45 replies to this topic

[Jordie]

Theres nothing to say the disc brakes will function any better then a standard drum setup.

Its bling yeah, but most people only buy bling for there mini if its cheap enough. Remember these are hidden behind wheels, so how many people are going to notice that bling....?

I agree that its the weight that matters, KAD list the weight of theres on the website, would be nice to see a comparison once you have found a caliper etc. Its about unsprung weight, I can see the kits been popular with track or road/rally/track cars.

[Jammy]

I wouldnt say lightness is the main factor either to be honest.
id buy them because they are nice strong billet hubs with the extra peice of mind that you have disks on the back
plus they look awesome mate well done!

You can already get alloy hubs for a lot less than a full disc brake conversion.

Having discs on the back won't help the braking in anyway.

Which leads me back to my original point, if the setup doesn't end up being that light, the only point is the bling. And if the price comes out anywhere near that of the KAD setup, who is going to pay near on £600 just for a bit of bling that hides behind the rear wheels most of the time?

[01smartc]

Ok, i agree with all points so far... when I ahve decided on a caliper, mounting etc i will let you know the weight!

Guess we will see.... At the moment I can see this being around the £400 mark just for the record

[Jordie]

Not bad for those looking to save some money againist the KAD setup, but expensive bit of bling

[01smartc]

I agree, i will try and get it as light as possible then

[dave21478]

£400? EEEK.

If I were looking to fit rear discs*, then I would be happy to pay strong money to a proven manufacturer for an all-inclusive kit that remains road legal. However, buying something from an amateur (no offence meant) would have to be significantly cheaper for me to justify it.

* I would never even consider putting discs on the back of a mini - road, race or rally spec.... Unsprung weight is the ONLY advantage to a decent rear disc setup, so someone with a circuit racer looking to save weight might be interested. For road use, disc brakes are complete overkill, and IMO far too many people just assume that better brakes on the rear is a good thing. The fact is that unless they are used with an adjustable bias valve and set up very carefully, overall braking performance will be seriously compromised and the safety of the car is called into question.

[mini1976]

The other advantage of disk brakes would be that you wouldnt have to adjust them all the time, which if you do a few miles gets a bit boring. But then again I wouldnt pay hundreds just to not have to adjust my drum brakes

[Phaeton]

I always seem to be the doom & gloom merchant on this forum, but if you are thinking of selling these I would also look into getting some 3rd party liability insurance. If somebody buys a kit & it either fails or they don't fit it correctly & then go on to have an accident. If it is proved that your kit was a contributory factor in that accident you could be in big financial trouble.

Alan...

[01smartc]

Thankyou for the comment. Couple of things tho

1) Im not an amateur (not offended just dont want to put people off), I run a engine building business kitted out with all the right kit to get the job done properly

2) I already have the correct insurance for this situation. Thankyou for your advice though

O, and dont you think £300 if a significant price difference

Cheers Guys

Edited by 01smartc, 17 July 2009 - 08:50 PM.

[Phaeton]

Good for you then mate, you'd be surprised how many people in business don't have the right insurance. Have you considered Golf MK2 calipers, I have them fitted on the back of my Freestyle. But the difference is mine are fitted to front hubs as it's mid engined.

Alan...

[Jammy]

The other advantage of disk brakes would be that you wouldnt have to adjust them all the time, which if you do a few miles gets a bit boring. But then again I wouldnt pay hundreds just to not have to adjust my drum brakes

Hopefully yes, but not always the case. I've had several cars now with disc brakes all round, and on many of them the rear discs aren't used enough to keep the pads and discs clean and working effectively. The result is that sometimes you need to give the pads and discs quite a rigurous clean in order to get the handbrake working sufficiently for the MOT.

[R1van]

Did you ever finish this rear brake set up ??

[Cooperman]

The rear brakes on the Mini only do about 20% of the total braking so discs are not necessary. Getting pads soft and/or small enough to work is difficult.

[90BHP]

The rear brakes on the Mini only do about 20% of the total braking so discs are not necessary. Getting pads soft and/or small enough to work is difficult.

Totally agree. I've saved a bit of weight with superfins, they also add a bit of "period" bling. If I wanted more bling and weight saving I would be upgrading my arms and back plates to billet items. But I'm not !!

I think people going for discs are either totally after bling or are under the misconception that they are under braked and see this as a real performance upgrade.

[monkey]

Surly there is something in the whole not having to adjust them business. I have never had a disc brakes car where the rear discs get used so little they need scrubbing for an MOT! If the car has stood for a couple of weeks and the discs are rusty, a hundred yards of left food braking cleans them up!