opted for the Hawk HPS 5.0 Pads and Cryo Treated Stoptech rotors up front., they happen to be sitting in a box waiting for the snow to clear so I can toss them on and bed them in. Ended up sourcing a set of 17" R112 wheels to round out the upgrades. Pictures to come in a month or two..

Decided to go with the WMW 25.5 rear sway bar and some stainless braided lines all the way around as well.

Pretty sure it will act like a different car, look more like a proper JCW and act just how I want for some fun track time.

 

Those JCW 4 pots will make a difference.

 

ECS, thanks for your input and that reminds me I should order a MSD coil from you guys. I would imagine my 17 year old coil may need to be replaced. Just have to figure out if there are JCW and non-JCW MSD options.

 

So the MSD coil number part is 8239. Learned so much about our Mini when getting this answer. Did you know we have a non-US Dodge Neon Motor and that is essentially what this coil is for. You will need to drill out the sleeves to fit the oe bolts or buy new bolts. Interesting lesson about my Mini with this part research. Please note the 4 bolt install is key as too long of bolts will damage your valve cover.

 

Yep, its an old Mitsubishi coil pack also.

 

Just ordered up a M7 Stage III suspension from ECS tuning, anybody have anything helpful to know about the stage III kit? LIkes, dilikes?



Thanks guys!

 

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^ Bot/spam reported to admin - please delete

 

Hi.

I missed out on the minibrakes.com site when they had stock. not sure if product will return.
do you have any docs that show what the caliper bracket dimensions? i'm interested in machining my own and would like to clone theirs if possible.

if you ever wish to sell yours, i'd be interested.

thanks, george

 

Just saw this, I have the USS system full system from M7 speed and front STP/Bar and its really reduced the flex which is huge on the old convertibles.