Drivetrain Cooper S - worth upgrading to JCW brakes or not?
3rd Gear
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
your still missing the point, so you spend $1K on your JCW brake kit, you've achieved nothing, in regards to uprating brake performance!
You've still got stock rotors and pads, that offer nothing more than the stock Cooper S, regarding heat dissipation!
So you've now to look at purchasing grooved performance discs and a pad to suit your track set up, for your JCW brake kit, you will now have spent approaching $2K to get your JCW brake kit to perform as well as a good set of pads and discs fitted to your stock Cooper S set up, which would cost approx $700!
I track my S and use stock S calipers, stock sized S discs, cryogenically frozen with 48 1/4 moon shaped grooves per front discs, and carbotech XP10 front and XP8 rears, stainless hard lines and Castrol SRF fluid, and can brake harder and deeper than most, a friend has a JCW, and comes knowhere near my braking points, when on track!
You've still got stock rotors and pads, that offer nothing more than the stock Cooper S, regarding heat dissipation!
So you've now to look at purchasing grooved performance discs and a pad to suit your track set up, for your JCW brake kit, you will now have spent approaching $2K to get your JCW brake kit to perform as well as a good set of pads and discs fitted to your stock Cooper S set up, which would cost approx $700!
I track my S and use stock S calipers, stock sized S discs, cryogenically frozen with 48 1/4 moon shaped grooves per front discs, and carbotech XP10 front and XP8 rears, stainless hard lines and Castrol SRF fluid, and can brake harder and deeper than most, a friend has a JCW, and comes knowhere near my braking points, when on track!
Are the cooper s brakes good enough for autocross or would upgrading the rotors/pads/lines/fluid make a big difference? And could all these things be done for less than $1000.00? Thanks
i personally have TSW Rotors all around, Ferodo DS2500 pads front, stock rears, Helix/IrelandEngineering SS Lines, and Superblue fluid... swapping to Castrol next. epic difference and keeps weight down as well.. was gonna go JCW for brake bling and performance, if i went that route i'd probably get JCW pieces, but swap in Hawk HPS or HP+ pads for more spirited driving situations... stock pads for the Brembo JCWs seem to work great for street, and my lines would be transferable between the setups...
3rd Gear
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 222
Likes: 2
I have fitted to an S the JCW Brembo brake kit and I can say that generally speaking it is very good combination.
It is worth the money.
For my driving habits the factory JCW pads are too soft and replaced them to ferodo racing (they are much harder and they last longer as well while they don't seem to fade after hard use)
The disks are very nice and they dissipate heat quite well, though I think a disk with separate rotors and bells would do the job better.
If you want the ultimate combo no matter the cost go for an aftermarket four piston with rotors separate bells and pads by ferodo (maybe the ds3000)
Or if you would like to go one step further than the factory combo I would vote for the better disks and pads and fluids in the factory calipers.
It's up to you...
It is worth the money.
For my driving habits the factory JCW pads are too soft and replaced them to ferodo racing (they are much harder and they last longer as well while they don't seem to fade after hard use)
The disks are very nice and they dissipate heat quite well, though I think a disk with separate rotors and bells would do the job better.
If you want the ultimate combo no matter the cost go for an aftermarket four piston with rotors separate bells and pads by ferodo (maybe the ds3000)
Or if you would like to go one step further than the factory combo I would vote for the better disks and pads and fluids in the factory calipers.
It's up to you...
3rd Gear
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 222
Likes: 2
Though I would love the carbon ceramic combination.
I have test drove one heavily modified car with that combo and I can say the braking force is sweet...
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,821
Likes: 1
From: Mililani,Hawaii
ooOOoo I likey. Maybe we can get Dustin to start carrying them.
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