2006 Cooper S.....I have been having an issue with brakes not grabbing in wet weather. It happens at highway speeds in fairly heavy traffic when everybody decides it's time to slow down. It's a real rush not knowing if I'm going to slam into the car in front of me. Then all of a sudden they grab.

Now I know about wet brakes and how to deal with them. You pump them slightly to get the water of the pads. That's all fine and dandy. But you don't always have that opportunity to make a well thought out controlled stop or slowdown.

I've had cars that have done this before. It generally happened when I drove through a giant puddle....not everytime it rained.

I'm somewhat suspicious of the spoked wheels leaving the brakes exposed. But I was just wondering if anyone else has had their heart drop to their stomach as frequently as I do.

 

It happens to me whenever I leave the carwash after blowing the crap off my wheels. Lucky for me, it always at about 5 mph. And, the way I go home, its a slow road through town with some opportunities to pump the brakes a little. It goes away for me after 2 or 3 minutes.

 

Yep, had the same experiences. That's just part of the package with smooth rotors and water. If you are so inclined, switching to cross-drilled rotors will make a big difference in this regard. The holes give the water someplace to go when you first hit the brakes.

If you really use your brakes hard (road racing kind of hard) there is some concern with drilled rotors cracking. For street use, no worries.

Scott
90SM