[Birdog]

Howdy.

Given the choice would you get a brembo brake kit, a tar-ox brake kit or the GTT porsche brake kit ?

It is for everyday use and occasional track days, last time I was on the track my JCW brakes got cooked and kinda stopped working for a while, most anoying.

I do like the look of the GTT kit the most, but I want something that looks good and works very well too.

So what will it be.

As ever, thanks in advance

Birdog

[johnmdanskin]

did you try max brake fluid? ate-blue, motul 600f, castrol srf?

the stock mini brake fluid seems to be some kind of special low temperature boiling mixture. real brake fluid works wonders and the most expensive brake fluid you can buy is a lot cheaper than a brake kit (20x?).

brembos are not made for the track. I'm not saying they don't work, just that the track isn't their design center. Stoptech is made for the track. I don't know about the others.

Also, if that is your GP in your .sig, you can open up the decorative brake ducts and get more cooling. I am not having issues with my JCWs on the track. I am using motul 600f and have opened my brake ducts. That's it. Also I don't brake that much any more 8-).

[GTT 280]

I'd go for the " 341mm rotor / 1ft caliper " GTT BBK mate - with ceramic pads - nothing will beat this



Cheers,
K.

[todd tce]

Quote: Originally Posted by GTT 270 (original)

I'd go for the " 341mm rotor / 1ft caliper " GTT BBK mate - with ceramic pads - nothing will beat this



Cheers,
K.

Those would probably cool better if you put the rotors on the correct side.
You have them on the wrong side for proper ventilation.

[Aberdeen Al]

Quote: Originally Posted by GTT 270 (original)

I'd go for the " 341mm rotor / 1ft caliper " GTT BBK mate - with ceramic pads - nothing will beat this



Cheers,
K.

The more I see these the more I like them...............................so stop posting photos of them.................... only joking!!

What offset do you have on your alloys Karl?

Cheers, Al

[MINIMANIAUK]

If the internal cooling vents are curved ,they should "pump" out the hot air in the direction of rotation.I cant tell from the picture .

[todd tce]

Correct.
This one showed the problem:
http://www.mini2.com/galleries/showp...0/ppuser/20026

[MINIMANIAUK]

From that picture they are indeed backwards,and not at their most heat efficient

[Damo]

Surely Roland won't of made a mistake like that but got to agree looks like the internal fins are the wrong way round. Mine are certainly the other way.

I have stoptech's.

Did a lot of research into brakes before I got them. I was going to get Brembo's or AP's due to money at the time however always wanted the Stoptechs. Anyway managed to get the cash and go all out.

Stoptech ensure their calipers are balance to the car, so that the car brakes more effectively. As opposed to other kits that might alter the balance to the front which in turn makes the front of the car dive more, making you think your braking better when in fact your not...

Testing Brakes with StopTech

I know roland states the porsche brakes move the brake bias further forward as the MINI is to rear biased with its brakes.

Both are bound to be awesome, but the Stoptech's are cheaper, but you can't beat the look of the Porsche brakes though.

[roland2003]

Hi Guys, no they're not the wrong way round. The casting is not handed and designed for either side /direction of rotation. Can't give too much away but these castings are used on some very powerful big cars.-The machined grooves are the only thing that hands them.
Best Regards Roland GTT

[Cobby Park Lane]

Quote: Originally Posted by roland2003 (original)

Hi Guys, no they're not the wrong way round. The casting is not handed and designed for either side /direction of rotation. Can't give too much away but these castings are used on some very powerful big cars.-The machined grooves are the only thing that hands them.
Best Regards Roland GTT

Phew, im glad they are the right way round. thats the way i have the spiroslot disks on my cooper.

Neil

(ps, roland. thanks for your help on the phone this am. the squeeling has gone now. just needed some copper slip on the back of the pads. had been washed out i think by the rain....)

[Richard Crofts]

The stoptechs can be quite squeely and the seals on them are not as good at stopping the road salt from corroding things as they are a track brake not a road one. The porshe is big and has road seals but deals with the track well due to its enormous size.

I will be getting APs as they are a bigger than JCW brake allowing better cooling but are a road brake so less prone to squeeling and corrosion. I am not a heavy driver of my car as my style is quite fluid... not nessesarily fastest for the track but it suits me.

R

[todd tce]

I'm sure I'll upset the apple cart a bit.... but I beg to differ.
Unless there is but one casting for that rotor, it is rotating the the wrong direction. There was a time when GM produced rotors of directional castings for the Vette which were one sided but used on both sides of the vehicle. I think they finally retooled for that one and made proper dedicated parts....owners didn't take kindly to one side being correct, the other not.



Both show an internal vane structure for Counter Clockwise rotation, not clockwise.

Vented rotors draw air from the center of the rotor and expell it at the outer edge. The rotor does not "bite into" the air flow by way of the outer edge. They work as an air pump flowing outward. Rotor finishes such as slots, holes, both, hooks etc. etc. have no bearing on the rotation- that is dictated by the casting structure only.

Here is an example of proper LEFT rotor or COUNTER CLOCKWISE rotation for correct air flow:



For the average user this is not really going to pose much of an issue. However for harder open track day use air flow is reduced and the rotor will not cool properly. How one chooses to run it is entirely up to you- it won't hurt being backwards.

[roland2003]

As stated ' the castings are not handed' which means there is one casting. There is no difference in temp as our temp paint tests confirm. We use this same rotor on another vehicle thats 400kg heavier. Even on slicks on the track they dont boil or overheat. The same cannot be said of many other big brake kits ....Come and watch our Mini outbrake the competition on a track day.
Best Regards Roland GTT

[Damo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Crofts (original)

The stoptechs can be quite squeely and the seals on them are not as good at stopping the road salt from corroding things as they are a track brake not a road one. The porshe is big and has road seals but deals with the track well due to its enormous size.

I will be getting APs as they are a bigger than JCW brake allowing better cooling but are a road brake so less prone to squeeling and corrosion. I am not a heavy driver of my car as my style is quite fluid... not nessesarily fastest for the track but it suits me.

R

Mind if I ask you were you got the info on the Stoptechs.

I admit they can be a bit squeally if not properly used for some time (one good stop solves this).

Not read anything about corrosion issues anywhere on t'internet though.

[GRSmotorsport]

I had a ride in Roland's car when it was supercharged, the brakes were every impressive indeed

[Bhozar]

I just picked up a set of GTT brakes on Saturday. Fitted them last night. They look awesome, their finish is great and I imagine they will stop well once I have bedded them in properly.

I went for them as they are meant for a road car, so their seals will keep road grime and winter salt out. Being MASSIVE they also have good cooling potential when on the track.

I have also put Motul RBF600 brake fluid in. Unlike Crofty I am heavy on the brakes and I cant afford to get brake fade when on the track.

[ALD0]

I want some new brakes...
What are Lohens brake kit like?...

[Richard Crofts]

Its a known fact that race sealed brakes are not designed to handle extensive amounts of road salt. Like any race part they are designed for a specific use...performance. Anything designed for the track will not stand-up to road use for the same amount of time as a road use designed part. Remember race equipent is designed to be rebuilt after a few races as a rule....road stuff is designed to last longer (but often at the detriment of performance)

Basically the issue will be that water/salt will eventually work it way past the seals and you will get corrosion behind them. This in turn will lead to issues on piston travel etc...eg a sticky piston. Anyone who has driven a tuned classic Mini with BBK will have come accross this on the road and race set-ups.

Now I am not saying that the stoptechs will fall apart within 3 weeks (far from it they are a quality bit of kit) but if placed in a side by side test for endurance of the seals/caliper with a road part you would see that the race stoptech is 9 times out of 10 going to have a problem before the road brake. That said there are lots of stoptechs driving around with big milage on them that are fine...its just a warning that out of the 2 choices a road brake will tend to last longer. Same as a non moddified engine will always last slightly longer than a modded on (the question is how much longer )

I have heard several stoptech kits and all of them have a tendancy to squeel a bit when used....more so than a road brake (its all to do with pad compounds and shims and back plates etc etc. If your lucky it will hardly happen but if your not then it can become an irritance. Any race spec brake will have a tendancy to be a bit squeely compared to a road brake, thats the way of life.

Just listen to the BTCC onboard videos when they hit the brakes....! Again the question is how pronounced this becomes on X Y or Z race brake. Some are better than others...the stoptech is one of the better ones...but the AP and brembo kits tend to be even better agin (but then there comes the slight downward turn in performance that these set-up offer due to them not being true race spec brakes)

Its a fine line and there are many choices but for me I think on the MINI the AP kits are not bad. They are cheap, parts are readily available and for 75% of MINI trackday people they will be plenty up to the job. But the porshe brakes offer the big car ventilation/cooling but in a road brake so if your a real heavy booter then they may be a good choice. But I know folks with the stoppies and they love them to the core....just be aware they have thier limitation too in terms of longevity.

[ScottyBoy]

Quick question, Im soon getting a set of AP's fitted what will be a good choice of Fluid to use with these

Cheers