So late-to-the-party new mini fan here (although long time small car fan). My project ive bought (2006 MCS) is currently totally stock.

Im not liking the ride with the S-Lites with run-flats. Planning to change to 16x7 40et Rota Slipstreams with 50 profile tyres. But im really not liking how soft the brakes are on this thing. Just plain weak, there no other way to describe them.

I see the R56 brakes are 280mm discs on the Non-S & 294mm for the MCS. The calipers tho are still single piston, but a fraction larger (54 versus 48) - are the calipers the same on all the R56 models ?

To be honest, this doesnt seem like much of a braking upgrade to me ? they are still a small single piston caliper. Of course I havent driven an R56 - I dont know how much better they are, its just that im seeing a lot of talk about them being a cheap option.

What im wondering is: do the R56 MCS discs (294mm) require the 17" wheel, & if they do can you fit the R56 Non-S disc (280mm) & run the R56 calipers? - im assuming here that the caliper holder is slightly different between the Non-S & the MCS R56 - meaning if you search around wreckers you will need to use new discs that suit the specific caliper holder <~~ are these assumptions true ?

Ive come across this :
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-power-st...pair/s3320akt/
Remanufactured & requires new lines (any R56 calipers are going to need them also). The price is a small hike so I would hope they are like new - but they are still just R56 single pistons.


Now for a significant price increase ECS have this:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-wilwood-...0-8528-dr~wod/

^ thats slightly cheaper than on the wilwood website :O - now they also state that this kit will fit a 15" wheel, but its nearly a 301mm disc - im suspicious.

Detroit Tuned have this:
https://www.detroittuned.com/detroit...big-brake-kit/

16" & 17" wheel options. The 16" wheel option is a 294.5mm disc, but they state that the 17" option (325mm disc) wont fit behind an S-Lite, which has a 48mm offset. which only adds to my ordering anxiety.

So here I am at this forum hoping for some general brake option & fitment advice.

How much better are the "cheap" R56 brakes over R53, & how big a disc can you run behind a 16" wheel.

Is the big price jump of the 4 piston wilwood's actually worth it on the road ? the cost is significant.

 

The 294mm S brakes are functionally the same as the original 1st gen JCW brake upgrade with the R56S brakes having different carriers and brake hose connections. Regarding 2nd gen 294mm vs 280mm calipers, they are the same caliper, but use a different carriers to fit the different sized rotors. The 2nd gen calipers have a slightly bigger piston as you noted, and also use a slightly bigger pad compared to your current S brakes. The 280mm brakes would be a slight upgrade to your current ones, but unless you basically get them for free I would go with the S calipers and 294mm rotors instead.

Search for “Poor man’s JCW brakes” to get more details on going with the 2nd gen 294mm setup. The 1st gen JCW carriers are thick and follow the contour of the hub while the R56 carriers are thinner and basically straight. To see an actual JCW carrier look at pic #5 in this for sale link: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...32#post4650356

As for 16” fitment, you can see if the R56S came with any 16’s, or if anyones posted pics of 16’s on their 2nd gen S. Rota’s are fairly popular so if 16’s fit on a 2nd gen S, there’s a good chance you’ll find the info you’re looking for.

 

I can’t speak to the figment of the Rota Slips, but 16” R53 X-lite rims will fit over R56 S front brakes. I ran the X-lites on my Clubman for a few years as winter wheels.

 

TY for that njaremka.

 

Soft brakes is almost certainly a brake hydraulic system problem most likely bad fluid.

 

@njaremka To confirm, these are with the 294mm rotors? I'd like to do the upgrade but want to keep my x-lites for winter wheels. Thanks!

 

Yes, the 294mm rotor size. They were tight on clearance, but cleared just fine.

 

I just did a poor man jcw upgrade, I can tell you the pads and rotor definitely are bigger, but everything bolts right up. I have ss lines as well, key to bleed, I vacuumed at caliper and had pressure bleeder on reservoir, bled the abs twice, and my pedal is stiffer now than before. If you don’t have pressure bleeder or vacuum tool, you can do it with 2 people and get same results as long as you keep the reservoir full, I helped do a brake bleed on the dragon a few years ago, without everything. Lots of pumping.

 

Here’s a tip from the factory service instructions that make bleeding MUCH easier, a tip I wish I knew many years ago… Before you break the connection of the caliper hose, push down and brace the brake pedal down. This prevents the fluid from the master to drain down when the hose / caliper connection is opened. Then, when you reconnect the new hose and caliper, you only have to bleed out the air from the new hose and caliper.

When I did my GP2 calipers, I used this process, and I had the calipers bled in about 10 minutes after mounting them up. And, the pedal stayed firm after. So much more easy.

 

so just press the pedal as far as you can, then broom stick to seat holding it as far down as it will go? Just clarifying for others, and like I said I have some toys. My oil extractor has a brake caliper attachment and I already had the pressure bleeder, do have a Tiguan I might try this on.

 

The brake pedal trick was in the Bentley manual that I just used for removing my rear subframe, and agree that I wish I had known long before. No more than a drop or two leaked when disconnecting the rear lines.

I used a long socket extension bar pinned against the frame of the drivers seat to hold the brake pedal down.

 

I used a short piece of 2x4 wedged between the pedal and the seat

 

Good point! Most contributions forget to mention the noticeably increased pad shape. You need R56 Cooper S pads, don't get Justa pads!
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