I'm thinking about getting the JCW Big Brake Kit for my late '06 MCS. What are your experiences with it? I heard it squeaks, is that right? Outmotoring.com sells it for about $1100 and I'm thinking about pulling the trigger.

All opinions are appreciated. Thanks!

 

I had the Detroit Tuned kit on my car and pulled it off b/c of the noise it was making. I replaced it with a JCW kit and I am very happy with it. No noise out of my kit but does very well with SS brake lines.

 

MINI of mo-town has them for like 580

 

Thanks CARdiac, that's reassuring.

 

mr. jim, I'm from Cali, MINI of Mo-town is Detroit?

 

Nope, its NJ.

And here's the link to their offering (you should be able to get the same quote from your dealer as well- just my 0,02 $)

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=3751

 

He means the Morristown Mini in NJ...
This is their link:

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...tegoryID=75816

 

Factory installed on my '06 and I pretty much like them. Not really the best selection if you do plenty of track days, but for the little I do they perform well. I also have SS lines, but not sure how much they really helped.

You have to paint the rear calipers red to match the fronts though. It was a pain, but really completes the looks.

 

Awesome, that's almost half of what I would have paid for it. I can't tell if it comes with the same parts as the one Outmotoring.com?

 

I heard that there is a noticeable difference and that's what I'm looking for. I'm pretty satisfied with the stock brakes, but I'd like to have better stopping power.

What is an SS line?

 

Stainless Steel Line.

 

...or you just wait for R56 calipers, rotors and pads to come along in the Market here on NAM (<1000 miles on them) and pick them up for just a bit more than half of the $580, like I did. Not having to paint the rears to match is an added bonus, unless you're going for looks.

 

Thanks silversmoke06 & EBR53, guess I have more research to do. I think I have the 16" R84 rims (like my avatar). I noticed on Morristown's website site, that rim is not listed as compatible with the brake kit. Do I need to buy something else to make them fit? What are the downsides to that?

 

The downside is even though your wheels, R84, will work they are not recommended as there is minimal clearance for the proper air circulation.

The upside is you just reposition the wheels weights to clear the caliper.

The best solution is to use a 3mm or 5mm spacer, as a lot of people have, and you should not have any clearance issues.

The 16 inch factory wheels that are recommended are the R94 Bridge spokes. These are the wheels that I run but I might just go to the R84's as I like their looks better plus they are 3.3 pounds lighter.

Hope this helps...

 

I don't think they will clear the rim with 16". Yea sorry about the Mo-Town thing, here in Jersey it's Mo-Town MINI, but I guess anywhere else there thinking Detroit.

I love the brakes, mine came on the car from Factory.

 

I think most dealers have the kit at a discount

 

hooch504, if you want to save money and go with the R56 upgrade (same as R53 JCW), here's a good thread for reference:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...cw-brakes.html

That's what I chose to do. I paid $350 for a set (calipers, rotors, pads, hoses) with less than 1000 miles on them from another member here who was upgrading to Wilwoods. I missed out on a couple of sets in the $200 to $300 range and a track day was coming up so I ponied up. Some here have claimed to pick up the R56 set for $50. I figured, bang-for-the-buck, you can't go wrong. I also purchased track pads. I think that's sufficient for most drivers.

I've got several friends running Golfs, Corrados, Proteges, etc. in SCCI IT and NASA PT. They're all running OEM calipers, cheapo rotors and race pads. I think the law of diminishing returns applies to BBKs, as it does to nearly everything automotive.

This all being said, and somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, I've read here and there that the factory started fitting R56 rotors and calipers to R53s with a production date of 8/06 or later. If that's the case, then you may already have them. However... that would conflct with the R84 wheel question...

 

Im planning on going with the wilwood kit because of the multi piston design to better distribute the heat load from running the brakes under full power.
I had a friend who had trouble with the stock style brakes turning the pads into banannas

 

Thanks kazlot, it does. I'm thinking I'm going to need a spacer. Where do I buy that?

 

EBR53, I really like the way the R53s look and think I wanna roll with them. I'm saving up for it and I'm almost there.

The production date of my car is 8/06; I picked it up on 10.28.06. I guess I should check with the dealer, or someone who knows.

I really hope I can put them on.

 

I'm afraid I don't know as much about my MINI as others, but I'm learning. I'd like to stick with JCW parts as much as I can.

 

Wheel spacers, and longer lug bolts, are available from most NAM vendors, as example:

http://new.minimania.com/web/item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm

If you search on the Wheel & Tire forum you'll find a lot more info on spacers and the relocating of wheel weights.

I'm close to S.F. if you need assistance.

Hope this helps...

 

It does, thanks. Yes, I think I may take you up on that. Do you recommend I take it to the dealership to have the brake kit installed? I know it will probably cost more, but they guarantee their work.

 

Frankly that's up to you. Yes, it will cost more and they do guarantee their work and they should have all the necessary parts that you may or may not have. One stop shopping so to speak.

I have had good service and no hassle from East Bay Mini and yes I bought my car from them.
Does that make a difference, I don't know.

Having said all that I have had my non-warranty work, camber plates, understrut and 4-wheel alignments done by Bay Bridge Motors, a NAM vendor, in Oakland. And yes, they do stand by their work.

There are other shops in the Bay Area, Edge Motorworks in Dublin, A&E Performance in Campbell, that are also worth looking into.

Hope this helps...

 

At the risk of sounding like a sales pitch...I think you're going to find this to be pretty much a lateral move. The only difference between your stock brakes now and this JCW kit is the rotor size and red paint.

While it can be considered an improvement of some 25mm or so diameter it shouldn't be confused with their later multi piston caliper on large rotor set up available on today's car. Not wishing to upset anyone retailing this set up but I'm certain you could find this used as a take off from many members who went on to true big brakes happy to sell you their old parts for much less. What you are looking at here is the now "stock" brakes on the newer car whereas the JCW cars finally got what they should have all along.

Installation wise this is no more complicated than the removal of what you have now and installing in reverse order. The mounting and function of them is the same as you have now. SS hoses would not be necessary but a worthy addition to the install while you were there if you choose.