Has anyone used this on their second gen MINI? If so, did you notice any improved stopping ability or any other benefit? Has anyone had problems with it, i.e. wheels not fitting, etc.

 

What are you using for front brakes? Stock or JCW? Did you try changing pads?

In general upgrading rear brakes is not the first step to improving performance without having already done upgrades to the front brakes or at least JCW front calipers.

Swapping out the OEM brake pads front and rear and getting better fresh brake fluid is usually the most cost effective.

If you already have an aftermarket Big front brake kit and want to add some rear brake bias then that would be OK but I doubt that you'd see that much better braking, it's subjective unless you document your 60-0 stopping distances on the same road (same tires) with the same environment/weather.

 

I can appreciate what minihune is saying, but I have also considered the WMW rear big brake kit. I have a 2nd Gen R55 (is there even such a thing as a 1st Gen R55?) and, no, it isn't a JCW, so I have stock front 294mm rotors and 259mm rears.

This "big brake kit" is basically just a pair of JCW-compatible caliper brackets that let you use JCW-size 280mm rear rotors with the stock calipers. Seems simple enough, and at a little over $300 (including rotors) versus spending $1,000+ for a "real" big brake kit, it's a pretty attractive option (for those of us on a budget). But we ARE talking about brakes... the single most important part of the car IMHO... and I CAN see potential issues, especially if these "caliper brackets" were to fail.

I'm about to do my first brake job, and since I'm going to be buying new rear rotors anyway, why shouldn't I do this relatively inexpensive "upgrade" in the process?

And I'm sure we can discuss the pros and cons of using different diameter rotors with calipers designed for smaller rotors, etc., but I think what Agbullet25 (and I) really want to know is: Has anyone else on the forum tried them, and, if so, what was your experience? Are they well made? Did you run them hard? Did they hold up well?

 

It's a nice direct bolt on kit that allows you to go to larger rotors without any modification to the car. The larger rotors will cool faster too as you have more surface area. Also they fill out the wheels so much better. If your doing brakes and need rotors anyway the cost is even less significant.

 

Swept area, diameter and clamping force (piston size, number of pistons) are what determines stopping ability of a brake system. That is without factoring in weight transfer/balance application etc. so by moving the same caliper outward you are thereby increasing the braking effect. i believe what they are selling is the factory jcw piece so failure SHOULD NOT be an issue