Slinger, JM and Charlie, thank you for a good discussion. It made me think why I was debating between MX-5, MCS and Elise for this car – to become a better faster driver and not let 350hp engine pull you out of the bad line. I decided to stick with a street tire as a first set of track tires and will see about R-comp down the road. It was not an easy decision, but I think it is the right one. I need to learn the dynamics and the car control of 180 hp 2700lbs FWD first before going faster. The original desire to go on R-comp was warranted though: I’ve ran them before (albeit not to the full capability of the tire) and I think I have decent car control (I am faster in the rain than in the dry (relative to other cars, of course)), but it was probably a bit premature to get R-comp for this car as a first track set. For my last 350hp, 3400lbs, RWD no question I would have gone with R-comps.
Looks like the star spec is the tire of choice here, so that’s what I’ll get. Now I need to decide whether to go with 205/50/16 or 215/45/17 set up. The former one is a bit cheaper and ~4 lbs lighter per corner (with the wheels I can afford). The latter one provides that extra contact patch. Does it outweigh the extra weight?
Also, which pads? XP8 all the way around?
Thx a lot!

 

i tried 15" off my sister's R53 on my car - didn't clear the calipers. may be earlier R56 had smaller front brakes.....

 

Pads, perhaps use XP10 F and XP8 R. I like the XP12 F and XP10 R better because they have a better heat range and seem to last slightly longer. But I do not think you need the XP12/10 combo yet. Give Dustin at autoxcooper.com a ring and he will set you up. He is my main pad supplier.

I have only run the 215/45/17 size for Dunlop Star Spec. Good grippy tire especially in the rain, but it is oriented a little more for AutoX. Does not need much heat to grip really well and provides great feedback. But it can chunk badly when run hard at extended intervals when new. If you get that tire, make sure you run it on the street for a while before bringing it to the track.

 

Yep - or shave 'em. But honestly, if you don't make 'em howl in every corner they do just fine.

I'm an autocrosser - one or two track days, but by NO means knowledgeable on wear arising from 20-30 lap sessions.

I will note however, that there were a couple of pretty good braking areas on the last course I ran (PCA event - fairly high speed) and after every run I could smell the brakes, and note substantial blueing on the rotors.

I'd just guess that the stock brakes are NOT industrial grade, and so I'd assume that at some point most of the road racing crowd goes to a fairly expensive upgrade of rotors and pads to avoid a soft pedal.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Charlie, I am too cheap to pay to shave off good rubber so I drive it off on the street. I am a purely open track oriented.

There are a number of issues that I have seen that can arise from track use of brakes of which one is definately boiled brake fluid from over use of the brakes or bubbles in the fluid from poor bleeding.The other is a brake pad fire, with smoke/flames coming out of the calipers, then you will loose braking ability. Seen it happen to a few Minis out there with OEM brakes. Fused the melted pad to the caliper and melted off the rubber boots and deterioted the SS brake lines.

For me, a good racing brake setup is to ensure consistent braking with a large margin of safety without loss of control. Good brake modulation is a big plus and so are pads lasting more that 4-5 track days. It is not about stopping power at superior braking distances etc... That you should be able to do with a lightened car, better brake bias and better tires.

 

For track days I switch rotors and pads together. I run the TSW Fremax rotors and CarboTech XP12/10 pads in the stock calipers. This way I do not have to mate the pad to the rotor each time I switch. For tires I run Falken Azenis RT-615k in 215/45R16 on stock MINI rims. They have a TW of 200 and are DOT legal. They seem to be a great auto-x or track tire offering excellent traction and communication. They allow me to play with people on R-comps with no issues.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/tsw-fre...ted-rotor.html
http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt6...zes_and_prices

Something no one has mentioned are brake cooling ducts. I found this to be a big help during extended lapping sessions. There are several kits available for the R53 or R56 MINIs from different vendors. Cooling ducts go a long way toward reducing the possibility of flaming brake pads and melting the pads to the rotors. Not to mention reducing the temperature of the calipers and the subsequent boiling of the fluid. Their cost is miniscule when compared to having the fire department douse your car.

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMB4000/InvDetail.cfm
http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMB4010/InvDetail.cfm
http://www.waymotorworks.com/mini-brake-ducts.html

Another convenience item is replacing the wheel bolts with studs. This makes changing wheels so much easier. Stud kits are readily available from many suppliers.

As far as BBKs go the Wilwood 11.75" kit and the TSW LDM brake kits offer the advantages of 4-piston aluminum calipers and light weight rotors with ability to fit inside a 15" wheel. Added performance and less weight, a win-win situation for sure. The 15" wheel is such an advantage that the RSR Motorsports MINIs run them in the Rolex/Continental Tire series when they could choose from several different sizes.

http://www.mini-madness.com/mini-coo...brake-kit.aspx
http://www.waymotorworks.com/tsw-ldm-brake-kit.html

just my $0.02

 

More like $20 Mr. Baggins.

 

Is that cash or an IOU.

Good job Mr Baggins.