Brakes Wheels 1st Gen Tires R53 Front Brakes: A Detailed Look

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by c0op3r, Nov 10, 2013.

  1. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    R53 Front Brakes: A Detailed Look​


    I would like to present this article to go over the possible upgrades to the R53/R52 2002-2006 Mini Cooper S model front brakes. I like to call the front brake upgrade path by levels 1-5, explained below.

    1. Stock Brakes (no upgrades or maybe replacement pads)
    2. Stock Calipers w/ upgrades (Bushings, Pads, Rotors and/or Stainless Steel Lines)
    3. R56 Cooper Calipers and Carriers
    4. R56 Cooper S Calipers and Carriers
    5. Big Braking Kit (be it Brembo, JCW, BrakeMan etc)

    For this discussion we will go over 1 through 4 in depth, I am not qualified to go over #5 as I have not done that work to my car, but I will touch on some of the added benefits to the kits. Near the end of this article, I will show some photos and examples so that you get a visual idea of the sizes and end results.

    Level 1 (total est upgrade cost $35 to $100)

    The stock brakes on the R53 use a single piston of 48mm, floating caliper grabbing a rotor in the diameter of 276mm (10.87â€). For day to day driving, there is nothing wrong with these brakes. They work well without fade and also work well in all weather. A slight upgrade to these would be to use an aftermarket pad that is a ceramic base (example the EBC RedStuff, or maybe the Akebono Ultra-Premium).

    There really is not a lot to talk about here. This is what all the 1st Gen MINI’s come with.

    Level 2 (total est upgrade cost $60 to $300)

    If you decide that you need a little more braking power but do not want to get too far away from what the local repair guy or the dealer will work on, there are a few upgrades that you can make to the stock brakes that make them very nice with no real down side at a low cost. You will only need basic skills and tools to perform this work.

    • BMW Brass Guide Bushings
    • Stainless Steel Brake Lines
    • Upgraded Pads
    • Drilled and/or Slotted Rotors (this one has some debate as to whether it is an upgrade or not)
    • Fluid Flush and Upgrade

    I will give a brief description about each:

    BMW Brass Guide Bushings – The factory caliper use a plastic guide bushings that has some flex. They use these because they are quieter, require little to no additional service, and of course are CHEAP. The brass guides replace the plastic parts and are C-clipped in place; they cost about $60 from a number of dealers.

    When I had these installed, I noticed no additional noise. They do firm the pedal feel and bite a small amount. The bushings do not have caps so they do require that you add a little lubricant every so often. I used a bronze impregnated grease.

    Pads – I personally like the ceramic pads. When ceramic first was made available at an affordable price, they did not work so well in lower temperatures. Newer compounds work GREAT across the temperature range. I personally like the EBC pads and use the Red units on my cars. I have heard that the Hawk and Akebono are just as good. I have found that the semi-metallic fade out like the end of an old movie.

    Stainless Steel Brake Lines – The Stainless Steel Lines (SS Lines) are a great upgrade. They replace the rubber factory lines, are of much better quality, and have no flex. The OEM lines can start to soften over time and will cause a bit of a spongy peddle feel.

    Brake Fluid – If you are going to open the system to replace the lines, you will need to have some fluid to replace what you will lose. I personally suggest a flush out and upgrade. I suggest a DOT 4 (OEM is DOT 3). I like the Motul 600 but there are many good fluids out there.

    Most of your upgraded fluids are compatible with the OEM existing fluid. Just flush the system until you see the new clear fluid in the line. ATE Super Blue is good for this since it is a clear blue fluid, making it easy to know that you have completely flushed that line. You will need to do all 4 corners.

    If you are going to do this job yourself you might want to look at a power bleeder. They can be purchased for about $50. This will make flushing and bleeding a system an extremely easy and accurate job.

    Level 3 (total est upgrade cost $200 to $300)

    This is, in my opinion, the best Bang for the Buck! You can use your standard 276mm rotors, but you move up to a 54mm bore on the caliper.

    What you will need to do this upgrade:

    • 2007 – 2012 Calipers (might go later but these are easiest to find cheap)
    • 2007 – 2012 Carriers
    • R56 Front Brake Lines (I would suggest getting the SS Lines)
    • NEW Pads for the R56 Cooper

    This upgrade is relatively easy, affordable, and gives you the biggest improvement for the price point.

    Cost Break Down:

    SS Lines - $80
    Brake Pads - $35 to $100
    Calipers (used) - $80

    You will need brake fluid. I also suggest changing out the brake wear sensor, but you can reuse the old one if you are careful removing it and if it has not been tripped. If you have to buy a new one, get the one for the R53. The R56 has a different connector and will NOT work.

    These bolt right on and fit you current rotors. You gain both sweep (the amount of connect area) of the pads to rotor and more actual clamping force since you are moving from a 48mm bore piston to a 54mm bore piston.

    Level 4 (total est upgrade cost $400 to $600)

    This is a bit more costly than the Level 3 setup without bringing a large amount of additional gain to the table. This setup increases cost mainly because you have to replace the front rotors with 294mm units.

    What you will need:

    • R56 Cooper S Front Rotors 294mm - $150 (from eBay sellers)
    • Mini Cooper S Front Pads (yes these are different from the COOPER ones above)
    • Mini Cooper S Calipers
    • Mini Cooper S Carriers
    • R56 Front SS Lines

    So here is the interesting part about the Cooper and Cooper S Calipers, they are the SAME. The only difference between the Cooper and Cooper S brake kits are the Rotors, Pads and Carriers. This is why I think that the Level 3 configuration is the best Bang for the Buck.

    That being said, you do get move sweep with the S package but at a considerable high cost. Let’s take a moment to look at it:

    Rotors have to be replaced on the S upgrade - ~$150
    Larger Pads – These might be part of the Rotor kit from most eBay sellers
    New Carriers for the Calipers – they are larger than the Cooper units - $210 (from ECS Tuning)
    Calipers – you can cheat and get them cheap by buying the R56 Cooper Calipers. They are the same units and can sometimes be found on eBay or the local bone yard for $30 a unit.

    If you notice the price difference from the Level 3 to the Level 4, the cost of the carriers alone is more than the complete LEVEL 3 upgrade! What do you get for double the money? You get 1†bigger rotor and about 15% more sweep. I am not going to discount that this IS a better brake package, but it requires more parts (rotors) and expense for only a slight upgrade in stopping power since the piston is the same between level 3 and 4.

    If you can find a set of R56 Cooper S Rotors, Lines, and Caliper/Carriers at the bone yard or eBay for a good price, then by all means DO THIS UPGRADE. It is a great package and the equivalent of a 1st Gen JCW package. It can be improved if you decide to add the SS Lines and Upgraded Pads.


    Level 5 (total est upgrade cost $1000 to $2000)

    The Big Brake Kit (aka BBK) – This is the best you can get, and of course, the most expensive. This kit will replace every OEM part with an aftermarket part that is better in every way. Below are some of the improvements:

    • Weight – kits use aluminum for the caliper housings and thinner 2 part hats for the rotors.
    • Clamping Force –they increase the piston count from 2 to as high as 6, thus giving you more piston surface area.
    • Sweep – Bigger pad area is required for the additional piston count, thus resulting in more contact area between the pad and the rotor.
    • Materials – This goes hand in hand with the weight improvement. Because they use materials to save weight and are not as concerned with mass production cost, they will use things like Aluminum, Titanium, and higher grade machining and castings to make it lighter and stronger.

    Down Side to BBK:

    • Cost – No further explanation needed
    • Parts may only be available from manufacturer (see cost)
    • Maintenance – if you have 2, 4 or 6 pistons you have more to maintain!
    • Only fit in the larger wheels and not all off-sets


    I personally cannot expand further on the BBK, as I do not have one. I would love one, but I do not have nor wish to spend $2,000 on a kit. I am currently running Level 4 and am very satisfied with the results. I, at some point, have run Levels 1-3. However, as you can gather from this article, I still think that Level 3 is the best Bang for the Buck. That it is really all that most spirited street drives need.

    On to the Photos & Examples:

    Here are examples of the pads:


    Level 1 and Level 2:

    [​IMG]


    Level 3 Pads:

    [​IMG]

    Level 4 Pads:

    [​IMG]

    If you look at the diagrams you can see that the area that is in contact with the rotor increases.

    The increase from the R53 up to the R56 Cooper and then on to the R56 Cooper S is obvious.


    Information and Photos on the Calipers:

    R53 Front Caliper

    [​IMG]

    R56 Cooper Front Caliper:

    [​IMG]

    R56 Cooper S / R53 JCW Calipers

    [​IMG]

    Notice on the R56 Cooper vs the R56 Cooper S that the Calipers are the same part #’s 5591 Left and 5592 Right only the Carriers are different 3526 for the Cooper and 6666 for the Cooper S/JCW


    Below is diagrams of the Rotors:

    R53 Rotor and the R56 Cooper Rotor:

    [​IMG]


    R56 Cooper S or R53 JCW:

    [​IMG]

    Below I will show you a few photos of the actual parts as I did the work on my 06 Cooper MSCa

    On the left is the R56/JCW Rotor 294mm / the right is the R53/R56 Cooper 276mm Rotor

    [​IMG]



    The photo below shows the comparison of the three brake pads, Left to Right: R56/JCW Pad, R56 Cooper Pad & R53 Pad

    [​IMG]

    In the photo below I have placed the R53 (level 1 or 2) pad on top of the R56 Cooper pad, notice that you can see considerably more pad surface all the way around on the R56 Cooper pad.

    [​IMG]

    In the photo below is both the R56 Cooper(left) and the R56 Cooper S/JCW Caliper and Carrier, as you can see the calipers are the same, the carrier is a slight bit taller to accommodate the wide pad and rotor.

    [​IMG]

    The photo below is of the R53 (level 2) with the upgraded pads, brass guide bushings, SS Lines. Notice how the brass bushings are C-clipped in place.

    [​IMG]

    For reference below is a photo of the R53 with the Plastic Guide Bushings:

    [​IMG]

    This photo shows the R53 Rotor/R56 Cooper Rotor with the R56 Cooper Caliper. You can also see the SS Lines and the routing of the brake wear sensor.

    [​IMG]


    Below is the same setup but this time with the R56 Cooper S/JCW brake. Notice that the attachment of the ‘one man brake bleed’ bottle. This can be used in place of the power bleeder; the power bleeder is a much better and faster way to do the job right.

    [​IMG]

    This is a photo of the power Bleeder:

    [​IMG]

    And here is the Finished Level 4 R56 Cooper /JCW Front brakes installed on my 06 MCSa with 17†MINI Lite-S Wheels:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.
     
  3. mrntd

    mrntd Well-Known Member
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    This is great and answers a lot of questions.

    If I understand right I could go stage 3. Then if I want more I get a bigger rotor and the different carrier.
     
  4. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    Exactly

    The only things needed to move from Stage 3 to stage 4 is:
    • Carriers
    • Pads
    • Rotors

    You could easily get the Pads and Rotors in a kit from an eBay seller for 150 shipped. The carriers on the other hand will be the expensive part, as they are not easily available I found that ECSTuning.com is the best source and cheapest at 208 shipped for the pair.

    Also note they list them as a left and right part, there is NO difference, the only thing that is done differently is how the guide pins are placed in the housing.

    See there is two different types of pins in each carrier, one is just a solid steel pin, the other has a rubber dampener on it. Its placement in the carrier (top) dictates if its right or left.


    ECS Tunning Part Numbers:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    If you need parts from the dealer I'd recommend calling eminiparts.com they are most helpful folks.

    http://www.eminiparts.com/

    So will this upgrade fit under a 15 inch OEM wheel?
     
  6. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Real nice write up.....:Thumbsup:
     
  7. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    Level 1, 2, and 3 will fit. Not sure about 4
     
  8. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Thanks for getting back to me with that info. Very nice write up. Hope it finds its way into the library here.

    I think brackets might be able to be sourced from a wrecking yard.
     
  9. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    First Thank You.

    Second you can source them from the bone yard, BUT if you do you are most likely going to get the whole setup:

    Calipers
    Carriers
    Rotors
    Lines

    So if you score the 'carriers' at a bone yard, and it happens to come with all the parts for the right price, you would just jump straight to level 4, and that is wonderful.

    My point of giving people the option and direction of level 3 is that its easy and cheap (being that you can do the whole thing for less than 200 w/ SS Lines).

    In my personal path to the level 4, finding 2nd Gen Cooper S setup used was very difficult, and if you do it will not be cheap, but finding the 2nd Gen Cooper (non S) kit is Super easy and cheap.



    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]


    35.oo each plus the shipping, this seems to be an average price. This one even has the Lines still.
     
  10. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    It will be added soon.
     
  11. Alan

    Alan Active Member

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    One of the advantages of the BBK is that the brake pads are cheaper.
     
  12. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    One minor errata: OEM caliper slide bushings are rubber, not plastic. You'd never be able to pull them out if they were plastic. Also, gray anti-seize works well as a lubricant. I'd recommend re-lubing every fall and when you change the pads.

    I'd also suggest adding a section on various reasons why one might upgrade the brakes; certainly some kits achieve different objectives better than others.
     
  13. mrntd

    mrntd Well-Known Member
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    This is great. Thank you for such great information. I'm planing for the stage 3 right now.

    Chuck maybe this would help you stay out of the water. :D :rolleyes:
     
  14. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    Rubber, plastic I highly doubt that they are pure rubber, and not being able to pull them out I would have to take issue with; example is a tupperware bowl plastic or rubber? I ask as I can bend it with no problem and I can stretch the lid over it and it is NOT RUBBER.

    Yes Anti-Seize is exactly what the the OEM manual says to use, I personally just like bronze impregnated lubricants for that additional protection.

    As to the reason why one might want one kit over the other; to be perfectly honest I do not feel that I am qualified for that, I am just a guy that really like to tinker with a little bit of advance education, I am not a racer. The closest I have come to a track day is a BMW driving school day.
     
  15. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    My research shows that this is not correct:

    EBC Red Stuff Pads:

    R53 $91
    R56 $91
    R56 'S' $91
    JCW BBK $114.74

    Hawk Performance:

    R53 $107
    R56 base $85
    R56 'S' $85
    JCW BBK $284

    Now this is based on a simple web search of two different dealers and the cost of the pad kits; you may be able to find them cheaper, but my quick research says that you are wrong.

    I will agree that they should be cheaper as they are of a much simpler design that is manufacture with the quick change in mind.
     
  16. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    No, Bthayer is right--you're only looking at the JCW kit, where the pads are horrendously over priced. A wilwood kit, or one of the TSW kits, the pads are cheaper, I think the street pads I ran were like 50 or 60 bucks, and held up better than stock. I now run a VERY expensive BBK--my track pads are 85 bucks a set, street pads, even less. They hold up much better than Hawk, although I haven't tried the newer Hawk compounds, never tried EBC and never will.

    EBC reds aren't perhaps the best example, they've fallen out of favor big time. Think good pads, like carbotechs, PF's, Rabestos offerings, Poly compounds, brakeman pads, etc., something people use on the track, that'll give you an idea.

    And Rotors, mine are 100 bucks a rotor, 2 piece design, internal vanes, that's also a consideration.
     
  17. c0op3r

    c0op3r Active Member

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    #17 c0op3r, Nov 11, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2013
    I know about the EBC pads failing, but I have to say I still really like their compound.

    If the BBK kits that are not JCW are on the 60 to 80 range they are cheaper than some of the better non BBK pads even though you can get EBC and HAWK pads for the level 1 & 2 for as little as 63.oo$.

    But I see your point the Rotors are not badly priced (sometimes, but still more than the cheaper non two part units) and the pads are less and much easier to change. BUT I am going to have to go through A LOT of pads to make up the price difference.
     
  18. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    #18 cct1, Nov 11, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2013
    It depends on your BBK. The JCW kit is an outlier, I would toss that one out for comparison purposes, or at least add other BBK's, but otherwise your first post and comparison are nicely done. The reason the JCW pads/rotors are so expensive is they're a one-trick pony--about as small a brake niche as you'll find, whereas Wilwood, Outlaw, etc. are universal--the calipers and rotors can be used on many different cars, the only thing that needs to be changed is the dogbone, which is pretty simple to manufacture on a vehicle to vehicle basis.

    For me, I get 2-3 days out of my rotors, 3-4 days out of pads, so it adds up quick, and cheaper rotors and pads help. It all depends on what you're using the car for. Ben (BThayer) is on the track a ton, and is approaching more from this angle than from a daily driver angle, in which case over the life of your car, the BBK pays itself off and then some if your car sees heavy track use, and that doesn't even take into account the improved performance.

    A couple of other points: If you want to talk about BBK's, or any kit hitting the track, it's time to talk cooling.

    Also, Motul 600 is a great fluid--it's what I use--but not so much for a Daily Driver, unless you're changing it every couple of months, or bleeding before each track session, which is a must (at least for me). It absorbs water and breaks down quicker, exactly what you don't want, it's not recommended for long-term use--not the type of stuff you want to leave in for a year or two (although that doesn't seem to stop people from doing it), that's not what it's designed for.
     
  19. BruceJ

    BruceJ New Member

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    To the OP, thanks for putting this together.
    Its still very relevant for all of us who are picking up used R53's.

    Note that nowdays you can find:
    Reman R56 S calipers w/carriers for 160 to 200 for the pair at AZ/ Advance. Takes some of the clean up suffering out of the rebuild.
    Plain 294mm rotors can also be had for under 100 for the pair at the same stores.

    Turns this into a Level 4, for approx. $400 cost.
     
  20. Dave.0

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