I have the smaller Wilwood type that fits a 16" and possibly a 15" rim (11.97" disc). Will be able to tell you in a few days if there is a difference to stock. Bought my car with these brakes so I can't say. However, they are insanely effective compared to any other car I've ever driven. I doubt a normal Mini has brakes that have that type of feel and progressive bite, but that may all be in my head. However, In a few days I will be able to do direct A/B comparison with stock brakes, and then eventually with whatever we do to that car. Am not a fan of the Wilwoods because rotors and pads tend to cost a lot more, being a niche product.
Also, brake plans just changed, significantly. Called Centric and the calipers I wanted are only a R&R item - that is, they only do them on a special order basis, and they require a return core to send them out. So, I'm not really into doing an expensive BBK... looks like I'll be doing a poor-man's BBK. R56S calipers and 294mm rotors instead of the 4-piston Brembros and 316mm rotors. Not sure what other options exist under $750 for a front BBK.
That sounds like a better plan! Sure it might not look as cool, but everything will still work as intended, while increasing stopping power and keeping pad and rotor costs down.
Wouldn't be my MINI without it - it's a Raceseng Slammer in Mirror Red with the shift pattern engraved in the top. I'll install the Helix short shifter eventually - need to tackle some other things first.
So, question... with your Wilwood front calipers, what rear pads are you using? Reason I ask is because my plan has changed again. Wilwood DP6 front caliper kit through TCE Performance: MINI 01-06 - Kits $719 and free shipping. With rear pads, lines, and rotors all the way around... a cool $885. Not bad.
Not sure, I got the rear pads and bigger rear rotors with the kit from TCE back in 2010... I've got a list on my old netbook everything was ordered off of, but the Iraqi desert took its toll on that thing and it won't turn on.
I was thinking about doing Stoptech Street Performance pads in the rear with the stock calipers and stainless lines. I figure they'd be a decent pairing.
I'll fill in some background - picked up the glovebox, dash, and sunroof glass on Sunday from a local guy who is parting out a 2005 R53. Found some gouges on the dash the guy made when he pulled it... so that wouldn't work. The glovebox was perfect, that was a fairly smooth install. But, when I removed my front glass, I found the front glass brackets were... a little fubar. So, what I figured would be a quick fix resulting in an otherwise healthy sunroof... was not a quick fix at all. Cue the rapid escalation meme. So, this morning, I took the dash back to the guy, threw him another $50 and grabbed the entire sunroof assembly in hopes that the tracks on that would be in good enough shape to use. Nope... That being said, the extra $50 was a good investment anyway, as it allowed me to look at the sunroof out of the car and figure out that I could pull the glass brackets out without dropping the entire sunroof. Hooray! So, after I figured that out, I placed an order for new glass brackets (~$30/ea) through work, and set to work on partially disassembling the R53. I pulled the visors, grab handles, rear view mirror, and the sunroof trim out - was able to drop the headliner down enough to check and see whether the sunroof drains were still attached (they were). While I was in there, I zip tied the drains to the drain outlets on the sunroof cassette, and also re-seated the perimeter gasket on the roof sheet metal with some fresh RTV and a few socks to keep pressure on the gasket until it cures. Oh! To my surprise, I was able to get the glue off the dashboard, huge win there. No dash replacement necessary now. Photos below:
Waiting for these not-quite-overnight sunroof parts from Germany has put a damper on my progress... Hopefully the new sunroof glass brackets arrive before Christmas so I can actually go drive the car to the gas station and give it a full tank of 93. Anyways, I was greeted to a surprise the other day when I arrived home: the Redline Goods shift and handbrake boots I had ordered had finally arrived! This meant I could finally go about deleting the goofy factory armrest from the car, since I needed to install a new center console to properly delete the armrest. Overall, I'm very impressed with the Redline Goods products - the handbrake boot required a little trimming to get it to seat into the console properly, but it's all good now. Stitching is top notch, and the leather is so much nicer than the factory leatherette boots the car came with (one of which had a hole in it from the armrest banging into the handbrake). Was up way too late last night, but here are some photos:
Finally had some time to dedicate to the cars today. Washed the wife's car first - filthy pig it was, especially after our trip to the cabin for New Years. Then I set to work on wrapping up the sunroof repair on the R53. Finally finished, glass is installed and the sunroof works like a charm. Hopefully I don't experience any more leaks, either. And of course, I celebrated by taking it out of the garage for the first time in 3 weeks and giving it a fresh fill of 93.
I hope your call the car a filthy pig, not your wife. Or you are in a lot of trouble, and we are not going to help. :devil:
So after doing all that sunroof work do you think it is possible to replace the glass panels with some heavy gauge aluminum?
I still haven't figured out how to remove the rear glass - sunroof cartridge out and all, I don't know if it bolts in or if it's glued in. You'd be better off pulling the entire cartridge and doing a custom kevlar or carbon filler panel that bolts in place and eliminates the sunroof altogether. The glass isn't all that heavy, really - the whole mechanism is, though.
I mean, having seen some of the cars I've taken in as trade-ins... it wasn't bad. But it was still bad. Dog hair everywhere, coffee stains on the console, never once vacuumed in the last 3 months, dog slobber on windows, dirty tissues stuffed in the door pocket. And that's just the inside. It looks nice, now, aside from all the chips on the front and the front emblem that disintegrated when I was drying it. And she's one of the few who enjoys and prefers driving stick. So, can't win 'em all. :lol:
The entire sunroof mechanism weighs about 80 pounds... There have been some people who have made fiberglass, carbon, and aluminum filler panels, but they all tend to crack or leak.