[mooneymini]

i do not feel confident when braking in my car.

Its ok normal driving, but there has been a couple of times in emergencies recently where i have been going over 50 mph and had to do an emergency stop, or slow down very suddenly.
Its when doing this that my brakes dont feel up to the job. I find myself stamping on them, almost getting ready to pull handbrake if situation doesnt improve.

I have had someone check my disks and pads and he says theres loadsa life left on them, the seem fine.

What else could it be that could affect braking like this??? Its going in for mot on wednesday, so if it needs something i can ask them to do it for me.

[PeB_35]

Maybe your brakes were cold ?
If you are not very happy with your brakes, the best solution, and not too expensive, is to change brake pads to Ferodo DS2500. I did this on my Cooper and it really change your breaking... I also do some track and it is very good with this.

[kezman50]

Ditto, mooneymini. I feel exactly the same with my MCS. I would certainly like to hope that with all the braking aids that the mini has....the abs, the cornering brake control. brake force distribution and all the rest.......that it's created a dis-connected feeling and your scrubbing more speed off then you realise. I say I hope that's the case, because I'm totally with you.....fine for day to day slowing down for junctions etc but when an emergency situation arises like it has with myself a couple of times, I've been frightened by how poor the mini braked!!!

When you consider that it could be the difference between life and death, it's shocking!
I had a 1-series as a loaner while the S was in for something and immediately noticed a superior performance of braking and feel with the BMW. This not only highlighted how poor the mini's brakes are but shows that BMW CAN do a good braking system. So why not in the mini? Those with the tech Know-how feel free to enlighten us.....

The Mini's brakes are just C**P. Period!!

[Matt LHA]

I agree mooneymini my MCS are naff aswell, my old megane was far better.
Its probably got hard pads on it i think.

[rubyredmz3]

mini CAN make great brakes, they are called the JCW brakes. I agree, the brakes suck on a regular S (the car we testdrove) but on the JCW car, the feel, and absolute stopping poewr, is far superior.

[Rakey]

this is normal with MINI brakes, they are poor under hard driving and have plenty of fade on them, scary in fact at times.

When you consider how much some people spend on mods for a MINI it makes the price of a JCW brake kit (around £550 for parts) seem like chicken feed, but most don't think about upgrading brakes like security until its too late

[MarkW19]

Agreed - the brakes on the work's astra van are better!!

Next mod is Mintex M1144 pads all round, Goodridge braided hoses and AP Racing Fluid.

Should make a considerable difference

[uncle albert]

The standard brakes are APPALLING! I had to do an emergency stop the other day from 60mph as a cat, bless 'im, decided to wander out into the road. I JUST stopped in time.

Works brakes asap for me!

James

[mooneymini]

so - whats the cheapest way of noticably improving them?

[Nick666]

As Mark says above, new pads (I hear the Mintex or Ferrodo (sp?) DS2500s are good), lines and fluid are a good first step if your budget isn't huge. Then you can see if that's good enough, or you can go straight to a bigger brake kit (JCW if you want it warranty-covered, or there are several available through the various MINI2 sponsors that are apparently amazing )

For what it's worth, I went JCW late last year, and I still love it.

[MarkW19]

Quote: Originally Posted by mooneymini

so - whats the cheapest way of noticably improving them?

Quote: Originally Posted by MarkW19

Agreed - the brakes on the work's astra van are better!!

Next mod is Mintex M1144 pads all round, Goodridge braided hoses and AP Racing Fluid.

Should make a considerable difference

After a good bit of research, this is the route I've decided to go down. Basically it's making the best of a bad braking system - of course a BBK (big brake kit) like the JCW etc. will be much better, but also very expensive when you consider fitting costs etc. and possible problems with wheelspacers.

From what I've gathered, I should notice a significant improvement with the above mods

[MarkW19]

Hi Nick - I'll look out for yer MINI around Leeds, shouldn't be hard to spot

[uncle albert]

Just a thought, and I'm probably being lazy by not searching for this, but does anyone know if the JCW brakes will fit behind S-spokes?

James

[Fevs]

Quote: Originally Posted by uncle albert

Just a thought, and I'm probably being lazy by not searching for this, but does anyone know if the JCW brakes will fit behind S-spokes?

James

i know thay fit behind the R90's and R99's

[Nick666]

Yes, JCW brakes fit behind ALL the 17" OEM wheels (and 2 of the 16" ones).

Hey Mark I've got a '66' on the side now too which I haven't bothered taking a pic of...

[MiniMinor]

I've always thought the MINI brakes were pretty crap when it comes down to it. But having owned 2 Coopers i've not bothered improving things. But now i have an S it really shows up how poor they are.

Been thinking about changing the front discs to Brembo Drilled ones, but i'm a little unsure if they Will make much of a difference

I'm gonna get my special contact to price me up some Ferodo DS2500 Pads..

http://www.ferodo.co.uk/ferodo%5Fhome/

[REHW]

Quote: Originally Posted by MarkW19

After a good bit of research, this is the route I've decided to go down. Basically it's making the best of a bad braking system - of course a BBK (big brake kit) like the JCW etc. will be much better, but also very expensive when you consider fitting costs etc. and possible problems with wheelspacers.

From what I've gathered, I should notice a significant improvement with the above mods

Braided hoses and 5.1 fluid is the route I have gone down and I am pleased with the result. I have also opted for EBC slotted discs and red stuff pads fornt and greed to rear. The most noticable thing is I don't get the fade I used to get particularly on track days when you can be ragging it round a track lap after lap. The red stuff pads have to be worked really quite hard when cold though!!!

[AndyH_MCS]

I'm glad its not just my car! I find that for normal everyday driving situatios the mini brakes are very good. When you start to push the car they feel very bad and leave me with a total lack of confidence in them. I definatley need to upgrade but are the JCW brakes that much better?

[Nick666]

Andy - yea, the JCW ones are good (and a huge improvement over the stock ones) but they may not be the best value for money if you compare them to the Brembo or AP or Porsche BBKs available. Have a look around anyway, and compare prices - a lot of the sponsors (GTT, West, Lohen etc...) have test cars that you could go out in and see what the benefits are first-hand. Then you can decide for yourself

Just be warned, you may have to factor in a new set of wheels for some of the kits as they won't fit behind some of the OEM wheels (if that's what you have). I know S-Spokes are a problem with some of them.


Miniminor - the discs won't make any difference as to the effectiveness of stopping initially. They may help fade but it'll be a small change.

[Baker]

An easy way to prevent the fade is to replace the pads (Ferodo 2500's seem to be the popular choice around here), and while you're at it change to braided lines and 5.1 fluid.

Personally I'd love a BBK, although I'm running EBC rotors at the min and she pulls up quite well.