I have a 07 - R56 MINI COOPER - I am looking for brake and rotor replacements on the front wheel. I need one that's low dust, but perform as well as if not better than the OEM, I am not looking for fancy cross drilled rotor and colored pads, as long as it performs slightly better than OEM with low dust (very important) and can last me about 40000 KMS...I will be okay with it. I am in Vancouver B.C., I perfer to deal with someone local to save the shipping/handling fee. Any pad/rotor suggestions? I did a search but there were so many conflicting experience...thank you for your help!

 

hawks hps brake pad is not bad for its price,is amazingly low dust and it performs very well,are you sure you can't reuse the front rotors??because it should last quite long

 

I was told by MINI - the rotor was made of soft materials so they always replace it with the pad. Which Hawks HPS pad are you using? The track version or the normal street pad? In term of performance, are they comparable to the factory pad? Thanks for your input and opinion.

 

OEM BMW/MINI rotors are pretty soft....some aftermarket are a bit better, but if you are a performance driver, it is usually not recommenced that they be resurfaced, as they are more likely to warp and fade. Aftermarket Gen2 rotors are kinda limited, but many are coming out now.

A quick search on pads will turn up many many threads about this exact subject. Some love hawks, some hate them. It comes down to your driving style and your needs.
From the sound of it, you want low dust, long life, and better grip than OEM....a perfect Tri-Fecta, that all pad company's are trying to do!!

While Most pads make less dust then OEM, they are often very different feeling, short lived, etc. It is all a compromise of sorts.
Most Ceramic pads make less dust, or at least lighter colored dust, and tend to be pretty quiet. But what exactly is Ceramic? The definition varies company by company...as do their performance.
Semi-metallic pads are the most common....they can varry in dust from very small amounts to HUGE amounts depending on the materials they are constructed of, and the amount of filler (usually Iron/steel wool) in them. One tip...Most German approved pads tend to be the worst.
Many have Found Green Stuff from EBC to be pretty good compromise, as a lower dust street pad, that has good bite, and good life, and friendly to rotors. They are NOT a track pad (some folks do), and are commonly available locally at auto stores.
Akeebono Euro Ceramic pads are generally available, used on many BMW's, are nearly dustless, and some people like them...all comes down to driving style, and how much you are willing to give up to get low dust. Both are on my short list for my next pads...but I am mostly a highway driver, so cold brake performance (initial bite) is at the top of my list.
Good luck!!

 

I installed the Hawk HPS pads to the rear of my (now my Son's) 2004 R50 Cooper, they work great with reduced dust. That was at approx. 68,000 km. and the rotors were fine, maybe measure them if you can borrow calipers - the minimum thickness is stamped on the face.
This spring we will install Hawk HPS to the front, the car now has approx. 95,000 km. Purchased from Tire Rack, always a pain free transaction.

 

Thanks guys, much appreciated. Happy motoring!

 

I have white wheels and I use EBC Green Stuff pads on my R53. Waaaaaaayyy lower dust than OEM and good performance too.

As far as rotors go, I've used Powerslot rotors...but I really don't think they perform all that different from OEM on the street.

B

 

Thanks for your reply, would you say the EBC Green Stuff performance at least equal (or exceed) the stock BMW pad? I like the performance of the BMW stock pad...just a lot of dust.

 

I have hawks all around on my r53, super low dust ATE slotted rotors as well. costs less than OEM and after breaking them in they are far superior to the OEM stuff See the guys at detroit tuned for good prices

 

Brake pads are so subjective (like tires, I guess). I have heard good things and not so good things about just about all of them.

I probably wouldn't be looking for alternatives if it wasn't for the dust of the stock MINI pads. But I just did a brake pad change last week and went with the stock pads again. Pretty well all the aftermarket pads have less dust (which addresses the primary concern of most people). And almost all of them stop your car just as well if not better.

But every pad has their compromises. Whether they be needing to warm up, generate more noise, wear your rotors faster, or anything else, they all require some sort of compromise. I just decided to stick with stock because the compromises seem to fit my driving routine and wash my wheels more often. I think the MINI has great brakes compared to other brakes I've had on my other cars in the past. I have considered a BBK, but that's more money and will require me to acquire more expensive snowtires and wheels for the winter.

 

All of the "low dust" pads have good wear characteristics as they are harder; in my experience they lasted significantly longer than the OEM pads.

Less dust = Less wear

Rotor life, as Beken mentioned, is the trade-off. I think I could've gone through two sets of pads before I would need to replace the rotors. But I can't say for sure as I traded in my R50 for an R53 before I could find out.

I like the performance of the EBCs and mine don't squeal.

Bryan

 

Replaced my OEM pads and rotors with EBC Green Stuff Pads and slotted rotors at approximately 50,000 miles. Dust levels dropped significantly and braking performance was slightly better. I mainly do city driving and don't abuse the brakes (too much).

25,000 miles later, the wear sensor light came on again. The remaining pad thickness on rears looks minimal and I'm also hearing noise from the LR wheel. The lower dust levels and slightly better performance were nice, but at half the mileage, I don't think the upgrades were worth the extra money. I'm going back to OEM.

 

I need brakes/rotors for my 2007 MINI and I live in Vancouver B.C., according to my fob - I have 600KM front and about 2000KM for the back. I am trying to save some $$ by getting aftermarket parts...

**Can someone recommend a good online vendor?

**Or if you live in the Vancouver area, can you recommend a local shop?

I am leaning towards a Hawk HPS pads and just a basic rotor.

Thanks for your input!

 

Since rotors are so heavy, if you want a basic rotor, buy them locally (if you wanted cross drilled, etc, then ordering might make sense)...even if they are not in-stock, they will order them, and you will have them in a week or so...no shipping charges. Not sure what brands are available up north, but many folks are having great experance with Centric Premimum rotors...a good cheap rotor, with a nice crosscut finish to help the pads bed in.......painted "hats" to help keep your rims from getting stuck to them from rust/corrosion. Just be sure to select the OEM equivalent or premimum rotor...some places stock light weight cheap rotors that are "consumer grade", that actually weigh less, fade faster, have thinner wear surfaces and have general characteristics that would not be good on a performance car!
One thing....(I'm not great on Gen2 things) I believe that the keyFob warning is just an estimation of brake wear....based on miles, etc...not an actual open circuit like a pad sensor that is cut but a thin pad...so depending on your driving style, you might have better brakes than you think!! Many shops have plastic gauges that can be used to measure the remaining pad thickness.....they generaly will say the remaining amount in %, unless it is a shop that is trying to scare you, then thy will say it in 1/1000 of inch or MM.