I have an 06 R53 JCW with the single piston JCW front brakes. These are fine for street driving but I get significant brake fade at the track, even with Carbotech pads installed. In fact they have got so hot that some of the red paint has scorched black.

I understand the R56 JCW brakes are 4 piston and perform much better. Any comments?

What is involved to install R56 JCW front brakes on an R53?

Are the bolt patterns the same so that I can still use my existing wheels?

Thanks.

 

its plug and play for 2005 onwards MCS R53 but for 2002-2004, u'll need to get the front R56 brakelines as well...

as for the rear brake, its plug and play too but u will need to get the handbrake cable for R56...very minot thing

17" s-lite will not fit the JCW Brembo caliper...u will need the R112 if u wanna maintain using 17"...

 

I put the JCW Brakes on my R53 (2002) Yes you need to change over the Brake hoses to the calipers (use the R56 hoses or get the braided lines). I did not replace the parking brake cables though. As for the trailing arm, The brake line enters the caliper different on the R56 than the R53 so you have to do a little cutting to alow the brake line to fit properly but nothing too crazy. I love them and would not go back.

 

All points covered above basically - done it on mine and its worth it

Only downside is wheel compatibility, check that first

 

Many thanks for the replies. Lot's of good info.

How would I know if my wheels are compatible? I have Enkei RP03 17".

Can the R56 JCW rotors be purchased either drilled or slotted?

 

Best way to check would be to do a test fit... all depends on offset and rear spoke clearance... My old JCW R95s were ET52 but needed a 7mm spacer to clear = ET45 but it depends on the spoke design of the wheel... I currently run ET37 and have no issues...

Rotors: you can get either A. plain discs or B. slotted/drilled.

 

Got it! So its not the insdie diameter of the wheel thats an issue. I will certainly measure the rear spoke clearance, but I'm inclined to think my wheels will be ok because the offset is 5mm more than the R90s I replaced and the spokes are quite slender and aren't inset from the rim. There is currently 15mm to spare at the narrowest point between the spoke and the R53 JCW caliper.

Thanks all for your help and advice. Looking forward to better braking performance and a better look

 

Well inside diameter would be a factor - 16" OZ supers wont fit on, not even close, but 17" OZ supers do in terms of diameter over the Brembos...

Fingers crossed yours works out ok

 

According to the Tire Rack site they will fit.

Hope this helps...

 

Does tyre rack give wheel compatibility with different BBKs ?? If so thats awesome; got a link ?

 

Yeah, I have been thinking about this some myself. My R53 JCW calipers get darker and darker every time I hit the track. I am adding brake cooling ducts, but that might not be enough, the R56 JCW front calipers seem to be a significant upgrade and I would rather not go aftermarket in this case.

Today I run some 15s for track duty, that will not really be possible if I switch though.

BTW, how and much and where did you get your new R56 JCW fronts?

 

The Tire Rack site will tell you what wheels will fit by make of vehicle.
They also have a winter list and in some cases a wheel that does not appear on the main list can be found on the winter list.

I doubt that they have a list of wheel compatibility for BBK's.

Here's the link: http://www.tirerack.com/ and for winter: http://www.tirerack.com/snow/changeover.jsp

Hope this helps...

 

The JCW brakes WILL NOT help with the overheating, only getting more air to the brakes is going to help with that. You could go to a larger/wider rotor like what TSW offers, but the change to a different caliper is not going to solve this problem.

 

Thanks, Kazlot, for checking out the fit on Tire Rack. Awesome

When I take the plunge I will definitley get Carbotech ceramic pads from day one. I put Carbotechs on my R53 JCWs and really noticed the difference - it was very significant. I would expect a similar improvement on the R56 JCWs.

 

Doesn't the R56 JCW brake kit have larger/wider rotors than the R53 JCW brake kit?

 

I think I'm right in saying that the R53 JCW, R56 JCW and R56 MCS rotors are all the same size.

This begs the question: Why would R56 MCS and R53 JCW owners need to change rotors when upgrading to the R56 JCW brakes? I believe the answer is becasue the R56 JCW rotor is made of a different material which heats and cools more quickly to provide more efficient braking. This is what I have heard (I was told the source of this info was from someone who works at JCW), but I have no evidence to prove it. If true, then it could help to solve some of the heating problems experienced by R53 JCW owners at the track.

 

R56 JCW discs are 316mm dia. and 21.9mm thick
R53 JCW discs are 294mm dia. and 21.8 mm thick

I just looked it up. So, I would definitely say that it is an upgrade to move from the R53 to the R56 JCW set-up. All things being equal, it will improve stopping power as well as heat dissipation.

 

I was also thinking the R53 JCW's are the same size as the stock R56.

 

Yes they are slightly larger, but not enough to really help with overheating. And the brake/rotor size does nothing to shorten brake distances or improve stopping power. The larger brakes simply allow more CONSISTENT braking performance as they can handle the additional heat from constant use.

Read the thread on the TSW BDM development and it will really open your eyes.

 

True, the difference is small and likely not enough to be significant. I should have added the qualifier 'in theory', as in 'in theory it is an upgrade'. Along those lines I would think that the much thicker BDM rotor does make a real difference.

For us JCW users, if you want to stay with the OEM calipers, then the next best thing to do is to add ducts. For some, maybe many, it will be enough. However, I have not seen any MINI data on brake duct effectiveness.

 

So there is a difference in size. I need to get better at looking these things up because I couldn't find and info!

 

I think the overheating comment was made more in refernce to the R53 JCW caliper paint becoming scorched, and not necessarily to the heat being the cause of brake fade. The R53 caliper, being made from iron, probably takes longer to heat up than the R56, ultimatley reaches a higher temperature and then takes longer to cool down. If brake fade is being caused by overheating, then the components directly responsible for that would be the pads and/or rotors. Indirectly, the caliper could have an impact because the pads are cacooned inside it. If the R53 JCW caliper is reaching extreme temperures (the paint scorching suggeste they are) and cooling very slowly, then the pads inside are effectively being roasted inside an oven.

Reports from those who have R56 JCWs say they perform better. This must be due in part to the larger braking surface (courtesy of the larger calipers) and improved brake force distribution via 4 pistons. It seems to me that the increased friction surface would generate more heat, so I suppose it isn't so much the heat that is the factor as it is the ability of the matrials involved to cope with the heat (rapid heating and cooling properties). This leads me back to the unconfirmed report I received that the R56 JCW rotor is made from a material that heats and cools more quickly than the R53 (I'm going to invetigate this to see if it is true). Its almost like the same force pulling in opposite directions; heat is a necessary component for efficient braking but if the components involved can't cool rapidly, then the heat progressively rises to a point where overheating occurs and braking performance is compromised.

 

So to make sure I understand this thread correctly. Both front and rear JCW R56 calipers fit R53 car body? I heard some body modification is needed on the rears especially.

 

Come on!
Larger diameter rotor and pads (MORE SURFACE) is not gonna help overheating/brake fade?????

Really, Really?
4 piston not gonna help brake performance over single piston brakes????

 

no body modification needed..just u'll need to get R56 handbrake cable for your R53