All,

Got the brake pad warning on the way back from the airport yesterday. Need to double check it’s not a broken sensor, but wanted to get more recent thoughts on pad options.

Not super happy the stock pads, really dusty and hyper grabby. I’ve had hit and misses with ceramic pads in the past. There also seems to be some unclear info on online sites with our pad fitment.

- Our pads are different sizes F & R right?
- Are “JCW Sport brakes” something different from just a JCW Countryman? I am wondering if some sites are confusing a package with a model.
- What other Mini models are our pads shared with?

Pads I am thinking about:
- EBC Ultimax or Green or Red Stuff
​​​​​​- Akebono
- TRW Ceramic


Thoughts? Thanks all!

Respectfully,
Steve

 

Steve,

What year and model is your Countryman. That will dictate what is available on your specific Countryman.

 

Sorry,

2017 Countryman S All4 6spd.

 

I would recommend EBC RED STUFF pads. They have better bite than OEM, easy on rotors and darn near dustless. I ran them on my 2017 CM S ALL4. They dust ONLY for the first 500 miles then they are super clean.

and yes, pads are different front to rear.

 

On my 2019 JCW, at 13,000 miles I replaced the noisy, dusty OEM pads with ceramic...couldn't be happier with the lack of dust as well as the performance on regular street driving. Put slotted rotors on it at the same time. Did not get the drilled version of rotors after reading about the ramifications, although they arguably "look cool". Got pads and rotors from R1 during a 30% off special...cost was 261.00 total, including shipping. Dirty work, and I had to buy a socket set to get the right connection to the rear caliper bolts, and learned how to release/reset the electric parking brake without using a computer, but, for me, very much worth the cost and effort. Oh, I re-used the sensors, since they had not triggered. Just have to take your time and learn about things like the stick-on circles that are on the back of the pads. Videos are extremely helpful!

 

EBC Red Stuff pads for a 2017 Countryman S are the perfect pads. Never re use the sensors, always change them since they are really cheap. You will be more than happy with one of the best pads on the market. More bite and such little dust. I am a walking testament to the EBC pads. Been using them since 2012 when i changed them on my 2010 clubman s JCW tune. Then put them on my 2017 Countryman S just like yours.

 

Ha! I guess we'll have to disagree on what is "cheap". Paying 50.00-60.00 to replace two sensors is not cheap to me; it's wasteful. There is a small metal clip that holds each one in place. Easy enough to pay attention, capture it, and re-use the sensor if it hasn't yet even touched the rotor.

 

I understand! The OP was looking for suggestion on a pad, lots of ceramic pads out there and from different brands, you didn’t give them a brand which is what they were looking for. I wanted to give them my honest opinion on what I used on the identical car. I use EBC Red Stuff pads on all my MINIS since 2012 and have had great results. I would highly recommend them. I know others are using Hawk and Akebono and are pretty happy with them.

 

Yep, those are the three brands I see the most. I took a chance on the R1 brand since I landed a 30% off deal. So far, so good. But, I have no other ceramic pads to compare them to...so, my recommendation shouldn't hold much weight compared to EBC/Hawk/Akebono.

I sure am happy not to have to work so hard cleaning the wheels any more! I don't know what would ever send me away from ceramic in the future.

 

I have a 2020 JCW Countryman ALL4 and there are still NO pads for this car as the rotors are now bigger than the ‘19 and seems the only thing available are the OEM dusty pads.

 

Agreed, hopefully EBC will produce an updated version soon. I wonder if there is another BMW product that shares the same size & pad design.

 

EBC Red Stuff pads for all the way around on order! Kind of odd for ordering. I could only find ECS Tuning with both fronts and tears. Ship direct from EBC, and are exact same price that they would be from the EBC website.

Looking forward to the new pads.

 

the BMW M135i and the X2 M35i share the same motor and transmission as the 2020-2022 JCW Countryman. Not sure of the brakes. Looking into this now. The production numbers for 2020-2021 JCW were very low due to Covid. So the market would be small for them to develop a pad.

 

I just put EBC Green on the rear of my 2019 S today, and replaced the wear sensor with an EBC branded one since my pads had worn down to the sensor at 39k miles. ECS Tuning had everything in stock and shipped quickly.

For those doing this, I used my scanner to set the electric parking brake to maintenance mode, and turned the piston as retraced it. The spring goes on the inside pad and the wear sensor was only on the right side.

Was surprised how worn the pads were at this milage, haven't had a car eat pads like this since the VW New Beetle, it had a weight sensor that adjusted brake bias, and it ate rear pads.