Brakes what to get and where

[Devilsown]

Hey all I figured to spead the love and ask ya'll what kind of brakes yall would get. I drive a 03 Mini Cooper S and am in need of front and rear brakes... really really bad. I'm thinking of getting the ATE powerrotors with the Powerpads but I cant find the things anywhere with the exception of tirerack.com and they want some $60 for shipping as they are coming from two seprate wherehouses... figures. I do alot of high speed driving (90+) thats fast for the little cooper... and also do alot of high speed "attacks" on coners so any suggestions are welcome. and or advice. As a side note I do intened on autocrossing in the near future.

What style of brakes do you have on your car? Im looking for what type of rotor, and pads and what do you think of them. NEXT what would you advise on me getting.

I do also intend on upgrading to SS lines.

[stiffdogg06]

Well I drive a 95 Honda Civic turobed. So If you drive fast, you have to stop even faster.

I have Brembo Blanks with Hawk HPS pads.

These are the only "performance" brakes over OEM i've used and personally I love them!

Hawk Performance Brake Pads

[truzoom]

I've always heard good things about Hawk pads.

As for rotors, since your mini probably doesn't use a very large rotor, stay away from cross-drilled or slotted. You may look into cryo-frozen rotors which seem to have longer life as well as more rigidity. Frozen Rotors - High Performance Brake Pads, Brake Rotors seems to be the main place to get them.

You could also upgrade to a higher-temp brake fluid for additional benefit.

[BigJimZ28]

I know this is going to sound strange but...

Hawk pads and Autozone Duralast rotors I don't know who makes the rotors for Autozone
but they work very well and are cheap and you don't need to pay shipping

they hold up well to me beating them up in my LT1 powered 97 Z28 DD
and also in a heavy high HP 81 Z28
also the best I ever had on the little lady's 94 SHO

and countless other car I have had them on

[needles]

First upgrade to SS lines and some Motul brake fluid.That will help alot.Then like stiffdogg06 said some Brembo Blanks with Hawk HPS pads.That what I have now.I had Axxis Ultimate pads too.There cheaper,but there was alot more brake dust with them.

[SR20det]

^^ Needles summed it up best.

Do SS lines and Bleed (Flush completely) with a higher quality fluid, it makes a very big difference. Motul RBF600 is really good, but is a bit more hygroscopic (absorbs moisture fast) than lower temp brake fluid, so I would suggest bleeding at least 2x/year. If you Auto-X or road race, bleed before and after each event. The good thing about Motul RBF600 is that it should be available locally to you, most every import motorcycle dealer carries it! I usually find it for $15-20 each 500ml bottle, don't leave the cap off the bottle for a long time at all, and seal it up good. Another quality fluid is Valvoline SynPower Brake fluid it is about 1/5 the price, better than most over-the-counter fluids but not AS good as the Motul. If you do get SS braided lines, get a quality set that is DOT approved, there are low quality ones out there without the certification. Also make sure they clear and don't rub on any steering/suspension component, they could rub through the braiding and result in a line failure! You don't want that. I don't know the Brands and their applications for a Mini, but StopTech does have DOT approved lines and each line is "tagged" DOT so you can pass inspections if your state requires them.

As for rotors, just get a good quality blank like Brembos, I don't put much stock in the cross-drilled and slotted "type." For one; Cross drilling and slotting reduces mass of the rotor which helps dissipate heat generated during braking and for two; slotting wears pads faster by swiping the pad surface with the cutting edge and three; cross-drilled rotors usually form stress cracks in the rotor unless they are properly radiused. Also Brembo blanks are cheap enough to replace with every pad change.

For pads, I really like the Axxis Ultimate for a street/light Auto-X pad. They may feel weird with the first two stops when they are cold, but then they feel normal and good. The drawback to them is the dusting, they dust alot, but the dust is easily cleaned up. Depending how often you wash your car, it may be a non-issue as I know they are many people on here that wash every other day. As for Hawk HPS, I have never tried them, but I have heard ALOT of good things.

Hope this helps. I have first hand experience and knowledge from everything I had said.

[spike_africa]

'Hawk pads are over rated and there are better pads for the same or less money. I had hawks on my 99 f150 and they werent that great. If you havent heard of satisfied brakes they make nice pads and you can get them threw advanced discount auto parts website for really cheap (compaird to other places) and with free shipping to your door. They brake hard have alot less fade then my stock pads on my 2002 mustang GT and dust almost nothing. I like them alot. \r\n\r\nAnd you dont need slotted/drilled rotors there for looks and just not needed the brembo blanks like they said are a great rotor and cheap. That with some good fluide (motul is a bit overkill for a street car and wasting money if you ask me) i just used valvoline dot 3/4 and its good stuff. That with stainless lines made my GT stop better less fade and stops alot shorter and was a very cost effective upgrade.'