Hey all,
Had a look at my rotors and pads yesterday and the wear indicator grooves are just about gone and my rotors are shot, time start thinking about upgrades! I don't track the car but will be doing mountain runs frequently as I am moving to Asheville NC in 26 days (not counting or anything). I will probably keep standard blank rotors as I just don't see slotted/drilled to be practical for a daily. Been reading that EBC Yellows seem to offer very high performance with little dust and good wear. I've always been a fan of the Autozone Max pads but not sure how they stack against a true performance pad. Anyone else have a favorite pad that is better than stock but not a full on squeaky race pad?

 

I used Akebono for low dust, with Centric rotors. Not sure how they handle frequent mountain runs, but they did stop me just in time on a highway panic stop, I think my heart skipped a beat as well.

 

The roads around Asheville are MINI Heaven.

If you want low dust in EBC it is their Reds. I have the Yellows and they do dust.

Should get a good amount of opinions here. I know a local track guy that has the Yellows as back up but does not track with them. He said after the pad is half worn the grip suffers, he knows his stuff. I don't track and have about 5,000 miles on mine so currently not to concerned.

 

And if you don't already have one, suggest a stiffer rear sway bar.

Did a lunch run yesterday with a friend of mine, about 80 miles of the best that central North Carolina can offer road wise. We were talking about how good it would be to live in Asheville. Will be doing a day trip up around Fancy Gap Virginia this month. Curves for a MINI are like cheese for a mouse.

 

+1 for the Centric plain rotors. I've used them on Trackrat for years. I'm a Hawk fan and would suggest Hawk HP+ for street & twisties. Anything more aggressive would need to be at operating temp for a potential panic stop.

 

I just picked up a set of EBC Reds and some slotted Stop Tech rotors, I plan to swap them out this coming weekend while also installing JCW front calipers. Should be a fun upgrade and I am looking forward to the increase in stopping power and reduction of dust from the previous all metallic pads.

 

Stop Tech slotted and Hawk HPS. They do work best when they have a bit of heat in them but are just fine for daily as they heat up fast. Panic stops - I've had a few - you do have to keep an eye out for traffic behind you as you stop quickly - sticky tires helps as well. This set up gives no noticeable fade even on the track. I do have a Justa though... so that probably helps.

 

I've used and sold every brand under the sun. But had the best luck with the EBC Reds and Akebono for good street use with low dust

https://www.waymotorworks.com/02-06-...3/brakes/pads/

 

My current setup is R56S front brakes with standard R53 rears. I've got StopTech drilled rotors with Centric Posi-Quiet semi-metallic pads and braided stainless lines at all four corners. This arrangement stops quite well with good feel, but has developed pulsing in the front. When I reach the point where I can't ignore it any longer, I will most likely go back to solid discs.

 

It may be just me but I haven’t found anything wrong with just plain ole OEM pads and rotors for street and mountain driving. Easy to break in, low noise, good initial bite and in my experience pretty low dust.

 

SP-Performance parts come highly recommended. Their facebook page has raving reviews. kris from best brakes sold me a set of grey coated drilled and slotted rotors and semi-metallic pads and i love them, my mini stops on a dime and i love the look behind my rims. no rust and they have a nice aggressive look. link is www.sp-performance.com.