Greetings...

I've been doing a lot of research here trying to figure out how upgrade the brakes on my 07 MCS. If I understand it right, the 2007 got the JCW brakes from the Gen 1 , so I already have stainless brake lines and better calipers. It would seem the route to take would be slotted rotors and 2 sets of pads, one set for street and one for AutoX and track, both front & rears.

I thought it was me having to get used to the brake pedal, but as I read in numerous posts, I learned about the "on/off" nature of the R56 brake system, so "brake modulation" has entered my vocabulary, and from what I understand, upgraded brake fluid with regular flushing can help there. Right?

Since you'll ask about my driving habits and plans; I drive "sprited" (read:hard) on the street, even more so now. I have never Autocrossed, but only because I have never had the right car. So AutoX and NASA's HPDE are already on my 2011 calender.

Since tires go hand in hand with brakes, I plan on purchasing a second set of wheels and tires dedicated for AutoX and HPDE, so any recommendations there would be welcome as well.

I've only had my MCS for a couple of days, but love it and actually look forward to any chance to get behind the wheel. An absolute blast to drive.

In advance, thanks for the input...

 

Yes the 07 MCS has the same basic caliper as the R53 JCW brake kit. But your car does NOT have stainless steel brake lines.

For rotors don't waste your money on slotted rotors, you won't see any difference over the plain rotors.

For pads start with something like EBC redstuff pads you can drive on those and do some AutoX. Then later when your ready for track use you can get something more agressive.

For fluid get some Motul RBF600 that will keep you from getting any boiling.

 

Look at tce performance for some alternatives. Todd has some interesting choices.

I would just do pads and fluids for now and when you have more experience, it would be easier to choose something later.

Just remember, autox and track pads are VERY different. Do not use autox pads on the track as they will fry.

 

Modulation comes from a number of things...most of which don't come in stock parts....The fit of ss hoses will aide in pedal response but it's a minimal improvement on such a low time car. Modulation comes mainly from alternate calipers and their related specs combined with the proper pad choice for the use.

 

Slider - Welcome to the Mini world of many options... '07, my choice also...I am also new at this and this is a a short version of my experience.

As for autoX, that is where I started and I really like the Yokohoma AD08s. Those also work well for the HPDEs. Also, the stock pads and brakes (rotors, calipers, etc) work well enough for the novice. What you will find is that it is not the brakes that need to be changed, it is the suspension - camber plates and larger rear sway bar are a fantastic change for both the street, autoX and the track. These are both moderately easy changes (plenty of posts on these). Once you change these, you will wonder why you thought the S was such a great handling car. These will improve it that much.

As for for the HPDEs - get a set of high temp race pads. From my experience (and others may argue with me - there are plenty of threads about this) race brake pads should be all you need to start; the rest of the car is good the way it came from the factory. Once you improve, talk to Todd about a set of BBKs. Stay with the stock, flat rotors. I found the rotors were not a limitation to braking...it was the temperture rating of the pads. I didn't start out with a good race pad and had problems. Stay away from cross-drilled and, while I have no experience with slotted, what they said above. As for pads there are a lot of good choices out there. I used the Carbotech XP10s for the front and XP8s for the rear. Way Motor has already weighed in (above), the Carbo's can be had from AutoXcooper. I got 4 track days out of them (fronts at least). You will need to change brake fluid before a HPDE. And keep an eye on the brake pads through the day. I almost lost mine because I didn't watch them closely enough. An extra set of pads is a good idea.

For tires, start with summer extreme performance (Yokahoma AD08, Bridgestone RE11, etc). Tirerack has some good tests of these to look at. Hold off from R-compounds until you have some experience.

That's the short version of my success from my trials and errors from the last season...Hope it helps.

 

Guys,

Thanks for posting up. All good points; I will take it and more!

Eddie, I was wondering when someone was going to call me out on Suspension. Count that as another one I need to add to the mod list. Todd is on my hit list as is Way.

 

I fully agree with Eddie on the points he has raised. One extra point is that the OEM rotors do turn blue and get minute heat cracks after a few track days. I ended up replacing them after about 12 days or so. With the heat cracks, the rotors does not seem safe anymore.

While stopping power is good with the stock setup (and race pads/better fluids) as you increase in speed and use more brakes, it seems prudent to me to get bigger rotors and better calipers for an increased safety margin and braking consistency.