This is for my daily driver 2005 MINI Cooper S.

It's going to be time to replace the front rotors soon. I'm going to keep the stock calipers but will be putting in stainless steel brake lines and better pads (probably the Porterfield R4-S pads but not firm on that yet).

I'm wanting to use rotors that will provide shorter stopping distance than the stock units. I don't care what they look like, just want them to stop as effectively as possible and not squeal much (again, this is my daily driver). I'd prefer it if the new rotors last as long as the stock units but any rotor that lasts at least 30,000 miles of street driving is fine (the stockers will have made it about 50,000 miles).

Suggestions on rotors? Also, should I replace the flexible bushings in the calipers with metal ones?

 

there's no such thing as a stock sized rotor that gives shorter stopping distances... any that claims that is lying... i believe that what makes stopping distances shorter is brake pads, bushing kits and brake lines give firmer feel, rotors serve as giant heat sinks, nothing more... they are to cool the braking surface during sustained hard breaking, at least that's what i have gathered,

plain works, my wilwood is on plain rotors and i have never ever had problems with it with sustained lapping, i have slotted now on the rear, and all i got is high amounts of dust on my nice street wheels!

what i have been told though, is avoid drilled for lapping, ive read too much about microfractures for me to avoid it alltogether

im sure some racers will chime in that im wrong, so fire away, i am eager to learn though

 

About to do the same thing to mine and some sound advice would be great...

 

The effectiveness of braking is dependent on many variables.

The rotor has to dissipate the heat generated from the friction of the pads riding over the surface. The faster the heat/energy can be dissipated, the more effective the brake system becomes as you would be able to use more pressure on the pedal before the onset of fade occurs.

Fade occurs when the heat/energy buildup exceeds the brake systems ability to dissipate the heat.

Is it possible to improve the brakes with a rotor change? If you dissipate heat faster, then the onset of fade would come later. A rotor change is less likely to do that than simply routing cool air directly at the rotor from the front of the car.

It is not beyond the realm of possibilities for some exotic material to be used which would provide better thermal dissipation qualities, but at what cost?

Just my two bits worth.

 

I have the powerslot slotted front rotors and will be doing the rears sometime soon (the stocks are finally shot). Honestly for daily driving you will not notice any braking difference. I did this plus Hawk HPS pads all around and there was no difference. Next time around I'm switching out the brake fluid and going with ss lines to get the pedal feel and response I want in my daily driver...

BTW I got the rotors purely for aesthetics and they were cheaper than the OEMs...

 

Where are you located?
I did almost exactly what you're talking about for my 03 MCS. At AMVIV in March, I picked up braided lines from TCE Performance (brake specialist), then went over to Custom MINI Shop and got Hawk pads and M7 rotors. They stop the car a little better, and produce WAY less dust than the stock setup. My only issue is that the setup makes a clicking noise constantly.

 

Centric rotors are of pretty high quality and are well priced.

Check the link below. Their service and support are awesome:
http://www.zeckhausen.com/Mini/MINI_Cooper.htm

 

Wouldn't a larger diameter rotor increase braking power?

 

You can't increase the diameter without increasing the caliper size. From my understanding, ultimately it is the caliper and the pads that influence braking power. The point of all the slotted, drilled, etc. rotors is to disperse the heat quick so as to not cook the pads.

 

I have the TSW slotted stock size rotors, combined with Hawk HPS pads, super blue brake fluid, I had a great day at Limerock last saturday, 4 sessions each 20 or so laps and experienced no fade. How much the rotors affected it i dont know for sure, but as far as im concered, every little bit counts when you look at the big picture, and for the price of the TSW you cant beat them , i think they were $199 for fronts and backs together. 1 downside is the TSW have high carbon content and the hubs get some surface rust, but im painting the hubs to negate that. my 2 cents anyway, right or wrong :-)

 

Thanks all. I'm going with the TSW slotted rotors when it's time.

By the way, I don't think I explained my needs terribly well initially. I drive Gracie all over Dallas while taking care of my clients (I run a small IT consulting firm). Plenty of days I don't travel at all but sometimes I'll drive as many as 150 miles combined street and freeway, all of it in traffic. On hot summer days I've occasionally experienced brake fade - something I don't welcome given the somewhat intense traffic I'm in. I also prefer really stiff response / good feedback in brakes. But I don't intend to go autocrossing more than once a year if that. Hence the desire for more brakes but the inability to rationalize a BBK.

I'm going to add stainless steel brake lines and solid caliper pins as well, and use the better brake fluid as well. I still haven't quite decided on the pads - Porterfields or Hawk HPS ceramics.

 

if its fade then likely keep an eye on the fluid... i wasn't even aware of it before either but the higher the boiling point, the sooner you gotta change it out...

i have tried Hawk ceramics on my mother's Audi in the rear, and the dust problems gone finally!

 

Aren't ceramic pads noisy?

What brake fluid are you all using? Also, what are the solid caliper pins?

 

I was reccomended Super Blue, got it cheapest at http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...ODUCT_ID=ATESB
9.95 a liter
between the fluid TSW rotors and Hawk pads, i had awesome stopping power at Limerock

 

You can, not sure if its been done on an R56 but its not impossible. On my A4, I am running the stock caliper with a different caliper carrier which allows me to run 312mm rotors as opposed to the 288mm stock rotor. This gives better stopping because the "angle" of contact of the caliper to the rotor is better (imagine trying to stop, with your hand, a big disc vs a small disc at the same rotational speed--you have more torque grabbing the outside of the bigger disc.) So that's why a larger rotor can be better than a smaller one, in addition to the better heat dissipation.

That said yes, pads and calipers themselves are also an important piece of the puzzle.

 

to those who are looking for caliper relocation, ireland engineering sells a bracket that pushes the caliper further out, and gives a larger rotor choice

 

I think the biggest advantage of a larger rotor with stock calipers would be it will run cooler. Bigger heat sink.

 

What kind of paint are you using on the hubs? Does it need to be a high heat paint, engine enamel, etc?

 

According to TSW you should use brake caliper paint. Yep high heat.

 

Ok, thanks. I thought so.

 

This is what I was thinking too... You would also be increasing the distance the brake pads travel in one revolution...Lower gear=more torque.

 

what about the JCW drilled/slotted rotors

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this: tires are the biggest thing that dictate stopping distance.

Also, those brake caliper bushings require regular mantainence, lubing or something like that. I am unsure, does someone know?

 

While all that is true, you'd need to make a pretty big change to get any significant effect. And what you're changing doesn't make more total brake torque, it only uses more leverage to achieve the same final tire torque. Meaning you'll not need as much clamping pressure to get there. The main benefit would be the greater mass.