cant afford big brakes !!!

[supercharged99]

hi all

looking at replacing my stock discs and pads soon, but cant afford a big brake kit.

what are the best discs to go for ? drilled / grooved etc.

dont really want oem.

thanks

52 cooper S

[R53Roy]

It depends what your plans for the car are. If it is your daily driver there's no need for drilled or slotted. Those are only needed on extreme racing applications. On the road they will just wear out the pads sooner. If you're looking for more aggressive braking look into a more aggressive pad, those will make a huge difference.

[MINIAC]

^^^
What the new guy said

[R53Roy]

sorry, I also have a honda and have done alot of modding of it, just getting my feet wet with the mini.

[NeuroBeaker]

If you're changing the discs as well as the pads and don't want OEM, take a look at the GTT Spiroslots.

GTT 'Spiroslot' Brake Discs

They have more stopping power than OEM, better fade resistance, better initial bite, but are identically sized - so there'll be no need for spacers or anything no matter what wheels you've got fitted. Actually, I found it cheaper to buy the Spiroslots and pay for the (really very small) insurance increase (with Adrian Flux) than it would have been to purchase another set of OEM discs and pads.

I did have some initial problems with the installation by a third party, but once this was sorted I've been very happy with my Spiroslots. One thing I would definitely recommend is to make sure you take the dot 5.1 brake fluid change with the GTT setup, as you'll find you'll boil the brake fluid (I did) with over-exuberance using your new brakes. One other thing to note is that brake pad wear sensor for the rear will not function with the Spiroslot pads, but the front brake pad wear sensor will. (I think I've got that the right way round).

I'm sure you'd enjoy them if you opted for them. Read the thread I linked to above and have a think on it.

All the best,
Andrew.

[R53Roy]

^^ again it depends what the OP's goals are. Personally I've run all types of rotors (on an integra type r, not mini) but I've found that all the rotors that are cast as blanks and then have the groves or holes put in them never work properly. I've used both cross drilled and slotted on both the track and the street and found the would warp easily and cracked easily too. They will also wear out your pads quicker. I have changed my set up for this year to include brembo blank rotors, I've had great luck with those, and a fairly aggressive pad.
Also keep in mind that the bedding in of new pads and rotors is imperative to proper life and performance. Hawk make some great street pads. The HPS would work well. I ran the HP+ last year and they work very well.
Something else to think about is the fluid like NeuroBeaker said. I don't know if you need really hi temp stuff as long as you can flush the system every couple years. On the street, its highly unlikely you'd ever get the brakes to a point where it would boil, but as soon as you plan on going to a track day or auto x it would be worth flushing out for sure.
Alot of people buy stainless steel lines which will help the feel of the brakes, but won't reduce stopping distance.

If it was me, I would replace rotors (if needed) with brembo blanks, and a pad something like an HPS. Make sure you're system is bled properly and free of air and you shouldn't have issues providing you're only using the car on the street.