I thought I would try to document my adventures with my R53. I have taken a lot of inspiration from the thread titled a street car named Desire. I have owned an R53 since August of 2003. I bought my first MINI custom ordered from the factory in Indie blue with a white roof (no sunroof) I put 155,000 miles on it before it met its untimely end, I couldn't bear driving anything else, so I replaced it with another 2003 with 55,000 miles on it. It has been a daily driver and has done 2 track days and 5 time attack events as well as 50,000 miles of daily driving while in my possession. It will remain my daily driver for the foreseeable future, but I now live 40 minutes away from a quality race track and would like to do more track days. My first one is in a couple of weeks.

The car is currently my daily driver and has to get me to/from work, the grocery store, and occasionally get the kids to/from school. It may eventually become more track focused, but for now it has to do double duty. These are my current modifications so far.
Suspension
IE fixed camber plates
Hsport adjustable lower rear control arms
19mm Alta Rear sway bar
M7 front strut brace
Powerflex black lower control arm bushings and front sway bar bushings

Power mods:
17% supercharger pulley
Alta air intake

Drive train:
Exedy singlemass flywheel clutch conversion
Quaife LSD
WMW TSW polyurethane engine mount (probably going back to stock rubber mount soon, I've had this one for a year and the vibration is killing me)

Brakes:
I'm currently on OEM R53 brakes, and have ducts for track days.
EBC yellow brake pads for track days (EBC reds for daily use)
Motul 600 brake fluid
AAF brake dust shields/cooling ducts
Mini mania brake duct scoops

Cabin:
Shroth quick fit 4 point belts

Tires:
Michelin PS All season 3+ tires for daily use 215 45 R17 on OEM S heavy wheels
hoosier R7 for track days 205 45 R16 on OEM 7 spoke wheels

I've done one track day on the EBC yellows without brake ducts and was unimpressed with their performance, but figure I may as well use them up before I move onto something else, and I think having ducting will help them, and any other future brake pads.

That's my starting point. My plans include perhaps a brake caliper upgrade, lighter wheels, coilovers/lowering springs and adjustable struts, adjustable camber plates and maybe a bigger rear sway bar, but I've been loving the car for a daily, and I'm pretty happy with this starting point for increasing my track time. I'm working on getting a camera setup for my first track day, but other than that, the car is prepped and ready to go.

 

I"m working on pictures, but a quick update. I had my first day at the track this weekend, overall it was a great day. I have 2 repairs to make. 1 is I have a bad rear wheel bearing. I thought it was bad, but I actually had some rubbing of the tire on the control arm, so that is in the mail and will be replaced asap.

The other thing I found in my post track day inspection, was a leak from my brake master cylinder. My pedal got a bit squishy towards the end of the day. I had attributed to running the last 2 sessions back to back, but this might have also contributed to that squishyness. So that's also going to be replaced.

An oil change is also on the list of things to do.

my impressions are that the hoosier R7 slicks are amazing! the grip they have is mind blowing! Paired with the quaife LSD and the suspension mods I have the car handled beautifully. It was perfectly neutral, but rotated very easily when I wanted it to.

I'm not impressed with the EBC yellow brake pads. I will say that they worked on both track and street, but only lasted for 2 track days and 2,000 miles of street driving, and the dust was horrendous. I'm going to do a bit of thinking on what's next, but I think full on dedicated track pads on the OEM calipers will be how I go. Eventually I'd like to go with the R56 brake upgrade, I think, but it's hard to justify the expense of upgrading right now.

 

R7s are no joke and most definitely contributed to your brake fade.

I've always liked Carbotechs on other cars, not sure how well they'll do on the Mini though. I imagine XP10s are probably a good starting point considering the r7s.

 

Finally got some work done on the car this weekend. We drove the track in the clockwise direction so the left tires did more work than the right. While getting ready, I thought I had a questionable left rear wheel bearing, but figured I was probably being paranoid. When I swapped my street tires and wheels back on, I found that I wasn't being paranoid.

Not a huge rub, but enough to remove the paint

Just a smidge of paint missing. It got a scuff and a couple of coats of VHT satin black this weekend.

I also swapped the EBC yellow pads out and was surprised by two things. 1, the amount of wear, I didn't measure the pad thickness before going to the track, but I estimate that they were 1/2 inch thick, and now have 1/4 inch of material left of them. The second thing that surprised me was it looks like I've lost chunks of pad material. I've never seen pads wear like this before.


getting pretty thin.

Hard to capture, but the non-shiny parts of the pads seem like there's pad material missing.

I also found evidence of a bit of brake fluid leaking from the brake master cylinder where it bolts to the brake booster, so it's next on my list of parts to replace. I suspect that it's the o-ring that's failed, and not the master cylinder, but I'm still not thrilled with the pedal feel, so I figure it's a chance to kill two birds.

My tire wear was fairly even across the width of the tire tread which I was concerned that I might not have enough negative camber up front with the fixed camber plates, but it looks like its enough for now.

I also had a bird strike while on track, and actually found the little guy underneath the passenger seat when I got home. I have work to do on my driving, and definitely need to move my braking points back some, but I was pretty happy with how both the car and I did; just a few minor mechanical repairs, and some new brake pads and then I'll be ready to get back out there.

 

I will be interested to hear your brake outcome. If you have a leak, that sounds like the issue.

I have tracked my '06 JCW only once. It was an absolute blast. But, for the first couple sessions I was getting confused as to what was happening with my brakes because I was finding heel-toe to be harder and harder to get right for some reason. Turns out I was experiencing "excessive pedal travel" which seems to be a common thing. The brakes did not fade, but the pedal just went farther toward the floor, and the heel-toe method I had been practicing for a year around town was worthless because it just didn't work with the pedal going so far down. The other two cars I have tracked both had auto-blip so I never had to learn heel-toe.

I bled them at the track but it did not improve. At home I bled them again with me pressing the pedal and my wife working the wrench on each caliper. I put lots of pressure on the pedal. I don't think it changed anything. After reading a bunch of posts on this, I've decided I probably can't "fix" it and will adjust my heel-toe method. I have rennline pedal extensions and I think if I remove the top one, I can make it work.

I need to find a place around the house where I can use the brakes like at the track, braking really hard so the pedal behaves like at the track.

 

Yeah, I definitely get progressively longer pedal travel. For most of the day, it was fine, but when I ran back to back sessions the pedal got really soft. I had to blip the throttle with the side of my foot rather than traditional heel toe method. My pedal was pretty spongy for the drive home.

I did flush the brakes and it was basically back to normal. I swapped out the master cylinder, but haven't noticed much difference. I think the fluid/rust that I found was from spillage that had run down from the reservoir and gotten between the master cylinder and the brake booster.

I think I am going to upgrade the brakes. I'd love to go with something like the willwoods or powerbrake setup from RMW, but my budget is more like R56 calipers from a junk yard. I found a junkyard with an R56 near me. I'm hoping to get over there this week and get them, but I'll need to clean them up and decide if I want to paint and/or rebuild them. Should be a nice winter project. I think I may try running without my fender liners next time too. I don't generally think that's a good idea, but it might help get more air circulating to the brakes. I may look into the pedal extensions though. I really wish the brake pedal was a bit higher in comparison to the throttle.

 

Racingguy04, if you want to stay on EBC pads, by the time you are aggressively using race tires on a track you really should be on EBC's BlueStuff or OrangeStuff race pads. Unfortunately EBC doesn't offer those for your stock caliper. The yellow pads are not up to what you are doing on the track.

Note that you will have much better brake "feel" when you are hard on the 2004 brakes if you replace the rubber caliper bushings with brass guide-bushings: https://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_...hings_2_21759/ (I didn't use their "installation tool", just a bolt with nut and a few washers to press them in.)

If you switch to the R56 CooperS non-JCW caliper (same as R53JCW), mounting bracket and rotors, then calipers are solid-mounted and don't require the guide bushings. EBC BlueStuff pads are available if you want to go that route. Rotors are 294mm, and you will need to check whether your wheels will fit. (Find a friend with a R56S to check fit.) I believe same R56 caliper is used in non-S cars with a different mounting bracket and smaller rotor.

I and a number of friends have been quite happy with Carbotech for track days (XP10 or 12 front with 1521 rear), and then switching to the "Bobcat" 1521 compound pads in front for a great street pad with little dust for dual-purpose cars. All these pads are available for both R53 & R56 calipers. Once bedded, no additional bedding-in is required as you switch pads between Carbotech's street & track-day pads. (For a dedicated track car, XP8 pads in the rear are a good choice, but the rears are a pain to change back & forth.)

In my experience, the Carbotech 1521 street pads offer better initial bite than stock, or RedStuff, or Ferodo DS2500 pads in R53 or R56 calipers, and they dust less. They are also what are loaded into the Wilwood calipers on my Mini currently. I have not tried Porterfield or Hawk pads.

Just my 2¢

 

I put Willwoods on my son's Fiat Abarth. He does not track it, but I would not hesitate to get them for my mini. High quality and easy install on the Fiat.

The JCW has slightly larger rotors than a CS, not sure of the rotor diameter - might be 294 mm. I meant to mention I already added stainless steel brake lines. I also added brake cooling ducts using the fog lights as the air source. That was a pretty big job - lot of cutting. I measured my rotor temp once after coming off a session and it was close to 500 F - maybe 490 or something like that. It was nearly the same as my Cayman GT4 which also has a cooling duct. Based on that, I am thinking my cooling situation is okay, but I do not recall reading anyone posting rotor temps. I'm using Motul RBF 600 fluid.

I also bought an extra OEM brake pedal (they are about $50) so I could move it towards the gas pedal. You can see some details in my thread from my signature. Between some old fashioned bending and cutting/rewelding the pad, I moved it quite a bit. Actually, now that I think about it, moving the pad towards the driver could help address the excessive travel well. I'll have to think about that.

How long did it take to change the master cylinder?

 

Yeah, I agree with you on the EBC yellows. They were ok for a combined duty pad, but for a pure track pad with slicks, I think I need something more heat tolerant. I'm between carbotech and hawks, GLOC are also on my radar.

I have 17 inch S lites, R-84 x lites and r94 bridge spoke wheels. I feel fairly certain the JCW brakes fit under the s lites and the xlites. and I'm pretty sure that the R94s will fit too, but if not, I have backups.

I have considered the brass bushings, I guess feel is part of my considerations, but really avoiding brake fade is my main goal.

 

I measured my rotor temps with a laser thermometer after sessions. I never got a temp higher than 300 degrees F, but that was also after a cool down lap. I may have to get some of that heat sensing paint for my rotors.

The master cylinder change only took a couple of hours, but I sanded and painted part of the brake booster to keep it from rusting, so that took a while. The master cylinder is pretty easy to swap, the most annoying part is removing the air box, rear firewall shroud, and moving the fuse box out of the way. But after that, it's pretty easy. The OEM part I took off was branded ATE, and the replacement was also ATE, which was nice.

I use motul 600 fluid for track days, though I currently have ATE typ 200 fluid in it right now.

I'm really hoping that with decent ducts, good fluid and pads, that the R56 brakes will be good enough to keep me happy at the track. If not, I'll probably sell them and try and go back to the drawing board.

 

Your 16" R94 Bridge spokes are an approved wheel with the JCW brakes, so for sure they will fit, as will your 17" S-lites. The R84 X-lites are lighter and while not on the "approved" list, should fit the JCW caliper/rotor combination provided that the wheel weights are carefully placed to avoid the calipers. See this link (post #2) with pictures and details on a GP w/ no spacers required: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...te-wheels.html

With the right pads, the R56-style calipers are up to the task (though OEM brakes and wheels are heavier than Wilwood or aftermarket wheels). When you switch from R53 to the R56 style calipers, no brass bushings are required.

On the pads, I am presuming that your rear EBC yellow pads looked fine after a track day on race rubber (due to lesser demands), and that the car will continue as dual-use for the time being. If that is true, you can stick with street pads in back and continue switch between street and a more severe-duty race pad in front. Avoid using different brands of pad on the front for your race & street pads because the bedding process transfers a thin film of pad material to the rotor, and when you switch pads for track, your want that film to also match your race pads for predictable results.
I have regularly seen dual-use minis switching Carbotech pads for track, most commonly the X10. G-loc less so, though their popularity is more recent. Hawk HPS pads seem to be a popular street & auto-x choice, but I haven't seen noticed Hawk boxes when pads are being switched for track days.

Both of your brake fluids should be up to the task, with the Motul 600 having a ~10% higher wet & dry boiling points than the ATE Type 200.
Sounds like a fun project.


Brake fluid boiling points. On a a street car, after 6 months use, wet boiling points are more important.

 

Not much news since nothing is going on at the track until march. I did pull the trigger on a set of R56 calipers and I'm slowly getting them cleaned up and ready to go on the car. I'm planning on painting them red, mostly because the previous owner of this car painted the brakes red (did a pretty lazy job of it, but still looks ok from 20 feet away) I figure I'll paint these red too so they match, I think I'm going to go with G2 epoxy paint that you bush on. I like the control that you have with a brush, especially because I'm not very good with spray paint. I'm basically rebuilding the calipers while I'm at it. New seals, and dust boots. 1 piston is flawless, the other has just a touch of rust on it. I think I'm going to replace it, but i might see what I can do to get it off wit some emery paper or scotch pad.

It's amazing the amount of dirt and brake dust that can accumulate on these things, but I'm slowly making progress cleaning them.

 

Not a whole lot of action, but I’ve had a few small winter projects to do.
I finally got the calipers cleaned, painted, and mounted




I’m not in love with the pedal feel, it’s a little light and vague in the first bit of pedal travel, but I think it’s ok. Hopefully the increases heat capacity will be worth it.

I also replaced my rear strut mounts with Powerflex models. After 18 years and 109 thousand miles, the original ones were done.

In a rare concession to ride comfort, I went with the yellow instead of black. I figured these are directly between the road and the car, and so a little more give might be good.

I also plan to install the Powerflex rear trailing arm bushing inserts. (Went with black for those) I’ve had just a little floaty vague feeling in the rear end and I’m hoping one or both of these will eliminate it.

after the trailing arm work and a quick alignment, all it’ll need before hitting the track is a. Oil change, brake pad swap, and a quick brake fluid flush. I really like the motive power bleeder. It really makes flushing the brake fluid easy and quick, which is handy for as often as I find myself changing/freshening the fluid.

 

Ever thought about the R56 aluminum rear trailing arms? I looked at those a while back, but could not figure out exactly how much weight I would be saving...

And, the brake pedal is still a big issue for me. I modified my already modified gas pedal extension to accommodate the extreme pedal travel when at the track. I need to get it out before my first track weekend and do some hard braking to sort out heel-toe.

 

The thought of the rear trailing arms crossed my mind at one point, but honestly, my car has a sunroof, heated factory seats, rear seats ect, so shaving a few pounds off the trailing arms is not likely to make a noticeable difference to me, and the hassle and potential for failure of the self tapping lower shock bolt seems like the potential gain is small compared to the potential headache.

 

First track day of 2021 in just a few days! I made a few small changes to the car over the winter, most notably being the new R56 calipers with braided brake lines. I also installed the rear trailing arm bushing inserts and rear strut bushings, I'm hoping these will cure the slight wallowing I was feeling with quick changes of direction, the feeling of driving it on the road is encouraging. I'll be trying some hawk dtc-70 brake pads up front this weekend, I think I should be able to brake aggressively and not deal with brake fade.

My typical track day prep includes a quick alignment, brake fluid flush, installing the schroth quick fit belts, installing the towing eyes, and then the night before I head to the track, installing my brake ducts and track brake pads. All that's left to do is swapping the brake pads and install the ducts. I even cleaned my helmet shield.

 

Hope it goes well. I've been once this year, but have another at end of April! Lots of changes to sort through...

 

Way too long on this update, but life has been busy. The day went well, the first 2 sessions were wet so I did them on my street tires, it was all I could do to keep the car on the track. I did have a bit of brake fade in the second session, I think because the DSC was on and trying to keep me in a straight line. I also didn't have my brake ducts on. But once the track dried the brake ducts and slicks went on and things went much better. I only snapped one picture, but it was with an R56 on track in the background.



I was much happier with the R56 calipers and the hawk DTC-60 pads up front, after I turned off the DSC and put the ducts on, I had no fade. I might be able to get away without ducts, but I didn't try it.
I was pretty happy with the handling, but found the rear end got a little light on me a couple of times.


I haven't gotten out since april, and looks like I won't until august or september. I still need to replace the EBC yellows in the rear, I've pretty much decided to go with carbotech, probably x12s.
I'm also hoping to add the WMW/TSW under chassis brace to the car, but they're currently on backorder.

 

Interesting vid - I've never run Hallett CW.

I plan to be there with BMWCCA in September. Maybe I'll see you then.

 

Ugh no track action since April because it has been HOT! And life has been busy. But now that it’s starting to hint at cooling off I’m hoping to get out more. I don’t think I’m going to participate in the BMWCCA event at Hallet this weekend because it’s still going to be too hot to be fun in my opinion, but I’m hoping to get out for 2 days of Halloween weekend and then hopefully a day or 2 in November. And I may try and spectate some this weekend.

I haven’t made any huge changes to the car, but I did add a fumoto oil drain valve, I’ve never used one before but it seems promising. I also replaced my oem crank pulley with an ATI super damper. I was incredibly nervous that something would go wrong with the replacement, but so far it seems better than new. I also ordered new rear brake pads to replace the crumbling ebc yellows. I went with carbotech xp-10’s and will probably replace my front brake pads with carbotech if I’m able to do enough days to wear out the hawks up front. I added 5mm wheel spacers to the rear of the car and a stud kit, and I’ve been experimenting with my rear sway bar settings. I’ve been running my 19mm rear bar at the stiffest setting but I think that the middle setting might be faster and more predictable if I don’t have to worry about the rear coming around on me, I figure there’s only 1 way to know for sure.



Old brokness

New hotness.

some what unrelated, but does anyone else clean the under side of their car? I’ve started wiping down my suspension components and pretty much anything else I can reach when I’m under there.

 

I've been using Fumoto valves on my jeeps and trucks for several years without leakage or failure and will install one on my own R53 when times comes for DIY oil change. As to cleaning the underside, mine has too few miles to have accumulated any road grime, however I started the process of swapping coil springs this afternoon (as outlined in my own thread topic) and will hand wash those components as well as inside the wheel wells plus backside of wheels while those are removed for R&R. IMO, excessive-compulsive tendencies can easily be justified on enthusiast cars such as these!

 

I try and keep it clean. Since I've got the drivetrain out I am cleaning everything in sight. I live off of a gravel driveway, so dirt just happens, but I "rag-wrench anything that fluids get on. That was just common practice for me when I was an aircraft mechanic.