Hey everyone,

So i've been upgrading my mini rather heavily lately, and i've fixed many problems with my mini, but brakes were never an issue, since i've finally been pushing quite a bit more power (and soon FAR more power, aiming for 265-280whp by Early May... keep an eye on R56 drivetrain threads around then for details), i have Team Dynamic wheels, was running Falken 215/40-17s but have moved on to Yokahama AD08s 215/45-17s for summer tires, that has fixed some braking issues since tires are usually the limiting factor more so than the brakes, but i've finally hit the braking limit of my stocks, i've started off with Helix lines and super blue fluid. front rotors and pads are next on the list and i'm all done performance aspect of my car.

my question, i'm debating between Ferodo DS2500s front and rear, Hawk HPSs, Carbotech bobcats, Axxis Ultimates, and some have said look in to EBC redstuff... but what do YOU guys run, and what do you like/dislike about them? my top choice is obviously the DS2500s, but i want a pad that can handle both a couple laps of a track here and there as well as daily driving, so cold bite is important to me.

any opinions anyone can put out there would be helpful.

 

I would give the OEM JCW Brake Air Ducts a shot.
I have the Hawk HPS Plus pads they are the pad a notch above the regular HPS pad and they are an anemic pad when it comes to the track. The Ferodo DS2500 pads seem like the equivalent to the HPS Plus pad worth a shot. I am going with a CarboTech HP10 in front and HP8 in back, if the HP10 in front is not suffice will switch to HP12. They are not street pads so heavy dust and noise is expected.

 

I had the Carbotech Bobcats for over a year, and they're an "OK" for street and autocross/track brakes. I just switched to Hawk HP Plus race pads for this season, and they seem to bite better and modulate about the same. I'm not concerned about dust, so I never really look at that. But I'd say the HP Plus with Motul fluid is so far proving damn good. And they are a bit noisy; but I like that kind of noise

I've also heard good things about the Carbotech HP10/8 combo, but since mine is still a daily driver, and I'm too lazy to swap out pads every race, I felt those would be a bit too extreme.

 

LOL Yeah they are loud, guess I got used to them.
I guess the HPS Plus pads are alright they held up at Laguna Seca pretty well they had a harder time at Thunderhilll, they had a real tough time at VIR though.

 

On my stock R56 MCS brakes, I use XP12 and XP8 combo for the track with ATE Typ200. I think that combo is fine. I do swap out the front rotors and pads for the street, otherwise they are just too noisy. I do run the JCW brake ducts and they seem to help cool down the brakes a little. After cool down, I am still running around 500-550 degrees F for the rotors which is acceptable for both XP10 and XP12.

You really need to figure out how hot your brakes get on the track to understand what pads to use. This is dependent on your driving/braking style.

I would not use the bobcats for the track. I think Carbotech strongly mentions that those cannot be used on the track.

BTW, the stock rotors do crack if the rotors get too hot. Mine is filled with tiny cracks all around the rotor and the rotor has a bluish tint, both from heat.

 

Ive been running the Ferodo DS2500s for a few years now. If you are going that high with power, you should probably take a look at a big brake kit.. something like the wilwoods. Cooling is good as well, but going with more metal in the caliper\rotor + 4 piston calipers is a big part of dealing with heat.

phil.

 

thanks for everyone's input.

Element i would go BBK but i want to keep my stock wheels for winter tire/wheel combo... so the only "BBK" i could get would be JCW... Stoptechs would fit my summer wheels but not winters without spacers (and even then i donno what size spacers)

 

You sure about that?

I have a handful of things that would fit inside a 15, 16 and full 17" wheel that are low profile for clearance.

From 11.75 to 12.2 to 13" diameters.
And if that were not enough you can do the Caliper kits only upon either 294 or 320mm parts.

 

wilwood's will fit under all the way down to 15".. my 16" OEM winters need spacers, but only 5mm - lots of info on the forums on what setup to use with your specific rims.

 

I think that is only for their 11.75" diameter rotors. I think you will need larger rims for many of their larger rotors. I am thinking about the TCE 13" rotors which will require a 17" wheel.