What model of SS Lines did you install as I thought it had to be R56 lines due to the different threads on the R56 caliper but I have heard different stories ?

I thought there may be a problem with the sensor. Does any one know if the R56 sensor can be retro fitted onto the R53 ?

 

I went with the SS from AutoXCooper, I think IE makes them.
Dustin makes it actually pretty easy, you can buy them in pairs.
I bought one pair of front R56 ones and one pair of R53 ones for the back (changed only the lines in the back, not rotors nor calipers).

 

thanks for the info.

 

I installed R56 brakes on front and rear. The sensors are different, but I too chose to not even mess with it. I just left my R53 sensors plugged in, the pad end has always been zip tied. I dont need a stupid light to tell me my brakes are worn.

As for the SS lines, Autoxcooper makes it very simple determine what you need. Since i did a complete swap i simply bought 4 R56 lines.

 

OK - I read the whole thread and still have the need to ask one question (clarification actually).

I have a 2005 MCS. Just bought 2009 R56 brakes.

Will my old lugs fit? Or do I need to buy that conversion kit from TSW?

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

You're fine. Do not need new lugs with that combination.

 

OK, last question before I start.

Again, my swap is from a 2009 MCS, going onto my 2005 MCS.

Any reason to switch the rears? I have them (they came with my 2009 set). But if there is no benefit, then no reason to do the work.

 

nope. stock is fine.

 

The JCW Sport Brake kit for the R53 comes with a set of upgraded brake pads for the stock rear calipers.

Call your Mini parts dealer for info and pricing.

On the R56 and R53 JCW Sport Brake Kit, the part numbers for front brake rotors are the same. That includes the part no's for the drilled and slotted upgrade rotors as well.

 

I'm quoting Sonichris's post with the pics to highlight one area critical for the conversion.

I'm in the process of doing this conversion and ran into a weird snag. I found my calipers on Ebay and I didn't realize until I went to install the pads that the two mounting brackets (Brake Carrier) were not the same. So if your looking at doing this make sure you have the correct brackets. There are two distinct things to tell them apart that seem stupidly obvious to me now, and they are as follows.

First, and the most easy to see is make sure the brackets have "ears" on each side of them, that can easily be seen in Sonichris's first three pictures below. The wrong bracket will not have the "ears".

The second thing is not so easy to see but there is a number cast onto the inside face of the bracket between the two mounting holes. It would be located directly above where the piston side brake pad sits. The correct bracket will have "TRW 16" cast into the bracket. I won't say what the wrong bracket has cast so as to not cause any mix up.

All in all I'm not too upset b/c even having to make a trip to the dealership to buy the correct bracket I will still be saving a few hundred $'s over buying the official JCW brake kit. Just look out for those two items when getting the caliper brackets and you should be Ok.

Thanks for the pics, it helped me get the right parts for my upgrade.

 

Didn't you get the caliper brackets as well when you bought them??? I would assume they are different because the calipers are a different size. If you are upgrading to a larger caliper, you would need a "larger" bracket or one that was meant for that size and design caliper. Most of the takeoff kits on here I'm assuming are coming with the brackets, no point to selling it without them.

 

I bought the calipers off of Ebay, and yes I received the brackets with the calipers. But I was sent two different brackets, one for the correct sized rotor and one for another sized rotor. I'm assuming the wrong one was for the standard Cooper. According to realoem.com the R55 and R56 use the same caliper, but different brackets.

So yes, most of the take off kits come with brackets. But if you second hand source your upgrade it's something that you need to look out for. I didn't realize there was a difference until I looked at it and did some research online.

 

Oh damn!! Well thanks for giving us all the heads up. It's too bad the seller didn't do the right thing and correct the sale for you.....ebay.......you dont always know what you're gonna get!!

 

hey so i've got a question, what if i were to buy aftermarket brakes for an r56, would i be able to retrofit them to my r53? because that would make for some serious stopping power in my opinion. thanks for the info

 

Sorry to bring this up from the dead, but I am considering doing this mod too and getting the calipers off ebay since I can't find a used set. So they did send you the correct brackets?

 

No they didn't because I told him not to worry about it. For the deal I got on them, and I have a friend that works the parts counter at the local Bimmer dealership I just bought the correct bracket from him at dealer cost.

 

How much does that cost? I have a wholesale account with my dealer through my work. I just want to make sure I have everything before starting the project. Also, did you need to get the front brake lines?

 

I've got a complete R56 brake system with JCW drilled front rotors. At 8000 miles, I upgraded to the JCW Brembo brakes, front and rear. Anyone interested in them, shoot me an email at quattroassi at aol dot com. I am in San Antonio, so would be better to drop by and pick them up as they would make for some heavy boxes.

James

 

I guess this thread isn't as dead as I thought it was. Anyways, I wanted to ask some that might know. A few pages back someone said that ONLY the R56 Cooper S calipers were the same as the R53 JCW brakes, but I just checked with RealOEM and the part numbers for the caliper housings for a 2007 R56 MCS and a 2010 R56 Cooper are the same. Part #'s are as follows:
34116778335
34116778336

So why is it that people are saying you have to buy takeoff's from a R56 MCS??? Can anyone clear this up? Is RealOEM wrong?!?!? Doubt it.

Thanks,
Steve

Found the post I was thinking of. I know it was 4 years ago and I'm sure we've learned alot since then....or maybe I'm wrong and missing something. Anyways here is the quote:

 

anybody have any input on this? clarification would be very helpful

thanks,
Steve

 

By the way those calipers look, were they remanufactured?? I found a couple I might jump on... i guess remanfactured cant be any worse then a used pair with 40K miles

 

Resurrecting an old thread here I know. I just pm'd sonichris with these questions, but I thought I would throw it out here as well.

Just completed this upgrade. Well worth it! The calipers and rotors I have came off a 2011 r56. They also came with SS lines that had been upgraded on the r56 by the prior owner. When I installed them on my r53, they were about 2 inches shorter than my r53 SS lines. They worked, but there is now very little (i.e. none) slack in the lines when the wheel is cranked all the way in one direction. To give them some extra length, I did not notch out the bracket where they connect to the solid line from the master cylinder. A few questions:

1. Are the r56 lines shorter than the r53 lines? Should I just buy some custom lines that are a bit longer?

2. With my current set up am I going to be putting too much stress on the lines?

3. Will not notching the carrier where the lines connect cause a problem? The clip is installed on the top and they are screwed all the way in, so I can't see how they could move.

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

Apparently the calipers themselves are the same between gen2 MC and MCS....it's simply the caliper brackets that are different (with the MCS allowing the larger 294mm rotor.

Excellent post here:
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f25/...e-guide-19858/

- Andrew

 

Does anyone have a source for R56 calipers and caliper brackets? I can get rotors, pads, and lines on my own.

- andrew

 

If you choose to fit the 294mm rotor to your car you can also fit the TCE DP6 "caliper kit" to this rotor for a combo bbk of sorts.