I had new brakes installed (pads, rotors & steel braided brake lines) on my '02 MCS.
I was expecting "heart stopping" breaking = touch the pedal and the car stops. Was this wishful thinking?
My breaking is the same as before ... even the hand brake rachets up to the same stop.

Shouldn't there be better response?

T

 

Maybe a little firmer feel to the brake pedal. Mostly it should be about the same. Now if you stop hard many times in a row you might get less brake fade with the new brakes. This makes a big difference on the track but for street driving and autocross it doesn't make much difference for most drivers.

So which Pads and rotors did you use?

As long as the total diameter of the rotors remains stock then the rotors will make not much difference you can feel. Some like Power slot cryogenically treated will last a bit longer when used very hard on the track. Most that are vented drilled or slotted or plated are not going to yield much of a difference for daily use. They do look nice.

Pads make a big difference but all function at different temperatures. Some do well at lower temps and are used for the street and stop like the stock pads do with less brake dust. Some are for track with some street driving- they function better for higher brake temps such as on the track doing lapping sessions, at a driving school or at autocross but they still do ok (not perfect) for the lower temps of street use. But these pads are more costly and can wear out the rotors faster. Then there are pads for track use only that don't function well at lower temps for the street.

Most people will do fine with the stock MINI brakes, you just get alot of dust.
They don't do that well with track use and running alot of laps with heavy braking. Changing the stock brake fluid out and replacing it with something that boils at a higher temperature will help alot- I use ATE Super Blue.

Some owners like brake caliper stiffeners- they offer a little firmer feel to the brakes, not that much- if you do only street driving, and you have to lubricate them regularly since you remove the protective rubber stock boots.

If you really want stopping power then you should take a drive in a MINI with a big brake kit, even a relatively modest willwood or TCE brake upgrade will work fine. If you get a really big upgrade for the fronts don't forget about upgrades for the rear brakes. Larger diameter rotors with more mass and larger brake pads with strong calipers allow for faster stopping.

 

I now have a new set of Hawke pads on with X-drilled rotors.

 

Hawk makes various pads for the MINI-
Talk to Alex@tirerack.com, he sells them and can explain the differences.
Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads $94/ Axle low dust, street use
Hawk HPS Street Brake Pads $91/Axle
Hawk HP PLus Race pads $120/Axle for autocross

X-drilled rotors of the same outer diameter as stock should function similarly to stock rotors except that the stock rotors with their larger flat surface has a larger area to meet the brake pads.

So given your pads, rotors of stock size and SS brake lines but no upgrade in brake fluid, it should be OK and similar to stock brakes. Probably you have less brake dust but that can vary.

 

What tires are you running? A good set of sticky tires is one of the best braking upgrades you can do for braking on dry roads. Generally speaking, your brakes will only be able to stop you to the extent that your tires maintain traction. On a non-ABS car I had awhile back, the braking distance improved dramatically in dry conditions when I switched from all-season tires to Falken Azenis. Even in the rain, braking can improve noticeably with certain tires that are better for wet roads.

-Keith

 

minihune - thanks for the information ... as always you are a good source for knowledge.
Mineon (Keith) - I'm currently running Avon tires ... not the best set I've run but they do grip fairly well.

Thanks for your help,
T