Has anyone tried rotors from R1Concepts Performance Brakes? They are advertising 2 different product lines for the F56 JCW. R1 Carbon Geomet Series and the eLine Series. I was hoping to get some information from an experienced user of the product.

 

Used R1 Concepts brake rotors back in 2014/15 on my FRS - Rotor quality is great!

 

Appreciate the input.

 

Spoke to the rep and and, after searching his data base, there
were no ceramic pads for either the fronts or rears of my 2018
JCW Convertible. He also checked for the 2017 model, which
has the same set-up as the 2018, but nothing available.

 

Thanks for the information, I appreciate it.

 

EBC Redstuff looks like the only ones we can hope to get them from
at a reasonable price when they're available but I don't know if the
Redstuff is a true ceramic or only partial. I, personally, would want
the true ceramic, for those are the ones I had the best results with.

 

dba apparently has some two-piece rotors available. I've been working with a vendor for like a year now to try to get a set, and still haven't gotten a price yet. As of the last month or so they're apparently actually made now though. I'm betting they're gonna be pricey, but they should be hotlist.

--Matt

 

They are available but pricey. Here’s the pricing info in Australian dollar:

“I can supply these for $542.50 inc gst each. They are in stock at DBA so I can order these in for you. Allow 2-3 days from the date of order. Because these are a relatively new rotor, we do not have these on our website yet so to place an order, you can give us a call on 1300 724 943”

That email was from DBA’s stockist in OZ called Brake Direct. Hopefully you guys get better pricing in the US.

 

Your going to have some fitment issues with pads. I had to grind down Ferodo pads to make them fit. Not uncommon I've been told in racing world.

 

Since my only issue with the 4 Pot Brembo's on the fronts
was excessive dust build-up, I was able to stay with the
OEM pads with the addition of the Hydro Worx - Power
Sprayer that needs no electrical outlet, which is the problem
in my co-op apartment's garage. By a simple recharging of the
portable battery I'm able to generate more than enough power
needed to thoroughly clean the dust from building up on the
wheels. I simply fill up a 5 gallon 'gas' can with water, which I
wheel to and from the garage on an inexpensive hand truck,
and with the help of a few bungee cords it stays in place on the
hand truck. Insert the hose and begin spraying to my heart's
content. A great solution for those of us without access to a water
supply for our cars and since I can easily wash down the complete
car as well, no need to have the car washed at commercial locations,
thereby saving $ in the long run.

 

Well, with spring upon us and the DBA rotors mentioned earlier now present in the states and available, I pulled the trigger on a set. I ordered some Ferodo DS2500 pads to go with them too. Hopefully it'll be a fair upgrade. The rotors appear to drop just under 3lb a corner, and I've always wanted DS2500s. There aren't any pics of them on the web anywhere, so I guess I'll post some when they come. *fingers crossed* here's hoping they don't have gold anodized hubs or something.

--Matt

 

 

Do these pads come with the backing plates/top hats as per the oem brembo ones ?

Just changed mine with stock ones again at 51,000, needed to take the calipers off
Got to save the pad-ware indicator, but noticed a drop in performance already

 

I do not know. We'll see when they come. Anyone have a link to pad change details on this car (or at least some tips)? I assume the "top hats" are those 8 discs I see pictures in the stock pads set? I assume they sit between the pads and pistons? I have only 15k miles on mine, so hopefully they're ok still if new ones aren't provided

--Matt

 

Judging by the pics her: http://www.minif56.com/forum/401-tires-wheels-suspension/77802-f56-jcw-brake-pad-replacement.html#post747682

It seems like I'll need to tap out 2 pins and a clip to change the pads. Can you explain this top hat business?

--Matt

 

Yeah, Brembo/JCW calipers make the pads extremely easy to change. You do exactly as you said, tap the pins out, drop the new pads in, tap the pins back in.

 

Ooooh, rotors have come

 

The top hats/pins (Claw Plates per BMW) on the stock JCW pads are annoying because you have to take the caliper off to swap pads. Aftermarket pads usually don't use these plates and have heat-resistant backing instead. Much easier to replace pads without those claw plates for sure.
Here's instruction for the JCW brakes: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...kes/1VnY3JjPeE

Matt, please take some pics of the rotors. Must be real nice and much lighter than stock!

 

Pics are right above. I need to set them on a scale to share the weight. How can I tell if the new pads have heat resistant padding? Would it be worth obtaining a new set of claw plates either way? I just don't want to do any damage to these presumably pricy calipers :P

--Matt

 

Those claw plates are just replacement for the more common brake pad shims. Usually the shims are there for noise reduction. I'm not sure about your Ferodo but on my Endless and even the OEM M4/M2/M3 brake pads (same as our JCW), they all have shims installed. If your pads come with shims then you don't need the claw plates. If they don't come with shims then I would try installing it with some brake grease on the bare-metal backing and see if there's any noise. Once you install the claws, you'd have to take off the whole caliper everytime you want to switch pads. Here are some pics of different pads:



Endless



OEM M pads

 

you can't buy the hats alone. i've researched this. i called everyone i could think of. the hats come with the whole kit. i use a pad spreader to push the piston in. this gives me space to wiggle the pad out. fwiw, i also use some disc brake quiet on the back of the pad. it adheres the pad to the hats. challenge with this is that if you swap pads, you'll need to use a sharp knife (pocket knife works fine) to separate the hat from the pad so you can pull the pads off. (this will eliminate removing the caliper entirely)...it's actually REALLY easy once you do it.

source: i swap pads regularly between the track and my daily driving. it's become somewhat of a second nature for me.
fwiw, i'm on G-Loc GS-1 for daily driving (street pad, minimal dust) all around with R10 front / R8 Rear for the track.

also fwiw, to push the caliper pins out, i took a small screwdriver and grinded the edge off. this made the end of the screwdriver flat, allowing me to use a rubber mallet to hit the pins out w/out chipping paint. racing brake sell a brembo caliper pin tool but drum roll...it does NOT fit in our hole...why...not a f*cking damn clue. if there is a different caliper pin tool that does fit, that may be the case. i borrowed my friends pin tool for his F80 and it didn't fit.

anything i can help with, please let me know. btw, please share where in the US you purchased the DBA rotors. thanks.

edit: this is the caliper punch tool that i used that did not fit: https://www.racingbrake.com/product-p/ccp01.htm

 

Try picking up a solid brass rod in the diameter you need. Cut to length and dimple the end. Cheap, non marring punch. I've done this before when my punch sets didn't have what I needed to work on a particular firearm. I haven't change my pads yet so can't really say if this would work, but figured I'd suggest it anyway.

 

Already made a punch tool with a screwdriver that I grinded the edge off.. Works fine.

 

I found the website for DBA USA, but no listing for Mini.

 

I bought them from KNS Brake, by referral from DBA. Contact Ken at KNS at: sales@knsbrakes.com