OK heres the deal I need brakes 2 months ago, the pad level on my mini are critical... (for some reason my senor has yet to go off and they are as think as a credit card!

I've been debating between the TSW rotor and pad package but am not sure about the FREMAX rotors... (im about as picky and **** as they come on brakes) I am worried about warpage and fade. need feedback from all of you who have TSWS!

My next choice was ATE rotors all around with EBC Reds in the front and EBC Greens in the rear with S.S. lines. I have the pad set up on my 93 Rx7 and love it, with exception I have powerslot rotors on my 7.

What would ya'll suggest I do? and more importanly how are the TSW rotors?

thanks again

 

I don't have anything except the stock rotors at present. I have, however, experience racing and tuning for many, many years. I like those TSW rotors. They seem to be a good design, material, and price. I'm sure I'll get some in the future. I haven't made a selection on pads, yet. Although not installed, I have some braided stainless steel lines for my MINI. If you are as selective as you claim, you will want some of these, too. I've had them on of my street and racing motorcycles, as well as, my Porsches and BMW. This is an important component that is often overlooked and, if you really want to get maximum performance out of expensive pads and rotors, you must have them. Be sure to completely flush the old brake fluid when installing new brake lines. Use DOT 4 fluid.

 

Some people like EBC's some don't. I for one think that the production on them is very mix and match. I have Mintex CTech 1144 race compound pads right now and i'm very happy with them. The bite is great, even cold. They're a tad noisy (So are the red's though) when cold, but I could care :-). If you're going to replace brakes and rotors on all 4 corners you may want to look into a BBK. For slightly more than you're looking to spend you can have a LOT more stopping power .

 

Go with the Powerslots or the TSW's for an OEM replacement with Hawk HPS or + pads.

Or for not much more get the TSW BBK. Nice package and well thought out for our MINI's.

 

i have the TSW rotors, the stopping power is great, the only issue that im not happy about is that the hats have a fine layer of rust, and the face of the rotors rust any time it rains, which after hitting the brakes a few times they go back to normal, a friend told me they do that cause of the high content of carbon in them. Im gonna call TSW and ask about this, unless they see this post and can reply, also i have the brake caliper paint , and i figured id just paint the hats anyway.

 

That is correct... higher carbon content = surface rust. This does not affect performance at all. The black phosphorus coating on the Fremax rotors lasts awhile, but with repeated cooking from constant spirited driving it allows some surface rust to form on the hub. FWIW, if you drive slowly and don't cook the rotors they look better longer. Now what fun would that be?

All hubs, on all rotors (save those from BBKs with aluminum hats) will rust eventually. Surface rust on the rotor itself gets wiped off the first time you stab the brakes - you're removing material from that surface everytime you brake. And, each time you park the car, the new, "raw" surface is exposed to the elements.

There's no way to make a high quality, high carbon cast iron rotor that doesn't rust, regardless of the coating used. Coatings only last so long and so many heat cycles. The only rotor I've never seen rust is the wierd alloy used on the Brake Man's Revolution rotors - they never, ever rust - not even the surface where the pad wipes!

Based on our testing, the Fremax rotors work better than any other OEM replacement rotor that we've run. They're tougher for track and autocross use and last longer, run cooler, and resist fade better. They have had the crap beat out of them on tracks all over the country with nothing but stellar feedback.

I know this is blasphemy to some, but being the straight shooters we are we could care less if they get a bit of surface rust or not, as long as they keep stopping consistently on the street, in the twisty bits, at the AX or on the track. We're confident enough to say that if you want OEM replacement rotors that will outperform anything else out there, we've got them. For bling, seek elsewhere.

If you must paint the hub, use brake caliper paint, carefully mask the hub, and ONLY do the outside - and be careful not to get ANY paint inside the hub itself.

 

ok ok, im convinced...

 

Just for comparison, my OEM rotors had considerable rust after sitting for six weeks while I recovered from surgery. Thanks to the gardener, they did get wet once or twice a week. One drive cleaned them off.

 

Thanks for the info. and the fast reply! Like i said im extremely happy with the functionality of my rotors (i got fronts and backs) It is just that the hubs look terrible all rusted up, Im gonna paint my calipers and hubs this saturday, ill post pics and details afterwards.

 

well got mine on order...

 

Shot you a PM back about your shipment...