Thought this research may be of value to anyone that tracks their MC or just wants bigger brakes for cheap.

I got curious about the brake difference bewteen the MC and MCS R56 after reading the wheel thread about which R50/R56 wheels did or did not fit the R56 due to the brakes interefering. For the R50/R53 the brakes were identical, but not no so for the MC and MCS R56. Some research of the part numbers for new R56 turns up that the Front rotor of a R56 MC is 280x22mm and the MCS is 294x22 mm, so it's 14mm or just over half an inch larger rotor on the new MCS. The pads also carry a different part number for the front, but the caliper and every other part in the system carries the same BMW part number (Master cylinder, brake booster, caliper, and the entire rear brake system is the same between R56 MC and R56 MCS).
So, to get the big brakes of the MCS, all you have to change is the rotorr and pads on the front ... that's it, and since all the proportioning is the same as the MCS, it should not upset balance. This ought to be about the cheapest big brake kit possible, and all factory engineered. I have yet to get my R56, but at the first sign of wear on the rotors, or the desire to use performance pads to cut down on brake dust, I'll be upgrading.

 

sounds like good research to me. I'm surprised you haven't gotten any responses here to verify or acknowledge this. as a plain ol cooper guy I will look into this at brake time. thanks for the heads up.

 

OEM 15" MC wheels will not fit over the S front brakes, and something has to account for it.

The "brake carrier" also appears to be different.
R56 MC: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...23&hg=34&fg=05
R56 MCS: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...23&hg=34&fg=05

 

The Calipers are slightly larger as well, they have to accommodate a larger rotor .
Remember that from the r53 to the r56, the r56 now has the JCW big brake kit that was available for the 1st gens, and these were not just rotors, but bigger/differently designed calipers as well. (note: you COULD then, and CAN now, get different MINI rotors, slotted or whatever, but this is not the sole change on the r56 brakes.)

regardless though, the parts should be a good price because they're really just "stock" S calipers, not something that MINI wants to capitalize on.
You'll get larger rotors and a little bit different caliper which would be very nice on an MC !

 

There is also the issue of the "dog bone" this is the part that bolts to the wheel hub that the caliper is then bolted too. It's larger and is the reason the Rear brakes on the JCW Brake Kit are the same pad and caliper it's just that the dog bone off sets the caliper more to work with the larger rotor. Like we have been saying for the last year, most MINI drivers don't "need" a BBK just a BBP, Better Brake Pads, and those pads are Carbotech. We have many customers running our street pads for more braking power and lower dust, we have many running track events on our track pads without the "need" to get a BBK. The OEM Pads are not clean nor track pads.