This is less of a scoop then it was when we wrote it two weeks ago, but according to sources the 2007 MCS will have brakes roughly equivilent to the JCW package. It would appear that MINI felt more braking power was in order for the increase in performance due in large part to the weight savings and broader torque band of the new engine.
For some eagle eyed readers of MotoringFile this may not come as a surprise as a larger rotor size has been spotted on several MCS testing mules over the past year.
What kind of brakes will the actual JCW kit contain you ask? We hope to be able to answer that question soon…
so are they going to be single piston or 2 piston calipers
Retrofitable to an ’05 or ’06?
>Retrofitable to an ‘05 or ‘06?
Sure – it’s called the <a href="http://motoringfile.com/2006/06/09/mf-review-jcw-sport-brake-kit/" rel="nofollow">JCW Brake Kit</a> 🙂
Its not surprising that BMW have finally got round to addressing probably the largest area of critisism of the old car, that of the ineffect brakes. Good spot that the size has grown.
Although if the car was lighter it wouldnt actually in itself justify larger brakes due to a percieved performance increase….
A long overdue change. Now if we can just get some true lighter-weight high performance brakes at all four corners on the new JCW package we’ll be getting somewhere (and an uprated swaybar). The JCW kit needs to be more oriented to a street car that is set up to track that it currently is, ala the M cars.
So does that mean the smallest wheels you’ll be able to get on the car will be 17’s? If so, that’s a negative in my book. I love my 16″ Panasports (and the less expensive 16″ tires), not to mention the 15″ holies that I run in the winter. Not too keen on having to go through a winter on 17″ wheels that could easily get damaged when I slam into a pothole hidden beneath the slush/snow on the roads…
This could be yet another reason why I won’t be looking to replace my ’03 MCS anytime soon.
>So does that mean the smallest wheels you’ll be able to get on the car will be 17’s?
The new stock 16″ wheels are shown in the rendering above so the answer would be no.
Well that’s a bit of a relief. Thanks Gabe.
And for the record the 16′ “Bridge” Spokes from MINI were designed to fit the current JCW brake kit perfectly. The Xlites do as well but they don’t provide necessary cooling for the brakes.
I’ve been eyeing the bridge spokes so this is good news that more 16″ wheels, stock, will be available to fit over the current JCW brakes.
So this may mean the end of 15’s then. That would really be a shame, considering the current car does so well with 15×7’s and 205/50 R15 tires in autocross. Both the wheels and tires are more affordable in that size and the gearing reduction is nice too.
[quote]It would appear that MINI felt more braking power was in order for the increase in performance due in large part to the weight savings and broader torque band of the new engine.[/quote]
So are you saying the R56 will be lighter, or just that the engine is lighter…?
<blockquote>So this may mean the end of 15’s then. That would really be a shame, considering the current car does so well with 15Ã-7’s and 205/50 R15 tires in autocross. Both the wheels and tires are more affordable in that size and the gearing reduction is nice too.</blockquote>A fair number of aftermarket 15″ wheels fit the JCW brakes (see post #16 in
<a href="http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1045885#post1045885" rel="nofollow">this thread</a>). If the 2007 MCS brakes are similar or identical to the JCW, some 15’s may fit.