Brake Fitting
Next up was the fitting stage and do bear in mind that I am sharing this as I genuinely delighted that I got them fitted given how close I was to chucking them in the bin!
So here's how things look before I get started. My plan when I sell the car down the line is to re-fit these brakes so I need to be a bit careful when removing them:
I was also keen not to damage any of the hardlines on the car. Completely by chance I'd seen somebody on YouTube mess up his hardlines on an E46 M3 (DannyDC2) from not using the right brake pipe spanner and so, after a good look around, I unearthed mine.
For those thinking of changing their brake hoses, whether doing this job or just upgrading to stainless items, the bit you want to undo is shown here on the top. In the case of the Mini, the bottom flexible hose won't turn as it's shaped to fit the hole in the bracket which isn't circular.
Doing this job also enables me to re-route the lines which have never looked right against this ABS sensor wire. I suspect the latter was installed wrong at some point.
Once the hose is separated from the hardline, I can remove the old caliper and it's a chance to compare them side by side. As you can see, there's not that much in it size wise although there's quite a bit of extra weight from the new one, which is on the left.
It turns out I was replacing this original set up at just the right time as the pads weren't long for this world and I doubt they'd have done another track day.
This is also the chance to compare the old pads against the new ones for size. New ones are quite a bit bigger.
The difference in disc size is less noticeable, with the original ones being 272mm and the new ones being 294mm.
So without further delay I get the new disc mounted up. For reference the disc retaining screw is Torx T50. My heart sank when I saw this at first upon removal but I had already bought one, I think, for doing some work on my Mercedes so drama averted. It's quite a big size though for those of you with Minis thinking of doing any brake disc changing, do check your toolkits.
I then mounted the carrier and it quickly became obvious that the anti-rattle shims (the ones that didn't quite fit) were fouling the disc
So those prongs were bent out of the way and it was time to fit the caliper.
Another good tip I got from YouTube was to check the spacing of these rounded pins on the back of the pads. Wide apart = piston side, closer together = not the piston side.
Pads installed it was time to fit the caliper but it wouldn't go on. Fearing the worst I spent a few moments wondering what was going on, but it was just that the piston wasn't fully retracted. So out with the piston wind back tool and all sorted:
And finally, all mounted up.
I'd lost quite a bit of brake fluid during this process, having disconnected the hose so on the other side I decided to remove everything but not disconnect it until I had all the new parts back on.
This plan worked well until the original hose refused to be removed from the bracket, due to some surface rust. A few taps of the hammer got it free, thankfully.
And so, after weeks and week I finally had both sides mounted up:
And the old original brakes came away with no issues so can be easily fitted back when the time is right.
For those thinking of doing this job what I would say is, if buying 2nd hand calipers, make sure you see a picture of the carriers with the pins removed and if possible the bleeders and the hoses. Even 2nd hand these calipers weren't cheap and it would be easy to scrap one with a sheared pin in the carrier. I was lucky that I still could get it out with just a bit of dodgy welding.
Also for those thinking of doing this, the torque settings are:
Disc retaining screw - 27Nm (T50)
Caliper to carrier - 35Nm (13mm)
Carrier to hub - 110Nm (16mm)
After that it was time to bleed them and for this I was going to use my brake bleeding kit that I had bought for my MG ZR but hadn't been compatible due to the brake fluid reservoir cap being an odd size. I also had some new Pagid fluid, again bought for a previous car, but not used.
Luckily the brake fluid reservoir cap on a Mini is totally normal so no issues with fitting here
And there was a nice location to rest the main bottle during the process. I've never used one of these before but I must say it made things very easy.
So I did the fronts, which easy enough:
And it made sense to do the rears too, although there wasn't much air in those.
And with that I put the wheels back on, dropped it off the axle stands and drove it out of the garage ready for a drive. How they look behind the wheels:
And how it looks from a distance. Not easy to see that they've been upgraded, which is the look I was going for:
Later that evening I took the car out for a shakedown test and to perform a generic bedding in procedure (light initial stopping to remove surface coating then multiple stops 60mph - 20mph) and I can safely say that there is a significant increase in brake capability. People have mentioned softness at the top of the pedal due to retaining the original master cylinder but it doesn't feel any different to how they were before. The full proof will come with a track day so I have booked myself an evening session at Brands Hatch on the 31st July when I can really use them in anger.
Brake Upgrade Costs
So let's talk about costs, should any of you be interested in doing something similar:
2nd hand Calipers - £120 (Breakers)
HEL hoses - £42 (direct from HEL)
Brembo discs - £61 (ECP during a 50% sale)
Brembo pads - £34 (ECP during a 35% sale)
Caliper pins - £19 (Brakes International)
Bleeders - £11 (BMW)
Hycote Paint - £7.50 (Amazon)
Pagid Fluid - £7.50 (ECP)
So in total £302 plus my time of course. So cheaper than a classic Big Brake Kit but equally not throw away money. That said I would like to think I could get at least £200 back when I sell them, so if true, it will be a cost effective upgrade.
Thoughts after 3k Miles
While I was putting the above information in to my car spreadsheet I noticed that, since buying it, I've done 3k miles which was a surprise given how I don't really feel like I've been anywhere in it.
Firstly, it hasn't quite got under my skin like my
MG ZR did. The Mini is in many ways a superior car, certainly build quality and robustness it feels a whole generation on, but that MG was a great thing to drive. The Mini's seats just aren't as good and neither is the steering, gear change or clutch, mainly because the former aren't very comfortable and the latter are all unnecessarily heavy. The engine is the star of the show of course but I think if it were possible, that the engine transplanted in to the MG would give me the best of both worlds. Bet you weren't expecting that.
Despite being what I'd call far more agricultural to drive than the MG my wife much prefers it, which I find really odd. But then that's why they've sold as many as they have I suppose because to her the MG was just an old crappy car in a silly colour whereas the Mini is fun and funky.
What this means is that the Mini isn't a keeper and I will stick to my rule and move it on come Jan/Feb time. Thoughts have already turned to a replacement and there's two approaches to this. Firstly we do use the Mini with our two children when I fancy a break from the Mercedes so perhaps I should get a fast 5 door hatchback. Whilst common in the current market in the sub £7k market 3 doors still rule. However the BMW 130i and the Subaru WRX-S stand out as having the sort of nice sounding engines I'm after. I've never had a Subaru before and I like that the hatchback version was a bit unpopular/an underdog. The 2nd option is to double the budget and get either an E36/E46 M3 or a 996. My recent drive in a sorted E46 M3 highlighted how much I miss that six cylinder petrol experience. The Porsche is an option because I've had BMWs but never anything rear engine. The risk of massive bills is ever present though, so one must tread carefully.
That's all in the future though and so in the meantime I am going to get a few more track days booked and start using the Mini more for fun than for the Wednesday commute. There's still a few more jobs to do, namely fix my low speed fan, sort my seat runners to stop the light rocking motion and if one ever comes up for sale that isn't hours away, fitting a JCW exhaust So there will be some updates still to come.
In the meantime thanks for reading and all comments greatly received. Finally, as a bit of blatant promotion give me a follow on Instagram, either @James76G which is my personal feed but is mainly nice cars and watches or alternatively @forgottenUKcars where I post cars from the last 30 years that are forgotten, lost or unloved. Recent examples include the 90s Fiat Tipo (just 44 left in 1.4ie spec) or the Vauxhall Signum Elite V6 Diesel, just 450 ever made.