Hi,

I was wondering if anyone know Stoptech R53 ST40 fit on 07+ R56 MCS?

I know that R53 JCW Brakes = R56 MCS Normal Brakes. That means the hats/rotors and bracket should be essentailly the same.

Does anyone know? Has anyone tried something like that?

Thank you!

 

Only thing I can think of is the brake lines being different. That's about it. I'd give StopTech a call and see what they say.

 

Stoptech E-mail Response.

"The hats/rotors and brackets are the same between Gen1 and Gen2 Mini kits with the difference being the brake lines and a significant caliper piston size change so unfortunately, the most expensive part of the kit is what would be needed to adapt those parts to your vehicle. Since the correct calipers for your vehicle would go for $1400 at retail, it will not likely to make financial sense to buy the Gen1 kit on sale."

If the brackets is the same but caliper is different, that means it should fit? Am I missing something?

 

I wonder how different the piston sizes are considering it is the same ST-40 caliper itself. Internals being different? I find that hard to believe. BUT, I'd rather not gamble trying to fit something on a R53 to a R56. It may look like a savings now, but it'll be more of a PITA if it doesn't work out. Trust me, I've done it many times and at the end of the day, cutting corners bites you in the *** harder the first time...

 

I also think that is kinda weird they would say that. I was under the impression and have been told by a number of people (not stoptech related) that the calipers were almost universal among different brands of car. I remember having the stoptech st40 kit from my old Legacy GT and was told by many people that all I needed to fit the kit to the car was different hats...brake lines... and mounting brackets. And that the actual rotor and caliper would transfer over. I never did this because after buying the hats...brackets and brake lines from stoptech it would've been at or over a grand.

 

Well, yes and no to this. The pads are universal, but there are variations in the ST-40 caliper itself. The importance of the calipers are the individual pistons itself. Too big and you won't be stopping as effectively as it should be if you got, say, a ST-40 off the rears of a E92 M3. Also, each kit is made in conjuction with the rotor size/thickness.

In this case, the ST-40's on a MINI should be identical since they the R53 and R56 are 328x28 rotors. BUT again, I don't know if the pistons are the same in the caliper for the R53s compared to the R56. Also, keep in mind, current ST-40 BBK for the MINI should be 3rd generation calipers. My old setup was the 2nd gen and the pistons were a bit smaller than they currently are on my Trophy kit.

 

Thanks for the reponse guys. I saw somethin on craiglist and I don't know if I should take the risk, but it seems like I need to see it in person. My gut feeling is they are the same

@ra2fantic

How can I tell the difference between 2nd and 3rd gen calipers? What is the part number for trophy kit? I don't even see it on Stoptech website.

 

Well, the Trophy kit is a $3k kit, so unless you really can benefit from the 4lbs weight reduction compared to the standard StopTech bbk, it isn't going to be worth it for you. I will admit though, I haven't seen any other MINI with the Trophy kit though.

3rd gen has a softer look to it, can't really describe it. I would be able to tell by just seeing it though.

Even seeing it in person, you'll need to measure the piston sizes to know if it was meant for your MINI or not.

And finally, you have to keep in mind, most of the wheels out there you'll need at least a 10mm spacers to clear the StopTech calipers. If you don't, then you're going to end up spending more than you bargained for. 1) trying to make it fit 2) trying to make your wheels fit as well

If you're not prepared for dealing with both, then it just isn't worth the time and money.