I was talking to Bahamabart yesterday and recommended that he do an up grade of his rotors and pads before he comes to the DRagon.... if you have never been there I suggest that if "spiritrd" driving is your goal at least upgrade your pads.... it does make a huge diference

 

Brakes in good condition are very important for safe driving for sure, but from my experience OEM brakes in good working condition do a great job even with very spirited driving on the dragon. OEM pads are up for the task unless you are over-using your brakes. Don't get me wrong, I love upgraded brakes as much as the next guy, but I'd just hate to scare people into thinking that stock brakes are not up to task for the dragon when in fact my experience is that they do a wonderful job!

Jason

 

I've used OEM brakes in good condition on both the Dragon and LRP (it's not a track where brakes are sooooooooooooo important). Your OEM brakes will do just fine as long as you're using them well - if you go too deep into a turn on the dragon and your ABS kicks in, then you went beyond the threshold and should reign it in a bit.

mb

 

I'll get right on it Bob...

 

So what are people recommending for aggressive street pads (not autoX)?

Thoughts on ceramics like HPS and PBR?

 

My last setup with OEM calipers were with EBC RedStuff...excellent wear and very little dust

 

My stock pads & rotors worked A-OK on the dragon last year

 

This may not be a popular belief, but if you are running out of brakes on the Dragon slow down. It's a public road. Save the 10/10's driving for the track.

EDIT>>> My stock brakes have worked fine there. I have since upgraded, but that was for track use.

 

Can anyone else verify this about EBC Red pads?

Reds are track pads not generally suitable for street use, normally the track pads I have used- Mintex M1144 and Ferodo DS2500 pad will dust more, wear the rotors faster and be suitable for both track and street, there are other pads from both companies that are for track use only.

Typically the pad material is suitable for a certain temperature range, street driving calls for low temps while track calls for very high temperature tolerant pads.

I would agree that normal brake pads and rotors with good brake fluid would be sufficient for most drivers for the dragon (public roads with speed limits).

Check pad thickness, check the rotors for scoring or irregular wear, check the fluid color (not too dark) and change the fluid if it is about 3 years old.

 

Truer words are rarely spoken...

mb

 

Waaaaaaaaaaat? Ya don't believe me? Honestly...those have been the only pads I've used from day one on street/Dragon just until the step up to Stoptech (03-05)...

 

Sid
Are you giving out bad info again?

By the way . Thanks

 

I think if you used your brakes a lot on the dragon you would probably have to stop at the half way point and let 'em cool down, or risk not having any at all. Not speaking from experience here as I mostly used engine braking on my runs. Maybe not 10/10 but I had a lot of fun just the same. Until you get some experience on the dragon its pretty easy to approach a corner a little hot - brakes come in handy then.

 

The must-have mods for brakes are:

- Good pads
- Stainless steel brake lines

TyrolSport caliper stiffening kits was also great!

 

Hee heee...for real dOOde...I recommend RedStuff

 

check...

 

Getting MISFITOY's agreement is like receiving an Oscar....

So, I'd like to thanks my MINI for its great years and my MINI dealers as well

 

My brother has two Oscars...where's mine?lol:

 

I've had EBC RedStuff for a little more than a year now and love them. It is true they need a little "warm-up" in the morning to operate at their maximum capacity, but it is really not a big deal and nothing dangerous like no braking power before they get warm...

They do a very good job and do not produce dust as must as the stock ones... Prior to the RedStuff, I've had Mintex RedBox and those pads suck. They brake less than stock padsbuit last longer. I think EBC GreenStuff and RedStuff are great!

As for brakelines, mines are StopTech, but are made by Goodridge. After pads, brakelines are the single best upgrade one can do in the stopping department.

Brake fluid is also very important and should be done at the same time as brakelines in order to save a few $$ for labor. I use Motul RBF600 and it gets the job done pretty well.

Rotors are good too, but don't expect a huge difference in braking power, expect from evacuating heat.

TyrolSport stiffening kits are great! If you look at the stock calipers' bushing, you'll understand. The stock ones are cheap rubber. TyrolSport uses metal in order to reduce flex and provide a better control over the pads. It helped a little in the braking power, but really made a huge improvement on how the pads would wear over time... They now wear even and not at an angle.

Next step would be a BBK (big brake kit) but I think it would be overkill for my driving as I don't track or race. The closest I got to racing was on a dyno

 

What?!?!?! You did not get any Oscar yet?

Seriously, you are among the Top 5 of NAM's top members and your contributions are priceless, so even an Oscar would not be enough... or maybe lol

 

dont forget, when you replace your rotors and pads your free brake coverage on the mini goes out the window.

 

you do not have to speed to experience the advantaes of the upgraded brakes in the Mini...... I have driven behind many "sprited drivers" at legal speeds that were on their brakes more and more because of fade.....to the point where there brake lights are on maybe 60-70% more than mine (guess) I am not trying to "scare" anyone. I have driven stock brakes on the Dragon and there is a lot of difference....... of all the mods that make a difference brakes are cheap. If you are happy with the stock performance then you are not a candidate.....

This is a suggestion for those who demand a little more performance from their (system) car..... note I did not mention suspension...

have a nice day.....

One more point.... there have been a few instances on group drives where I was in the middle of the pack and the person behind me "lost" it or was having difficulty (these were club drives and I did not set the speed). when I asked them at a stop about their problem they said they were keying their braking off my brake lights......they erroneously thought that their car had the same kind of stopping power/brake performance.....

UPGRADED BRAKES ARE A GOOD THING WHY DO YOU THINK THE 07s HAVE THE JCW BRAKES...... apparently BMW thought it was a good idea ......

 

edit - nevermind
mb

 

Spider ... YOU Da MAN!

And your absolutely right and it has nothing to do with "where" you drive.

But ... and this is the down side and its not dissing MINI ... just a fact. Its too bad they didn't make the "JCW" brakes standard to begin with. There is no excuse for the car maker not putting on the best brakes for a marketed "sporty car" within cost reasons and production capability. Hitting people up for $800 extra (or whatever) or better brakes is just another way to make money and even then, we all know many people think the JCW brakes not really the best for the car.

 

My guess is that BMW has taken a lot of heat for the brakes on the Mini and decided they could do something about it at reasonable costs...... I have a friend who thinks that BMW should do a recall on all the 02 -04s and give us all gearboxes..... one could argue the 02-04 gearbox is just a mis-match.....

My original post was a "public service announcement" ....