I have a daily driven 2013 MINI Cooper S Hardtop with stock pads, rotors, etc. Are the MINI JCW (or aftermarket) drilled and slotted rotors worth it? I would stick with the stock pads (for now, in the maintenance program). They look nice but I don't know that I'll notice any performance gains (maybe better braking but again, it's my daily driver).

 

Since the JCW slotted and drilled rotors are larger diameter and use 4 piston calipers, they will offer greater stopping power. I have them.

 

You just reminded me.. I have 16s and the JCW slotted and drilled rotors probably only fit under 17s (especially with the caliper). Will the stock S calipers fit over the JCW rotors?

 

It will be louder.....like whirling sounds when you brake? Some designs are kinda loud...
Pads usually wear faster with slots....and cracks can form where the holes are drilled...
Both can REDUCE the wight of the rotor....actually reducing performance...
But they look cool.....
One tip....
If this is the route you want to go...
Buy quality....there is a trend...and that is to take junky rotors...and drill them and sell then on eBay as more $$ parts....

 

No...no....er....no...and HELL NO.
Gen2 rotors jcw rotors are huge....calipers are huge...no mixing and matching...the width of the rotor changes...along with the diameter....
The no mixing and matching also applies to gen1 cars....

 

That statement makes no sense on many counts.

OP has an MCS with 294X22 front and 259X10 rear rotors.
JCW's has 316X22 front and 280X10 rear rotors. Neither JCW rotor will clear MCS brake calipers, thus the suggestion to use them on an MCS is at best misleading.

Secondly, larger rotors do NOT effect "stopping power".
They do provide a larger heat sync for the pads to bind to, and that only matters if you plan to run your car on track and are routinely overheating your current brake pads and rotors. The weakest link in that equation are the OEM brake pads, whose coefficient of friction will start decaying at around 500F, way below the operating temp range of track pads that work well north of 1000F. So if you are worried about fading your brakes, start by upgrading to proper track brake pads.

Lastly, neither slots, holes in rotors, nor larger rotors and pads will effect stopping distances on the street. They will, however, continue to perform consistently well over and over again at elevated brake temperatures on track, at the time when stock pads and brakes would be out-gassing, fading, and crumbling.

More on the subject here:
http://www.autos.com/aftermarket-par...slotted-rotors
http://www.zeckhausen.com/How_to_sel...ake_rotors.htm

HTH,
a

 

Agreed but:
The disk size has two items to address: diameter and thickness. The diameter is easier to understand and easier to see. As a simple rule, the larger diameter of the rotor, the more force that is available to stop a wheel, just like using a longer wrench makes it easier to break a frozen bolt loose. If you kept the same caliper and same pads, but installed a larger diameter rotor, you would get greater stopping power. This power can be referenced in Newton-meters of torque. Factory rotors are sized according to many factors: wheel sizes, calipers used, unsprung weight, tires, price, etc. Initially, it would seem that the largest diameter rotor that can be obtained should be used, but those other factors must be kept in mind. Even, a reasonably larger diameter rotor will provide increased stopping power.
In addition, if the brake pads are indeed larger on the JCW to compliment the larger 4 pot Brembos and discs, then they should provide a greater contact patch area, increase friction, and in turn stopping power.

 

Some good points...
BUT braking power largely LIMITED by the tires (not that simple, I KNOW, but...but MODULATION is different).....Bigger rotors do give better repeated stopping power...they can HOLD more heat for dissipation at a latter time....
For a DailyDriver, the Bigger rotors can increase weight...and may not be the best option unless the OP is smoking pads in daily driving...

A BBK for a daily driver is SO OVERKILL for most...especially considering the OP would need new rims and tires....Come on folks...Funny thing is he was ASKING if better ROTORS would help him stop better with STOCK PADS!! Other pads can give you a better feel..MORE MODULATION...less ON/OFF braking feel....
First steep...toss the OEM pads...they are OK, but there are better options that will do FAR MORE than rotors!!

 

Indeed.
In simple terms: if your current brakes can engage ABS mode (i.e.: can lock the tires into skidding), no greater force is required, or can be brought to bear to stop the car with any greater effectiveness.

Now, you want a healthy safety margin on top of that, and you want that safety margin to cover various operating modes (below 0F driving, high temp performance driving, various pad materials, etc), but you get point.

Depending on your intended use-case, you may want to upgrade your brakes in various ways (cost, low dusting, high temp resilience, torque application linearity, etc), or not at all, but the ONLY way to shorten the braking distance will require upgrading the tires to a rubber compound with greater coefficient of friction (e.g.: summer performance tires, or R-compound track tires).


+1.
Stick with "plane jane" regular rotors, unless you think rotors with slots and holes will improve your social status and love life.


a

 

The stock rotors are more than adequate for the Mini. Save the money on the drilled and slotted rotors. The stock pads are also more than adequate as well unless you track your mini.

I drove a 2002 Cooper One in Germany a few years back. It was about as basic as you can get. The PO had put a set of drilled rotors and red EBC pads. The rotors were warped enough the car didn't pass inspection but the pads had about half a pad of wear left. I changed out to stock rotors and pads, lost the vibration in the steering and all was well. I couldn't tell a difference in the stopping power but it felt about the same. I pushed that car to 190KPH every chance I got (anything above that got a little squirrely). I took it to the Nurnbergring a few times and heated up the brakes till the rotors glowed without any issues. I kept the car a year and sold it for a little more than I had in it just before I left - I would have shipped it to the states if I could have gotten the company to pay for it.

 

Hi ,us track types stay away from the drilled . slotted is fine .

 

Save your money and go with the plain face as they last the longest and work great.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-bra...-cooper-s.html

If you want the drilled and slotted look we have a cost effective set, but your only real gain is the look.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-dri...-cooper-s.html