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Hi guys, I've owned my R56s for over 3 years now, and my front brakes are causing some extreme vibrations when braking. Sometimes, these vibrations disappear for a stop or so, and come back. I have the stock single piston (?) cast front calipers. The pads on the front show uneven wear on both sides, with much more wear towards the outer ring of the rotor. Is this type of uneven wear normal on the pads for these cars? The pad actually looks angled from the wear.
Another note is that on the drivers and passenger sides there is a circular gouge all along the rotor, which looks like it was caused by a protruding bump on the caliper, is that also normal? I can try and get some pictures up tomorrow.
I have 16" wheels, and was wondering if I should replace my rotors and pads, and possibly (?) the guide pins (can we replace them on these brakes? I have yet to take my front ones apart). I drive the car extremely spirited everyday and the brakes do take a lot of abuse. Is there a BBK or a 4-6 piston caliper setup that won't break the bank for the front brakes that fit on 16" wheels? Or would it be best to just upgrade to some StopTech rotors and better pads for the front?
Sounds like you have overheated the pads and have pad deposits on the rotors. I have seen this out on the track, and can be an issue from stopping with really hot brakes and having your foot on the brake to hold you stopped.. The S brakes are really pretty good with good pads, like the EBC Yellowstuff pads or the Hawk HP+ pad. Not sure I would jump directly to a BBK at this point. I would do new rotors and pads and see how that works for you. You can easily check the caliper sliders when you do the rotors and pads. They are rebuildable but you may find they are ok.
So I managed to get some decent shots of my passenger side brake, the driver side is in the same condition. Considering I power washed the wheels a week ago, the amount of brake dust is pretty ridiculous. I tried to take some good photos of what I think is uneven wear, and the brake pads bedding in.
Thanks for the input Eddie!
So would settling on StopTech slotted rotors + EBC yellowstuffs be a good choice/combo for rotors/pads?
The pads don't look worn enough for the sensor to have even been touched yet, so I don't think it needs to be replaced, or should I anyways? Im planing on getting 3m copper anti-sieze and silicon paste as well for pin and pad lubrication.
Opinions more than welcome!
Edit: I don't know what these front rotors/brakes are, I didn't put them on myself. Whatever they are, the amount of brake dust they make is pretty disgusting...
A lot of brake dust, been a week since I washed the wheels with my power washer. A lot of brake pad bedding in the rotor, its tinted black. Uneven pad wear? Uneven pad wear?
Brake dust!
That just happens with MINI brakes. There are a gazillion posts on that subject on NAM. The MINI stock pads are extremely dusty, like what you are showing. Performance brake pads won’t help with that, sorry to say.
Ceramic pads are better at not being dusty, but they tend to not have the performance of something like the Yellowstuff pads. The EBC Redstuff pads are popular with the canyon carving crowd, although I have no experience with them. They are a step below the Yellowstuff pads, but might be a option if dust is a big consideration. A Google search will help to learn more about those.
Be careful with what what you use to lube the sliders with; check that what you plan to use is appropriate. If they are “free” to move when you take the pads out and bounce just on the force of their dust boots, I would leave them.
I can’t tell much from the pictures. But there is nothing that would change my guess that you are seeing the results from over heated pads.
Except for dust, your choice of pads and rotor should be fine. Actually, the plain face rotors will work just as well as the slotted. Big thing is to bed in the pads correctly.
Last edited by Eddie07S; Sep 6, 2018 at 10:20 AM.
Reason: edit typos
We see this all the time. Looking at your pics I can see those are the cheapo aftermarket brake rotors. The rust on them is the give away as quality rotors and OEM are coated so the hats don't rust like that. So likely they have some warp to them, and likely also cheaper quality pads.
