I ordered new pads and rotors for the front and back of my MINI ('13 Cooper S Clubman). I wanted to get the JCW brakes, but they weren't in the budget, so I decided to go for something a bit cheaper. I'm going with these guys:

Front Pads: Front Rotors: Centric 125.34101
Rear Pads: Rear Rotors: Centric 120.34094

The pads and rotors, having only 500 miles on them, are obviously fine. I just like a bit better braking capabilities than the stock parts provide and really like E-Coating on non-friction surfaces for longevity's sake. I have the T50 Torx bit for the rotor screws, and the 7mm hex bit for the caliper pins. I'm planning to use CRC Disc Brake Quiet on the pad backing plates and Permatex Ceramic Extreme Brake Parts Lubricant that I'm planning to use on the pins and pad slide channels. The rest of the tools that are needed appear to be standard sockets, so I'm fine there.

Do I seem to have everything I'll need? I really hate starting jobs without every possible part/tool that I'll need. I ended up having to re-assemble bad parts on a car that I owned in the past because of missing tools. I'm expecting the front pads to be a bit noisy for the first 200-500 miles, but the rest looks like it should be drama free. It even appears as though the rear rotors can be swapped without removing the caliper cariers!

--Matt

 

Ok, My assumptions are that the brakes on a clubbie are the same as a cooper hatch.

If so you will need a brake caliper tool to press the cylinders back in place. I have the JCW brakes so the fronts are different but the back brakes have a caliper that you cannot press in, you have to rotate it and press in. It is a screw type caliper. You can get a tool from harbor freight if u want to buy one. Some parts stores loan them. The fronts may be the same.

 

Ahh, oh yeah, I already have a brake caliper servicing kit that includes all of the dies needed to do that stuff. Forgot that part. I've done plenty of brake jobs, just making sure I'm not missing some important detail.

--Matt

 

mattkosem: I'm curious as to why you have chosen to use different pad material on the front from the back. Can you share the thinking behind this choice. Thanks in advance.

 

I've always stuck better pads up front than out back on my cars for a few reasons. The front pads do most of the stopping, I'd rather have longer life back there, and aggressive rear pads tend to contribute more cabin noise than aggressive front pads.

Yellow up front and green/red/yellow out back are approved combos according to EBC, so it should be fine. On most of the cars I've owned, rear brakes end up needing service less frequently than fronts (generally 2-4x longer, with occasional exceptions), so I like sticking pads that will last a bit longer and eat the rotors less quickly back there to contribute to that pattern. Two dusty wheels are easier to keep clean than 4 too :-)

--Matt

 

Yellows can be quite a bit more noisy and more dusty than the reds for street use. They seem to perform much better with more heat and the cf seems quite different when cold versus hot.

I use permatex extreme for the track. Really sticky at low temps. But they do burn off into dust around 1600-1800 degrees f or so. Maybe quite an overkill for street use.

 

Meh, I have it around so I'll use it. I didn't have any issues with it on my GTI's brakes. I had the yellows on my GTI (MKV) too and thought they grabbed much better in really cold weather than the Hawk HPS pads that I had before. They are obviously much better when hot, but aren't anything I'd consider "bad" in the cold (on that car at any rate). I ran them with Akebono Ceramics out back. For whatever reason, in dead cold, those HPS pads had dangerously little grip from time to time.

--Matt

 

Next time try carbotechs. I have tried many pads and seem to like them best for better brake modulation and feel.

I used to run 3-4 sets a year so I have tested many of these on the Mini.

 

Definitely! I want to try Ferodo DS2500 too. It's brand new so there's plenty of time.

--Matt

 

Pretty good choice, the ferados. I wore two sets of those on previous track car. A little hard on the rotors though.

 

Is this for the street or the track? Because if it is for the street Yellows are way too aggressive. Might want to consider getting Reds and Powerslot slotted rotors.

 

They're for "spirited" street use. Yellows aren't really a great choice for the track. I always run high po street rated pads on my cars. I've already driven with Yellowstuff on another car, and felt that they're a perfect fit for my driving style. I already have the parts, so I won't be reconsidering at this juncture.

--Matt

 

Whelp, I've got everything lined up and am getting ready to start on this. I think I'm going to use the caliper lube that EBC provided instead of the ceramic stuff for the pins, since there's some debate regarding its safety on some types of rubber. We'll see how she goes!

--Matt

 

Next time check us out on the part as our EBC prices beat those no problem, and we can help you with any MINI questions you have.

 

Dang, you do have a bit better prices. I'll definitely check you guys out next time I'm ready for some go fast (or in this case go slow?) parts.

The brake job went really smoothly. I dare say the easiest brake job I've ever done, and I even had to pull the driver's side pads back off because I didn't initially notice that the inside and outside pads were different. I didn't end up needing the 7mm socket at all. The same tools removed the front and rear calipers. The front carriers came off no problem with an 18" breaker bar and the rear carriers didn't need to come off at all. I opted for the high carbon rotors up front and out back because the price difference was so small. Hopefully it'll all hold up nicely.

I'm getting the same exact squeal that I heard on the yellows on my GTI for the first 300-400 miles or so only under moderate braking over ~30mph. They're quiet aside from that. Hopefully it'll go away soon. I forgot how awful their "Brake-in" coating smelled. Yick!

Anyone need a set of 900 miles old stock front and rear pads and rotors?

--Matt

 

Just over 200 miles and the squeal out front is all gone! Very happy with the yellows so far.

--Matt

 

I'm picking up a set of barely used pads/rotors/calipers that already have some EBC yellows mated to them. Think they're too aggressive for street driving and rotor longevity? I considered swapping over to EBC Reds, but obviously saving a little cash would also be nice.

 

I'm really not sure what all this "too aggressive" talk is about. They're perfectly pleasant on the street on my R55, and were on my GTI. I'd run them. I didn't find that they were excessively hard on the rotors on my last car. Worst case, if your driving style causes them to eat rotors more quickly than you like, you can pick up a new set of Centric rotors for under $100 if you shop around. It's not like the rotors on this car have enough meat on them to be resurfaced when you change pads anyways.

So far they even seem less dusty than the stock pads!

--Matt

 

I'll give em a run. Worst that can happen is I gotta swap pads in a few weeks after install.

 

Yup. I can't imagine you'll be dissatisfied. They bite hard when you want them to, but are easy to modulate when you don't.

Looks like I spoke too soon on the squeal being gone. I heard it a bit driving back and forth from my wife's softball game this evening. When it was cool and raining earlier, they were dead silent. Just a matter of time I I guess...

--Matt

 

Yellows are quite noisy and can be dusty as well.

 

The jury is still out as far as noise goes in my case. I didn't have noise issues with them after break in on my last car though, and expect (as well as EBC) that the noise they make will be gone within 200-1000 miles somewhere. Even during break in, the dust has been noticeably less than the stock pads. They're obviously not going to be as clean as ceramic pads, but they're hardly the dust factory MINI stuck on there in the factory.

I really feel as though people blow the noise/street worthiness of yellowstuff out of proportion. I have more then one friend running Bluestuff on the street without issues. They're, admittedly, a bit less friendly than yellow though. As long as you're a competent driver, and use them as they're intended to be used, they're perfectly fine for daily driving in my experience.

--Matt

 

Yay, the squeal is gone for good now! The last 3 times I've driven it, it hasn't squealed at all. The noise went away after the prescribed bed in procedure at 200 miles.

I love the feel of these pads on the mini! They're exactly what I was looking for. Perfectly pleasant around town, nice and grabby at speed, and a nice pedal feel all around.

--Matt

 

I've got 600 miles on these guys now, and the squeal comes and goes. Once you get em hot, they're not noisy at all. That takes a couple pretty rapid stops from 60 or so to achieve though. I pulled them apart and re-greased everything, and switched from the silicone anti squeal to the permatex ceramic stuff and it didn't help. I'm going to stick with them though.

--Matt

 

Well, I have my upgrade set sitting in a box, waiting to finish out my OEM set on the car now. When I get mine on, we'll see if I have the same problem.