I combined an R56 caliper swap with Performance Friction rotors and Z pads. I also coated the pad carriers for appearance sake. Every millimeter of the rotor's width is swept by the enormous PFC pads. Rear brakes were treated to rotors, pads, coating, and caliper re-fresh also. There's adequate clearance between the caliper and R84 wheel for balance weights. Directional rotor veins keep the pads & caliper from overheating while squeezed in the small wheel. More wheel & brake photos.
Very nice, is there a rotor, caliper and pad fitment for a 2009 MCS with the factory JCW (Brembo) brakes? By the way, are the dimple depths an indicator of reaching the min. rotor thickness?
There's not a PFC rotor replacement for JCW's 316X22 yet, but if you want 20 sets it can be done. PFC says the pad shape for the Brembo caliper is 0592 (110X51X15). If you can confirm, I can let you know what compounds are available. This reviewer says the dimple can be used as a wear indicator. Keep in mind his review is with 01 race pads; Z compound pads are quiet.[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsqxW1yPbGU&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - GT-R track brake setup by Performance Friction Brakes[/ame]
What is the cost of all the hardware to complete this upgrade? Is the whole package available as a kit?
Performance Friction Direct Drive R56 discs $700, Z compound brake pads R56/R53JCW front $95 & R53 rear $59 ; no kit, but Werkin Mini does offer discounted bundle package pricing. Stop Tech stainless steel R56 front brake hose kit $50 from Zechausen. R56 or R53 JCW calipers from where you can find them. I purchased these on UK eBay from Malta; an afternoon of scrubbing with a tooth brush and Simple Green cleaned them up nicely. Unique guide pins were on these calipers, BTW.
what is the advantage of the r56 and PRC setup compared to say a wilwood front setup? The cost is almost the same. -Jonathan
I'm a MINI enthusiast foremost, this modification is shared here in that spirit. If you would like to discuss big brake options give me a call 210-797-9848 or send a PM. Some positives, it fits without adjustments, unlike the supposed precision German manufactured rear rotor that required shims on the pad carrier to avoid contact with the disc. Brake bias has already been engineered into the system. It fit my current wheels, no need for funky offsets, spacers, or the added cost of different wheels. And, I think my contrasting color scheme just plain looks good with the black & white theme of my MINI.
i do like the color scheme. Your points are good, i wasn't trying to knock the setup just understand. i assume those awesome pads will work with a regular solid rotor as well? it always did bug me how the pad never goes to the edges. i agree with metalman most importantly how does it stop. -Jonathan
I felt you were sincere and I will be glad to help you understand. The Z pad will work on a standard disc also. I've not had an opportunity to bed the brakes, so they have not been put in a situation to prove themselves.
And so when you do wear to the bottom of the dimples, how much is the friction surface alone,(i.e. without the hat) ? The entry fee for these rotors is certainly an investment, but hopefully they are easier to live with down the road.
From the Wilwood camp, because it was asked..... Both appear to be two piece hats and rotors. (nice work btw) And that's a plus. The Wilwood rotors will be lighter as the minor diameter is larger thus the 'ring' is narrower. Caliper weight will be much heavier on the R56 being iron over the aluminum bodies Wilwoods. Even including the radial mount brackets the oe caliper will come in perhaps close to double the weight. The aluminum body will cycle heat and not become 'heat soaked' as the oe iron one will either- great rotor package but the caliper will exhibit the same problems as before on track day use. Being a single piston floating design over the fixed mount set up the response will be no better than stock and feel still somewhat 'spongy as its mechanical demands are more. Function wise, unless the new rotor is larger diameter than stock the only gains in brake torque will be from the pad of choice. Leverage being based upon the diameter obviously. The new 320 JCW size is a tad larger than the 12.2 Wilwood but that pad size negates some of the gains- With such a 'tall' pad (read minor to major radius or nose to heel) the effective radius is lower. This is common on many street cars as it is more stable and lasts longer. On the Wilwood pad more of the outer radius is used vs the entire face of the rotor thus raising the effective radius. Pad size or square inches won't have any impact on torque other than how long the pad lasts. The overall package is in fact very nice and well presented. But other than the conversion to two piece hat/rotor there are no gains in braking torque over the stock JCW parts of the same size. What will be nice is that the rotors should be more durable for the track being an improved casting design. And $700 sounds about right actually.....very nice product in the end. I'm glad someone finally did one up to tell ya the truth. Now combine that with my DP6 caliper kit and you'll have one fine looking deal there!
Keith; I'm not sure I completely understand the benefits of the "floating" mounting method between the hat and the rotor. Is it a floating rotor? And is this method unique to your product?
Floating discs... allow for more motion as the disc changes dimension under heating. This method of floating the caliper is the first I've seen, but there are lots of ways to skin this cat... Anyway, it's a good looking set up, for sure. Matt
Thanks Matt. So if the rotors don't float, and under use, start to heat up, the thermal dynamics cause the rotor circumference to grow in length, these stresses have to be relieved, so they show up as a warping of the rotor, and pulsing of the brake pedal results? I know, horrible run on sentence.
By not floating or being either fixed mount bolted or one piece there is no inherent flaw to the design just that it forces the entire structure to grow slightly. And when you have an alum hat bolted to the iron rotor they grow at different rates. The floating design is nice for very high temps so that it can grow freely without being restrained by the drive buttons and hat. They are also more tolerant of run out and hub flex as the caliper can 'track' with the rotor despite the hat being perhaps not truly parallel to the rotor surface. Definitely a nice way to go and many of the aftermarket world BBKs are so supplied. The negative side is mainly cost where the machining of the rotor, the hat and the necessary drive button is far more costly. I added a "full floating option" to the 13" kits now and it raised the price by $249 for example. The only other down side is that some folks complain later of more noise due to the buttons wearing out and when cold the rotor is heard to be 'rattling' on the hat. Obviously that goes away as it gets hot.
A Wilwood 12.2 inch GT rotor weighs 11lb 6oz, PFC 11.5 inch rotor 12lb 6oz. Wilwood rotor is fixed design. Performance Friction rotor is floating, PFC calls it Direct Drive. Wilwood directional veins (on left below) are less numerous than PFC's (on right) with larger gaps between each, and feature as-cast construction. PFC subscribes to "more is better" design philosophy for greater surface area heat exchange and rigidity, plus machines the veins for dynamic balance. Performance Friction claims their high temperature alloy improves thermal stability. I do know a Wilwood DPR caliper and mount weigh less than an R56 caliper and pad carrier, but I've misplaced my notes. TCE's Wilwood entry level kit also looks very nice and would have matched my color theme as well. TCE's Zinc coating option lasts longer than PFC'c ultra thin plating, which will be gone after its first exposure to moisture. These are two different targets as "kits" and the main relevance in this comparison is cost. It will take a few days to answer the "how does it stop" questions. I bed them in this morning and it would have been nice to have a five point harness to have kept me planted in the seat. Previous pads were Ferodo DS2500s that provided years of productive service; a high benchmark for the street indeed.