I just got my 2008 PW/PW MC last weekend and the brake dust is already incredible! Will it get any better as the pads break in or should I just go ahead and replace them with ceramic ones now? I see that Tire Rack has Hawk Ceramics. Are these reputable pads? I need advice from experienced motorers. Thanks.

 

I had good luck with Mintex pads on my 06.
I've heard good things about both Hawk and Carbotech.

 

Brake dust is a TOTAL pain, but not to worry. Use Wheel Armour and you will have less of a hassle getting your wheels clean and looking great!!

Good Luck!!

 

First of all, congrats on your MINI! One of the few annoyances the car has from the factory is an amazing ability to belch huge quantities of brake dust. Replacing the stock pads with something like a Hawk HPS will maintain very good braking performance while significantly cutting down on the horrendous dusting.

I hope that helps,
Ryan

 

Yes, factory pads put out a lot of dust. Clean the wheels and wax them. The Detailing forum will have some recommendations on what is best. When they are waxed, the dust cleans off fairly easily.

I replaced the pads with Carbotech Bobcat 1521, but haven't put enough miles on them to see how they do. One thing to note is that the brakes are covered in the service agreement, and MINI recommends replacing the rotors with the pads. IIRC, they don't have enough material to be turned down. They will do all that for you if you wear them out within the warranty period. If you put non-factory pads on, I doubt they will replace them for you.

If you just got the car and want to switch the pads, it isn't necessary to replace the rotors.

 

Change your pads, Hawk Ceramic are even better than HPS.

 

+1

After two years of OEM pads, just switched to Hawk Ceramics on my CR Cooper. Feel like OEM pads but 1/10th the dust. Important for me not only because I'm OCD, but also because I'm getting ready to paint the calipers.

 

i wash my wheel every other days...

where do u get hawk ceramics?

 

Anything is better than stock. OMG. I am not mr. clean car fanatic, but the dust is out of control with OEM pads.

If your car is new, you can usually get the new pads in without fussing with the caliper retraction since the pad depth is basically the same.

Any of the recommended pads would be great.

 

I clean my wheels every day, too, even with the ceramic pads. Just a lot less there to clean up. In fact, I'm probably certifiably insane. I could let them go all week and nobody would know there's any dust on them.

I got my Hawk ceramics from The Tire Rack, online.

 

Tirerack has them.

www.tirerack.com

 

Hawk ceramics are great and some of the lowest dusting pads (almost no dust).

I ran them for about 25,000 miles, then switched to the Carbotech Bobcats which I prefer - a little more dust (but still 1/10 the OEM dust) and better stopping performance than the Hawks, IMHO.

But either are an improvement over stock.

 

Better as in less dust, not better in regards to fade resistance or friction coefficient....just to clarify.

 

Oh, and when you put in new 'low dust' pads do not freak when the few days with them they might be as bad as OEM. After the initial burn in there will almost no dust accumulating.

 

Well considering the whole point of the thread and what the OP is concerned about is dust, that's what I was talking about, I don't think any clarification was/is needed.

 

are these DIY or do i have ot bring ot workshop?

 

Brake pads are fairly easy IMHO, but if you haven't done them before you might want to bring them to a professional.

 

i;ve never done it... .

 

Everybody has a first time!

A few tools are required. Excellent DIY writeups for the gen1 cars. Gen 2 are very, very similar:
Front:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...073#post487073

Rear:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?p=550345

 

It's worth informing the OP that there are trade-offs when it comes to pad selection. Not trying to pee in your soup, I just think it's important to show the whole story.

*Low dust
*Fade resistance
*Low Noise

You can only pick one or two, but not all three. It all comes down to your application.

 

I'm on my second set of Hawk ceramic's & I recommend them to anyone who street drives their MINI & wants a VERY low dust pad.

As Ryephile says there are better pads out there for track use. That being said I've run a few track days with Hawk Ceramic's & they worked well for me. If you are going to run 10/10's on track for sure buy a track pad. It's all about trade offs. Don't use pee soup in your master Cly. Use a high quality brake fluid. I use ATE super blue.

 

I have an R53 and I, like you, hated all the brake dust the OEM pads generated. At my first brake service I switched to EBC Green pads and I haven't looked back; they're great. I got them from Moss Mini and they are available for the R56.

 

If you're looking to ease wheel cleaning, I'd recommend RejeX over wax. I use this stuff on my track wheels where I'm running a combination of brake pads that put down some nasty @$$ brake dust - with RejeX, most of the dust hoses off with little manual follow up.

 

I run oem pads, and yes, there's dust. I simply use Griot's Wheel Cleaner. Buy a big jug and a spray bottle. You just spray the stuff on when the wheels are dry and cool. The stuff sort of CLINGS and you'll see the dust start running off. Then wait a minute and use a moderate pressure nozzle to blast em clean. Do ONE WHEEL AT A TIME. Quick wipe down and you're done. You have to get down and spray the stuff up and around the entire wheel surface. Cleans up your brake calipers too...just spray it right on.
I like keeping my car clean, but I guess I'm just not as ON IT as some of you. To each his own. I rarely wash the car in comparison to wheel cleanings. In fact, I use Griot's SPEED SHINE far more often than I wash. And I swear by their WINDOW CLEANER too.
I don't work for Griot's. I just find their products top notch.
Tom

 

Get some black or dark gunmetal rims...