Thanks. Stainless rings are standard now. You can get the rear kit for $85 shipped from Way, or the front kit for the same $85. You can get the whole front and rear kit for $125 (Helix's sells the full kit for $130, shipped.) So, if two people split a full kit, then add $10 to ship half of it to the other person, that's $135 total, or $67.50 each. So, each person saves $17.50.

For that kind of money, you can take your honey out for a fancy dinner with all the trimmings, at McDonalds, Taco Bell, or practically anywhere else! LOL.

 

I actually did a quick comparison via the back page performance specs listed in August edition of Road and Track magazine. It wasn't a perfect match since it was a slightly heavier JCW Clubman vs Cooper S hardtop, but the Cooper S was an automatic so the weight difference may have been minimal. The Cooper S out-braked the JCW by 3 ft from 60mph and 7 ft from 80mph. On a track, with repeated braking, I'm sure the JCW brembo setup will fade less, but it was an interesting bit of info none-the-less and I still have my eye on those Wilwood sets or reasonably pricing JCW kit from Sewell.

Also, one thing to remember, the current Cooper S brakes are the same as the old JCW brakes on the R53. Another thing about the drilled discs, they may help in the rain to evacuate water, but those holes are really just decreasing the surface area that the pad has to grab. It can actually increase braking distances instead of decreasing. They still look cool though.

 

Unless there has been a big change in the JCW brakes since 2008, the JCW kit is very, very similar to the standard brakes. It is still just a single piston with a sliding caliper. I would not expect a JCW clubman to outbrake a regular Cooper S. You would probably make a bigger difference by swapping to a better pad than swapping to these calipers, if I were to guess, but I'm sure there are more authoritative sources now on the JCW upgrade than me. From what I saw, it wasn't worth anything. I found my BBK used, so it was a no-brainer for me.

 

The JCW Brembo Kit has 4 piston Calipers up front and 13" rotors, so about half inch bigger than the S.

 

The 4 piston Brembo JCW brakes (standard with factory JCW) were introduced in 2009.

 

So, that would make it a BBK you can find on some 2nd gen's that might be applicable to the OP's first gen car? If they would swap over, that would be a good option. The first gen JCW brakes are what I was referring to. Who knows what was on the Road & Track cars?

 

Sorry - Double Post

 

Absolutely right. I forgot about the switch when the factory JCW's came online.

Good point. I took a look further and they were reviews done in 2012, using the current gen Cooper S and JCW brake setups.

This is going to sound a little convoluted but hear me out...I would think since the R53's JCW package included a brake upgrade to R56 Cooper S calipers, and the R56 S has a BBK Option to add the 2009+ JCW brakes, then it should be plug and play for the R53 to use the JCW BBK, provided the wheels are big enough. Sounds right, no? Just trying to think of options that are reasonable for the OP.

 

Hey Danny, I run an 05 Justa with Koni Yellows, 19mm rear bar, TSW rear springs, Apex front springs,IE fixed camber plates and Bridgestone Potenza RE-11's. I had a "pucker" moment on the Dragon a few years back when my stock brakes faded. I upgraded to EBC Reds fronts with original rotors and changed brake fluid, great results. Have since added reds in the rear and front brass bushings, this setup works very good for very fast street/dragon, autocross and track days. My driving instructor stated, "use only what you need". Have not needed more......yet. Justas Rule!