Edge

As a follow-up, here are the OEM MINI wheels that officially fit these R56 JCW BBK front brakes without using a wheel spacer: 17" R97 17" R104 17" R108 17" R112 17" R114 18" R113 In my case, to fit my summer wheels (the GP 18" R107), I had to use a 5mm wheel spacer (and appropriate longer wheel bolts) to clear the front calipers. Oddly enough, despite not being on the "official" list, my winter wheels (17" R111) fit without the wheel spacers! This could also mean that the older design of the same wheel (17" R91) might fit as well... pics of those: 17" R111 17" R91 (All wheel images above borrowed from the Wheel/Tire FAQ on MINI2.com, except the R114 image, which I had to get directly from MINIUSA's own site)

Hey everyone - some of you have already seen my car in the past week, so the "cat is out of the bag" already... but just over a week ago, I finally completed the brake upgrade project on my MINI that I've been planning for a long time. Well, to be honest, I didn't do the work myself, but I researched and planned it out. Before I even took delivery of my MINI 7 years ago, I had the dealer install the 1st Gen JCW Sport Brake Kit. This was a very nice upgrade from the factory brakes. However, my 1st Gen MCS now has the 2nd Gen JCW Big Brake Kit (BBK), which technically isn't supposed to be possible. This is the same brake kit that comes on all 2nd Gen Factory JCW MINIs, and is officially available from MINI to upgrade all 2nd Gen MCs and MCSes. Why? Because I firmly believe you can never have too much brake. Why this specific kit? Because it's OEM. :laugh: A few technical details: OEM Brake rotor sizes (diameter: front/rear) 1st Gen (Cooper & Cooper S) 276mm/259mm (10.87"/10.2") ---------------------------- 1st Gen (JCW) 294mm/259mm (11.57"/10.2") ---------------------------- 2nd Gen (Cooper) 280mm/259mm (11.02"/10.2") ---------------------------- 2nd Gen (Cooper S) 294mm/259mm (11.57"/10.2") ---------------------------- 2nd Gen (JCW) 316mm/280mm (12.44"/11.02") ---------------------------- 2nd Gen (JCW GP) 330mm/280mm (12.99"/11.02") ---------------------------- 3rd Gen (Cooper) 282mm/259mm (11.1"/10.2") ---------------------------- 3rd Gen (Cooper S) 294mm/259mm (11.57"/10.2") ---------------------------- 3rd Gen (JCW) 335mm/259mm (13.19"/10.2") NOTE: All rear rotors are 10mm (0.39") thick, and all front rotors are 22mm (0.87") thick, except the R56 JCW GP and F56 JCW front rotors, which are 26mm (1.02") and 30mm (1.18") thick respectively. Interesting facts from above: All 2nd Gen Cooper Ses effectively come with the same brakes as the JCW brakes on 1st Gens, except for the red caliper paint and JCW logo All MINIs come with 259mm rear rotors, except the 2nd Gen Factory JCW and JCW GP which come with 280mm rear rotors The rear rotors on the 2nd Gen Factory JCW are the same size as the front rotors on the 2nd Gen Coopers! The 3rd Gen JCW has even larger front brake rotors than the 2nd JCW GP, yet it still has the smaller rear brakes! The other nice benefit of the upgrade for me, besides the significant increase in rotor sizes, is that the new front calipers are a "4 piston, floating" design whereas my old calipers are a "1 piston, fixed" design. The former is far better technology. The whole kit is actually manufactured for MINI by Brembo - definitely a well known brand in performance brakes. :top: Finally, the meaty details... Anyway, if you have a 1st Gen MINI and you're interested in this upgrade, here's the "unusual" stuff needed: You need to do the R56 Rear Trailing Arm swap first (except for the GP, which already has them). Without this swap, the hoses for rear brakes don't properly clear. The other alternative is to cut a small chunk out of your stock rear trailing arms, but that idea just sounds bad to me! The other benefit of doing this swap is that the R56 Rear Trailing Arms are notably lighter weight (they're aluminum), which benefits the handling. Note you'll also have to buy special bushings from Helix due to a change in the rear suspension shock mount design. You will need custom front brake lines, because the connector on the caliper end is different for 2nd Gens. The brake lines need to be 1st Gen on the car end and 2nd Gen on the caliper end. I have a contact who can get these made for you if you're interested (nothing in it for me). (NOTE: The rear brake lines are the same connectors between Gens - no problem there) You will need the R56 parking brake cables, because the connector for the parking brake is very different on 2nd Gens. The end that attaches to the handbrake is the same though, and they are the correct length. In order to fit the front calipers over your existing protection plates (the shields behind the rotors), a small amount will have to be cut/shaved off. The new calipers are just that big! Finally, the wheels you currently have may not fit over the new front calipers. They really are huge! If that's the case, you may only need a wheel spacer to solve the problem... but if the wheels really are too small (especially 16" wheels or less), you'll probably need different wheels. Beyond that, all you really need is the 2nd Gen JCW BBK itself. Here are the relevant OEM (& Helix) part numbers: R56 Trailing Arm swap 33326795659 TRAILING ARM, LEFT (R56 part) 33326795660 TRAILING ARM, RIGHT (R56 part) 33306772658 HEX BOLT WITH WASHER (QTY: 2) (R56 part) HMS 1080 HELIX R56 HEAR SHOCK BUSHINGS R56 JCW BBK install 34110432802 SPORTS BRAKE RETROFIT KIT 34406769955 LEFT HAND BRAKE BOWDEN CABLE (R56 part) 34406769954 RIGHT HAND BRAKE BOWDEN CABLE (R56 part) Whew... I think that covers it, but I'll come back and edit this post if I realize I left something out. I'm sure some are asking... how do they feel? They feel great! The nice thing is that for casual driving, they just feel "normal", like my old brakes. They aren't too "grabby" or anything like that. However, when you really need them, whoa does the car stop hard. Love it! Finally... here are some pics! Note that they were taken with a variety of different cameras, so the quality varies. Original front brake (1st Gen JCW) Front brake shield after being trimmed to fit new caliper New front brake (R56 JCW BBK) Parking brake cable swap Original rear brake (stock - painted red) New rear brake (R56 JCW BBK) End result - front wheel End result - rear wheel Finally, a BIG thank you to my tech for his help in pulling this off - there's no way this would have happened without him!

I'd have to bring my Mustang to this theoretical match-up. (The JCW exhaust is nice, but it isn't crazy loud)

Check your PMs.

HAH! I knew it!

Yep, basically the same, without the red paint. The one "gotcha" I can think of is that new front brake lines may be needed, as I think the connection changed between generations. Note that the rear brakes did not fundamentally change at all until the 2nd Gen JCW BBK (i.e. what comes with 2nd Gen Factory JCWs), except for the parking brake cables.

That's a good question, I was wondering the same thing. In the 1st Gens, the factory LSD option was first introduced in the 01/2005 builds... I heard about it and actually delayed my order by a month or two so I could get it. I understand that MINI started to look towards an electronic solution instead of mechanical in the 2nd Gens, but I don't recall which year and model they did that.

LOL - it seems almost everyone there decided that they were interested! Likewise! :top:

That was indeed a blast! I can't wait for the season! Remember though, the actual event days won't be anywhere near as exhausting, since we'll be there for less than half the time (and less than half as many cones to pick up!). A huge congrats to Sherm for the FTD... VERY impressive, especially for a stock MINI! :congrats:

In case anyone was wondering (I was!), Bowie Baysox Stadium is also known as Prince George's Stadium. The full address is: 4101 Crain Hwy Bowie, MD 20716 ...according to Google Maps. See you all there at 9!

I'm still at work but I'm headed home shortly to prep. The only thing I'm not sure of is what I'm going to do for lunch. Maybe I'll just pick up some crappy pre-made sandwiches at the supermarket or 7-11. :embarassed:

Geno is right on the money. It happened to my MINI earlier last year. Turned out to be a bad steering angle sensor. If that's what it is, it's probably the front driver's side one. The tech told me that it's a weirdly designed/installed part and when one of the sensors fails, it's almost always that one.

Count me in the "chrome hater" camp. The only chrome I want on my MINI are the badges. I've managed to get rid of all the chrome except for inside the headlights and the taillights. Those are the toughest. I'm not a fan of the "CF" look either, I think it's played out... that's why I have a few CF pieces on my car that are painted or vinyled over. However, Laura is right - "youifying" our MINIs isn't about doing what other people like, it's about doing what you like, and that's all that matters! Ali - before you go wrapping your chrome hoops, you do realize you can just take them off and replace them with the black plastic ones from the R52 Cooper (Justa/Non-S), right? From this page on RealOEM.com: RealOEM.com BMW R52 Cooper Trim panel roll bar 06 Trim panel roll bar, front left PANTHER BLACK 51437123549 06 Trim panel roll bar, front right PANTHER BLACK 51437123550 07 Trim panel roll bar, rear left PANTHER BLACK 51437123551 07 Trim panel roll bar, rear right PANTHER BLACK 51437123552 Ballpark dealer pricing $13.25 each for the front covers, and $12 each for the rear covers. So the (very rough) price is $50.50... and I bet you can get them cheaper from an OEM parts dealer who doesn't jack up the prices. Just a suggestion! Or, you could find a R52 Cooper owner who likes chrome and wants to trade covers... free swap!

I don't even think I (or Craig) need to say anything to that one.

Audrey, let me put it to you this way... if you had ever been to MOTD before, this wouldn't even be a question for you. There's no MINI event like MOTD. None. It is that good. The awesome people and the gorgeous location combine into a slice of MINI utopia. I remember having doubts, concerns and nervousness the first time I went, back in 2005. My fears were completely gone on the first day, and now it holds an automatic and permanent place on my annual calendar - this will be my 8th one in a row. My work already knows and expects that I am taking that week off, every year. Yep, I take the entire week off, just for MOTD. Do whatever you have to do to make it... you won't regret it! And try your darnedest to take off an extra workday or two if you can, so you can come for even longer - again, you'll be glad you did. Every day spent there is a blessing! Same goes for anyone else "on the fence". Nothing else truly compares - no, not even MTTS, IMO.

Welcome to the DCMM forums! Nothing wrong with VWs... German engineering rocks! :rock:

OK. You know that MINI did manufacture a real CF dash for the 1st Gens, with matching CF downtubes, right?

Ali - the downtubes (that's what they are typically called) are indeed much more difficult to remove and reinstall on the refreshed 1st Gens (2005+). However, it can be done, because MINI techs do it all the time! Have you had one of them check it out before you give up? Now only if we knew a MINI tech... Hmmmm

Wish I could be there, even just to hang out with folks... but I had a big appointment with my MINI already today... it will be spending much of the day up on a lift! If the appointment finishes early enough where people are still at the Garage Day, I'll swing by.

Here's a direct link to it: MINI R53 Flash Tool « Revolution Motor Works

I wondered when you were going to decide to do the roof. Now it's starting to look like a red version of Soulfire!

Ummm... maybe I wasn't specific, but I wasn't wrong either.

That's a lot of vinyl!

Fixed.