Hey guys, the dash light for brake wear sensor popped up on my R50 this morning. A yellow circle with three dashes on either side. Since I don't have a garage and I don't want to attempt this for the first time in the pouring rain, I'll be taking it to my local brake/tire/suspension shop, or maybe the dealer, who has been really good to me lately. However, I want to get my parts from a vendor so I'm not stuck with OEM stuff.

I'm leaning towards EBC greenstuff pads. I've heard it's wise to have the rotors done at the same time... is this true? I don't know the history of brakes on the car, but I've had it for about 2 years, 25,000KM on the same pads/rotors.

I know WMW has a "kit" which would probably be handy, but unfortunately he doesn't ship to Canada.

Any suggestions?

 

first, you need to look at the pads and determine which sensor went off since the GEN1 cars (with sensors, 02 didn't have 'em) the car doesn't tell you which end went off. So you need to go check and see if you need just one end, or both ends. Remember you'll want to order a new sensor for the end that tripped. (sensors are on left front and right rear only)

second, I generally go 2 sets of pads to one set of rotors on my MINI. In the early days the word was to always change the rotors at the same time but in the last year or two I've seen many reports of dealers changing the pads only. The real deciding factor is the minimum thickness of the rotor and for a GEN 1 that's 20.4mm front, 8.4mm rear. Also the MINI rotors are soft and wear fast, so resurfacing is not recommended as you don't want to loose that metal! Check your rotor for excessive grooving on the surface and size of the lip at the outer edge. All this being said, once you have the caliber off to change the pads you're 80% done with changing the rotor so while you're in there . . . "plain" rotors are not that expensive

third, I used EBC green for a long time (on both my 02 and 07S) and was very happy. I recently put EBC red on my 07 and they are lower dust than the green which were MUCH less dust than OEM. A little 'grabbier' than the green but I can live with it while some might even prefer it. Cost difference is small.

Other vendors to check for shipping are MOSS and MINIMANIA. BUT I'll bet if you find a large chain parts store locally they can order from a Canada supplier. You just need someone in Canada that carries EBC brand. Rotors for a GEN1 they can probably get as well. My local Autozone has 3 types of pads (but not EBC) and plain (not slotted or drilled) rotors in stock and/or available the next day.

{I just googled EBC brakes Canada and got a long list of sites . . . .}
http://www.premierpartscanada.com/pe...priceguide.php

(a good independent mechanic could get the parts for you easily, but you may end up paying for that service .... that's the difference between knowing a good mech' and KNOWING a good mech')

any decent mechanic can do MINI brakes, very straightforward disk system

good luck

 

Thanks very much! Heading outside to check the wear now. Grabbier may be preferable for me actually, so I'll check out the RedStuff pads. I'm also seeing good things about the Hawk HPS pads which are available on TireRack. Alex has always been super helpful with tire stuff, so I'd be glad to spend some money there, as well.

Alternately, any thoughts on this particular kit from OutMotoring? If I do in fact need both ends, it seems like a good price, but I'm having a hard time finding any info about the SP Performance brand.

http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...rotor_kit.html

 

Ran the RedStuff on my justa for many miles, now as am doing more track time, I am running yellowstuff. I just replaced my original rotors when doing yellows at 90k miles. Went thru 2 sets of reds, no problems. I really like this setup for 90% of my driving, just getting more track time lately.

 

Well, I went out and had a look... the thinnest of them seems to be the front passenger side. The pads on the rear look significantly thicker. Here's a photo of the worst offender:



So I'm assuming I just need the fronts for now. The front rotors have a significantly thicker lip at the edge than the rears, so I suppose it makes sense to have them replaced at the same time.

Here is a picture of one of the rears:

 

seat of the pants measure is

when the pad is thinner than the backing plate it is time to replace

OEM pads (and many replacements) have a beveled edge and when you can no longer see the bevel they are usually less thick than the backing plate



I think I see a wee bit of bevel on both of your pictures so there's no crisis .... but soon

 

Thanks Capt. BJ, you've been extremely helpful! My "commute" is about 4km, so I assume I'll be okay until parts arrive, provided I don't hear any horrible metal-on-metal noises before then.

 

Have you checked with Detroit Tuned for your parts, I know Chad has a few Canadian customers.

 

Not sure if you are wanting to go more performance/track end with pads or "real world" street performance. I replaced my brakes with Akebono Euro pads and have been quite satisfied with them. I think WMW sells them, but I got them locally through one of the auto parts chain stores for a good price. They are ceramic so dusting is very low and brake feel is very much like the stock pads were IMO. Keep in mind that I don't track or anything of that sort, but I do drive somewhat aggressively at times and the pads have performed well. You might check to see if one of your local stores carry them....I bet they can get them. Besides stopping well, I can go weeks between car washes and my wheels stay relatively clean....not like before when the front wheels were black with dust after only a few days.

In regards to rotors, on both of my MINIs the front rotors were out of spec thickness after the original pads were done, so I have replaced the fronts on both cars. Rotors can be had for about $30 a piece, so it's worth replacing them while you're at it IMO.

 

I'm not going to be tracking my car, but I do a little aggressive twisty road driving on the weekends. I don't think I'd need a "track/autoX" rated pad. It would be nice to cut down on the dust... it's not a huge factor, but the stock ones sure do dirty up the wheels.

EBC Redstuff and Hawk HPS both seem to be pretty popular. StopTech seems to get good reviews too, and they're priced nicely on TireRack. Geez, why are there so many options?

 

I personally like my Hawks, but they are more "light" performance orientaited than an everyday pad, and take a slight amount of time to get used to. (meaning, that their "initial" grip isn't as good as stock but once they have been applied and are slightly warm, they work very well)

And I know my milage isn't as much of a bearing on brakes as most, since it's almost 90% highway, but my pads have over 110k on them & I still have plenty left till the wear grooves.