The JCW Brake Kit and What Wheels Fit

there has been so much discussion about this brake kit that i actually called cooper works in england myself to ask a few questions and was shocked when i was told the following:

“there isn’t much difference between our kit and the standard breaks that come with the car from the factory. i wouldn’t neccessarily advise installing them.”

i was SHOCKED!this was coming from the voice on the other end of the phone at the cooper works shop itself! i was actually calling to ask about a few other options (the air intake and sports exhaust) which i did end up installing on my mcsa. i was all set to add the brake kit as the finishing touch, but as you have just read, i wasn’t exactly sold on it.

in no way do i mean to nay-say the kit – i actually still want it (why? becasue it’s cool!) but i thought i should throw this little bit of info into the ring seeing as this topic seems to come up so often.

cheers – drew

A John Cooper Works rep saying there is no difference has me thinking that these brakes are NOT worth the money… if you want red brake calipers, go buy some of the caliper paint… don’t waste your money until all these discrepancies are worked out…

I went to a dealer-hosted MINI club special event on Wednesday, and I had the opportunity to directly compare the size of the stock MCS rotor to the JCW rotor, on a car that was up on a floor lift. The wheel was removed and the JCW brake kit was installed. Holding up the original MCS rotor next to it, the JCW rotors were NOTICABLY larger, so there most definitely is a distinct difference in terms of possible contact patch size.

I have the 16″ R90s and I’m going to the dealer this afternoon or tomorrow to see if they have the brake kit (they just did one on a new MCSC last week). If so, we’ll take them out of the box and see if they fit in my wheels.

Maybe the guy who made the comment about the brake kit not being worth it was his personal opinion; in that the stock brakes are still quite good. So maybe he just thinks the JCW kit is excessive and not needed in his opinion. Maybe that is what was going through his head? Who knows.

“there isn’t much difference between our kit and the standard breaks that come with the car from the factory. i wouldn’t necessarily advise installing them.”

I’m not surprised by this comment at all. I imagine any perceived increase in stopping power is coming from the uprated pads included in the kit.

The included rotor is only slightly larger than stock. The “uprated” caliper is still of one piston/floating design. The caliper is still made of iron.

For the same amount of money one could invest in a lighter, more powerful big brake kit. It will not, however, carry the JCW badge which sum folks need on their MINIs. I’m guilty of purchasing products based solely on the name and not performance.

The Wilwood big brake kit features a caliper constructed of aluminum, so you actually save weight, even with the larger rotor. The pads can be removed by simply pulling out a pin and pulling the pad out, so there’s no need to take your car apart to change out those front pads. If I remember correctly, the price is around $899, and Wilwood is a very reputable company among the racing community.

Here’s a link to one of two that are available directly from Wilwood for the MINI:

http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Pages/03/index.asp

There’s also one with the Dynalite caliper, if you’re interested in shaving even more weight.

What is the Rxx designation on the wheel? Just a model number? The same tires fit a 17in R85 and a 17in R90, so in that regard a 90 and an 85 appear to be the same.

Are the people wanting these BBKs racing your MINIs? This has been hashed over to death but unless you’re racing you don’t need one. Really. Even if you ARE racing or doing track days (as I do) you don’t need one either; get some aggressive pads and good fluid and go nuts.

Of course, it’s your money, but I could find much better ways to spend all that….

Whether or not to get a brake kit is an individual decision – kind of like whether to get the JCW tuning kit: You don’t NEED it, but the additional performance is in the eye of the beholder. There are some brake kits that will haul the MINI from 60 – 0 mph in 70 feet (!!!). Whether that ability is NEEDED or not, is up to the buyer – it is their money.

Personally, for the $1,000-ish that is being asked for the JCW Sport Brake kit (and the continuing confusion regarding wheel compatiblity), I would check out the brake kit that is being offered by detroittuned.com. The kit features a 4 piston caliper, larger and thicker rotor, better pad materials and braided stainless lines. All this for $900 plus shipping.

I have X-lites with no spacers and JCW brakes fitted on my MY05 JCW MCS now. there is no rubbing, or contact issues. The only other area I am not 100% sure on is whether there is a need for more cooling to ensure the brakes dont overheat, but as far as contact, they do not hit the X-lites

Whoa… I thought the R99 wheels would be okay… Bill, you had no problems?

I am looking forward to installing the Wilwood 11.75″ BBK as it will allow me to continue to use my 15″ 7-hole wheels in the winter and my 16″ R84 wheels in the summer. The lighter weight of the aluminium caliper and rotor hat will be an advantage all year round.

Then it is a question as to which rotors and pads to install in the rear to keep the correct front/rear brake balance. I wish that I could find some aluminium hat, gas slotted, rotors for the rear.

Matt, SO did those 15″ wheels fit? According to Tirerack, I can order a 15″ wheel in the winter packages…