Hi all. I have an R53 that is currently stock. I haven't had any problems with the stock brakes up until now. This past weekend I took my car to a track day and had a great time although the brakes faded badly throughout the day and the rotors were badly warped the next day. I don't plan on doing too many track days, maybe 2 or 3 per year and I want a brake package that works well on the street while holding up to the occasional track day. I was wondering if slotted rotors would stay cooler and be less prone to warping. I would go for a willwood big brake kit but I don't have the money to spend on that. Also what pads to you suggest if the car is primarily used on the street with an occasional track day? Any input would be great, thanks.

 

Heh... welcome to the world of a million different answers.

"It Depends"

Mostly on how you drive on the track, how deep you brake, how fast the track is, car and passenger weights, ambient temperatures, and some other factors...

Example: I have friends who have no problems on the OEM calipers and rotors with CarboTech XP10/XP8 pads at VIR (a fast, brake killing track). I personally killed a set of XP10 front pads and rotors there a couple of weeks ago by severely overheating them...

Slots don't really do anything for performance with modern pads (they're designed to give gas somewhere to go when pads out-gas... but I don't think most modern pad compounds do).

If you really drive hard at the track, a pad that performs well at track temps will not perform well at street temps... no such thing as a perfect hybrid pad IMHO.

If, like me, you find that good track pads can't take the heat of your driving style at your track of choice, your options become (1) slow down, (2) go easier on the brakes, or (3) go with a big brake kit ($$$).

I have another friend who swears by his JCW brake setup - for the street and the track. He was at the same track day as me, driving similarly, and had no problems. But he may not be as crazy with his braking as I am... and he and his car are definitely a good bit lighter.

 

I am on the JCW brake kit upgrade train. I believe you can buy this upgrade for just over $700 now, which isn't bad.

OR you can be a pincher like me, and try to find a nice set from an 07+ MINI, which have our R53 JCW brakes stock (minus the fancy red paint & stickers). If you can find an R56 owner upgrading his brakes and dumping his factory set, then you will have your Big Brake Kit for cheap. I got lucky and picked up a complete set of four (you only need fronts though), but I paid $180 for everything, and they were brand new, just off a showroom car.

I installed them a few weeks ago and I am floored with their performance. So if you dont want to change your driving style and you can spare a few dollars, I would do the JCW/R56 upgrade. I had drilled and slotted rotors and they were crap...took them off after just a few months and tossed them in the trash.