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<rant>Sick of seeing mini 'people' robbing other MINI owners with ludicrous jacked up prices for 'rare' stuff when the same products can be had for well less elsewhere.
Case in point. 4-pot Brembo calipers. If you are lucky enough to live in the UK (or you know which of the UK sites will ship these to the US - not all of them will), you can get a set of Brembo remanufactured 4 pot JCW calipers for $488. Budweg is a remanufacturer located in Denmark. There are some awesome videos of them taking in all of their cores and re-manufacturing them with parts that they produce in house. They clean, strip the old coatings, treat the piston bores, use all new internals, plate, (and paint if a Brembo part). European sites that sell these say that they are replicas - that has to be a legal loophole to allow them to sell these remanufactured parts. From Budweg's own catalog page... note "exchange part" highlighted below.
You can't buy these from Budweg as they only supply their remanufacured calipers to re-sellers, but you can take advantage of the ridiculously low dollar to GBP rate right now and pick up a pair of these Brembo calipers for either your R53 or R56. The R53 will require different rotors (the JCW front size that go with these) and a set of R56 lines. So this is not a Big Brake Kit, but just the Big Calipers.
From another website showing remanufactured source.
Another webpage stating remanufactured. These are not Chinese knockoffs. They are Brembo calipers remanufactured to as-new and with a 5 year warranty.
Don't get ripped off. Part numbers are Budweg 344902 and 344903. Or look for a set. I just paid $684 including international air postage, and I should get the 20% VAT back as well. That will bring my caliper purchase to $547. The only site I have found that ships to the US from the UK is modamini.com. There might be others or someone might be able to arrange a group buy where the shipping could be shared for a lower overall cost for everyone.
FWIW, Schmiedmann in Denmark carries Budweg brake products and does sell/ship to USA.
Enter specific application catalog P/Ns to check pricing and availability:
Great find! I'd love to do this to my GP. Do you know what other pieces I'd need to locate to make this fit? I'm guessing the R56 caliper bracket does not work with these? Or what brake line hose you'd need to purchase? Thanks again!
So far as I am aware, these bolt directly on - no plates required. You would need R56 lines, the correct 316 x 22 rotor, the Brembo JCW pads, with the pins and holders or whatever they are called, and that should be it. Oh, and the decal. I will post up the install when I get mine and the parts list. I believe there are other DIY's out there that list the parts required for the Brembo 4-pot to R53 install.
FWIW, Schmiedmann in Denmark carries Budweg brake products and does sell/ship to USA.
Enter specific application catalog P/Ns to check pricing and availability:
I wasn't able to find the JCW R56 Budweg Brembo calipers on their website. :-(
I put new calipers and rotors on my BMW 435, leaving me with a pair of leftover Brembo 4-pot calipers. They’re probably too big to fit on my R53, but it would be interesting to try. Then I could clean them up, powder coat them and add some snazz.
This is the new Brembo on my 435i. The old one is exactly the same except for the bolt pattern; this red one fits a larger rotor.
So far as I am aware, these bolt directly on - no plates required. You would need R56 lines, the correct 316 x 22 rotor, the Brembo JCW pads, with the pins and holders or whatever they are called, and that should be it. Oh, and the decal. I will post up the install when I get mine and the parts list. I believe there are other DIY's out there that list the parts required for the Brembo 4-pot to R53 install.
Appreciate the insight and help. So I'm guessing that as my GP has the R56 regular brakes, or R53 Sport brakes, that they would in theory already be compatible with lines I currently have? I'd then need to get a bigger rotor? Or is the 316x22 rotor the one that already comes with the R56/ R53 Sport brakes?
Why is the significance of the “ W/// “ on the caliper?
It’s an M. As in… Mmm… awesome brakes!
And I have to say… these M-Performance brakes weren’t cheap, but they are smoothest, quietest, best stopping brakes I’ve ever had. The little dimples make a subtle hissing noise as they slow, but no squeals of any kind. They are SWEET!
And I have to say… these M-Performance brakes weren’t cheap, but they are smoothest, quietest, best stopping brakes I’ve ever had. The little dimples make a subtle hissing noise as they slow, but no squeals of any kind. They are SWEET!
LOL! Those calipers look familiar! I've got a set in blue! Did you use a different sized pad? I guess you had a different sized rotor as well? Or is it a direct plug and play as they sold those sport brakes on F30's? Would be interesting to see if it fit on the R53 with an OEM 17 or 18 inch wheel.
LOL! Those calipers look familiar! I've got a set in blue! Did you use a different sized pad? I guess you had a different sized rotor as well? Or is it a direct plug and play as they sold those sport brakes on F30's? Would be interesting to see if it fit on the R53 with an OEM 17 or 18 inch wheel.
We can get them, stocked in USA but the price is higher and these are without core.
If something changes I will let you know. My guess is they were higher priced at one time and then they dropped due to exchange rate for stock in UK, were as the stock in USA is old stock with no cores. Most of the time we can get items no one else can get in the USA.
Appreciate the insight and help. So I'm guessing that as my GP has the R56 regular brakes, or R53 Sport brakes, that they would in theory already be compatible with lines I currently have? I'd then need to get a bigger rotor? Or is the 316x22 rotor the one that already comes with the R56/ R53 Sport brakes?
I'm wondering the same thing..and can a 16in rims be used if it's an aftermarket ? I really wanted to do the brembo 4pots but wasn't sure if they'd clear my 16x8 mst timeattacks. So I went r56 atleast in meantime and will be doing r56 rears too with the trailing arms.
So far as I know there is no 16" wheel that will work with these, but I could be wrong. Not all 17" wheels will work either. I don't have these yet, so I don't have all the answers but lots of folks have done the conversion and you should be able to find some info by googling or youtubing.
As far as the exchange rate - it is low right now, so a great time to buy these from the UK if you can find someone willing to ship. ECS is right, no core will = a slightly higher price. Like $45 per side or something like that.
We can get them, stocked in USA but the price is higher and these are without core.
If something changes I will let you know. My guess is they were higher priced at one time and then they dropped due to exchange rate for stock in UK, were as the stock in USA is old stock with no cores. Most of the time we can get items no one else can get in the USA.
@ECS Tuning Your linked pricing is actually lower than Schmiedmann/Denmark and availability from USA inventory would appeal too. The OP posted earlier that the Budweg P/Ns weren't listed on Schmiedmann's website but ECS' links with P/Ns confirm they are (subject to estimated 30 day fulfillment plus transit time). Since Budweg likewise is based in Denmark, I'd have been surprised if Schmiedmann couldn't furnish their entire product line. My order placed 30 days ago (for 2 sets OEM R52 Cabrio braces) is in the process of fulfillment now (per emails including DSV Xpress tracking number received this morning) have gone smoothly with no issues with communication in English. OTOH, much preferable to buy from a USA source such as ECS when price-point is comparable or less.
Thanks for noticing. Yep, some places in the UK might be cheaper but it does have to come from the UK.
I have these on my R52 and upgraded the rotor to our ECS V4 Slotted Rotors . You can see them here. Huge jump over the stock ATE single pots. Matched the rears with slotted on stocker rear brakes. I just rebuilt the whole suspension on my R52. Its on our prototype ECS Adjustable Coilovers. ECS Brake lines etc..
@ECS Tuning Your linked pricing is actually lower than Schmiedmann/Denmark and availability from USA inventory would appeal too. The OP posted earlier that the Budweg P/Ns weren't listed on Schmiedmann's website but ECS' links with P/Ns confirm they are (subject to estimated 30 day fulfillment plus transit time). Since Budweg likewise is based in Denmark, I'd have been surprised if Schmiedmann couldn't furnish their entire product line. My order placed 30 days ago (for 2 sets OEM R52 Cabrio braces) is in the process of fulfillment now (per emails including DSV Xpress tracking number received this morning) have gone smoothly with no issues with communication in English. OTOH, much preferable to buy from a USA source such as ECS when price-point is comparable or less.
For a brand new BMW MINI JCW Brembo caliper, $650 USD per side might not be a bad deal (though I wouldn't pay it).
I paid 550 GBP shipped for a Budweg rebult pair. In today's exchange rate that's $661.90 and no VAT because not being used in the UK. Looks like the exchange rate has gone up a smidge from when I paid.
Man - why didn't I wait a couple of days... exchange rate is a bit higher, but 25 quid off for black friday. Total shipped price for the pair is now $631 USD; I paid around $690 (VAT wasn't taken off because it was never added). Also, either the core fee is built in with this seller, or they do not charge it (I assume built-in). My pair shipped today. So international orders ship in about a week from these guys.
LOL! Those calipers look familiar! I've got a set in blue! Did you use a different sized pad? I guess you had a different sized rotor as well? Or is it a direct plug and play as they sold those sport brakes on F30's? Would be interesting to see if it fit on the R53 with an OEM 17 or 18 inch wheel.
Nice!
I just did loads of work on the R53, and it’s now running well in a stock configuration. The only deviation from OEM are the shocks, bushings, and the metal coolant tank. I want to drive it about six months and make sure it’s solid before adding performance mods… so I can’t answer you right now.
I’ll just have to try and see if my old calipers fit. The brakes on our M-Performance BMW’s are:
Fronts: 370x30mm rotor, four piston caliper
Rear: 345x24mm rotor dual piston caliper
This is an upgrade from the Sport package, which has smaller 340mm x 30mm rotors, four piston fronts and two piston rears.
This upgrade results in the same pad area and the same rotor contact area, but the larger rotors dissipate heat better, so they won’t fade in high performance (high heat) conditions.
Yes, I upgraded from four piston to four piston calipers… the calipers AND pads are the same, except the red and blue calipers have different mounting hole locations, so they can fit over the larger rotors. Will my old four piston Brembos fit my R53? It will depend on the bolt pattern, rotor size and whether my wheels fit over those huge rotors.
Then, if my Brembos fit, I’d want to powder coat them before I install them.
11-16-2022 | 08:59 PM
Yep, some places in the UK might be cheaper but it does have to come from the UK. 