Curious of my MINI colleagues out there who maybe are bit more old school regarding brake upgrades/track work. It seems there are so many big brake kits out there, but minimal brake duct cooling kits, etc for using the stock system.... The JCW kit is a street focus, and I doubt many manufactuers will have race pads for that kit....

Coming from my experience, one would first try to improve existing brake systems before spending $1,000 to $4000 for a BBK including new wheels/tires for both summer and winter use, at least in my opinion.

What do people think?

My path for my 2005 coop S is to first change to goodrich stainless lines, Motul fluid, Performance Friction 97 race pads, caliper stiffeners front and rear and some brake ducts once a supplier comes up with one that is reasonably priced. I only will do about 10 track days per year in the northeast.

I wonder the merits of a big brake kit on a street vehicle as the stock brakes can manage stopping well on the street. If I had a MINI as a track car I would have the Wilwood or Stop Tech kit in a heartbeat. How have folks managed there winter use of the MINI with a BBK? Does salt/corrosion cause a concern to people? Is using the MINI with a BBK in the winter a challenge due to large wheel requirements?

Comment and Rant as you think makes sense... I realize that the concept not to big brake the MINI may be counter intuitive to folks...

2005 MINI Cooper with LSD .....

 

Been through 2 winters here in the NE with Brembo BBK and no issues, car has 96K miles with 78K of that using the BBK

 

I think you have to start by defining in your own world, the need for the change.

If you do the occasional autocross session for fun and simply drive the car to work the value is certainly lower than that of the guy who open tracks often.

What's the real world value? For simply stopping probably not that much on a day to day basis. Most kits with fixed calipers will offer improved response and feeback not found on floating calipers.

Some of the better thought out kits offer a properly designed balance of parts to keep the vehicle in check. i.e. bias and proportioning are evaluated and taken into consideration. Others prefer the 'wow' factor and woo you with specific, key point that offer bragging rights. None of them should prove a problem and be considered unsafe regardless.

There's a balance between the 'look at me' factor and the 'I really need this' factor. There's ample room for both in the market as well. (not like brakes have an exclusive on this comparrison)

For many folks I call it an insurance policy of added performance. Exploiting the benefits of it depend on how you drive and what you ask of it. Longevity and wear can certainly be balanced against the improvements for those in the mose severe applications. For all who replace a BBK rotor set a season and three sets of pads there are those who may do that or more on stock brakes. It comes back to what you are using it for. And what you are willing to give up. I can put you into something that would nearly make you sick and hurt your shoulders under braking....but if you race and want to stop at the 1 marker you might find that pads and rotors are part of doing business.

For Joe Average the value come equally by way of personalization as well as performance. Let's be honest; many buyers will seldom or ever tax the products to their limits. I don't care who's product it is.

Adding stock brake 'enhancements' (pads, rotors, pins, hoses...) you can certainly improve upon the foundations. But if you have $600 invested in this in the end you may wonder if it could have been better spent? Nobody can answer that but you.

 

well said todd... i am personally now looking at bbks now because i just cooked my ds2500 pads, motul brake fluid, and stock rotors...

by the way todd, since i only do about 6 trackdays a year... im looking at the 12.2 kit with srp rotors, and probably get a set of C pads for the track... how does the 12.2 kit fit under 16' wheels?

 

For occasional track days where I get 20-25 minute runs, or days at the dragon, the stock setup works fine for me. If I was racing and was looking to shave tiny increments of time off of my lap times, then I would definitely want more stopping power. . . .

I have upgraded to slotted rotors and improved brake pads in the front and remain stock in the rear withHigh performance brake fluid changed regularly.

I certainly want a BBK, but don't really NEED it at this point. . .

 

You know...I've been selling custom BBKs now for 12 years. Yes, in fact longer than some of the others you've heard of. If I have one down fall it's that I don't hard sell. I recently cut ties with a guy who wanted to push one of my kits on another platform as he repeatedly made statements that I felt were wrongly quoted and or simply not reflective of what I do. A fall out with a customer of his who was not properly informed told me that a hands on approach is still what I value the most.

The question was about the need for this product. Regardless of who's kit it is. The bottom line is that not everyone needs this. Can everyone benefit from it? Many can, some cannot.

I've said it before; the BBK and brake changes in general for some reason go through this strange 'justification' put on them by the buyer or the lookers who question the buyers motives. I don't get it. The next time that someone wants to get some lowering springs who speaks up to tell them that they don't really need them? Or the buyer looking for a stainless steel exhaust who wants 5hp. Who tells him that his $500 should be in question? But when it comes to brakes there's this stigma on it that you shouldn't buy it unless you really need it. And by God there are those out here will tell you if YOU need it. Just ask 'em! lol

Anyhow, the answer to you question is that 'yes' the 12.2 will fit MANY 16s, however stock 16s I cannot say for sure. On the Wilwood site if you click the kit part number you can open a pdf with the wheel fit numbers on it. I'm NOT a fan of the SRP rotor for hard use but like the look too. For honest track use you should let me know and we might be able to do you a HD version of the 12.2 rotor as a sub or alternate part. It's not bling however so there are some compromises.

 

Thanks for the comments... and I understand many different opinions, uses for the car. Thus the reason for my asking for comments! Thoughts about pro's and con's of different setup's/technical info/etc. will help us all learn about maximizing our MINI or other cars.

My focus is to track the car about 10 days per year and use it for commuting or driving my kid's around the other 355 days per year... So having the ability to buy steel wheels with winter tires, track wheels with tires, and then have my 3rd set of street summer tires is important to me (as it was with my e30 bimmers), all of which must work with the brakes obviously.... I want my cake and eat it too, so I wanted to max my MINI braking system, without having to run heavy 17inch wheels....

Now if I was able to pursuade my wife to have 3 cars in the family, then I could use my MINI for summer only/track driving!!! Therefore, I was wondering if anyone knew of brakes that fit under the BBS rg-F 15x7 et 42, (weight is 10.6 lbs )? 11.75 Wilwoods don't Fit, as calipers hit those lovely forged spokes...

 

At that point, the only caliper that MIGHT fit is the DetroitTuned BBK caliper, but I don't think their kit will work on a 15" wheel.

Hey, if you're changing wheels all the time, what's a couple more hours to change the brakes, too?

Once you've removed the wheels, you're 3 bolts (and two nuts) away from taking the brakes off, too. Keep your stock brakes and use them in the winter. That way you don't have to worry about salt corrosion or anything else.

Of course, you'll have to change your fluid, but if you're safety-conscious, that shouldn't seem like to big a burden.

The way I see it, you're looking at 3 or 4 hours per year of extra work, and you get to run on your stock wheels during the off-season.