19 replies to this topic

[mini_mentalist_chris]

I have just been fitting my new cooper S brake kit and I have not got any new back plates for behind the 7.5 inch discs. My dad said make sure you don't need them for your MOT. I was under the impression that I didn't, am I wrong?

Chris

[James182]

I have just been fitting my new cooper S brake kit and I have not got any new back plates for behind the 7.5 inch discs. My dad said make sure you don't need them for your MOT. I was under the impression that I didn't, am I wrong?

Chris

Quite sure you dont. Mine didnt have them and it passed so i assume not but might be different with mot testers?

[mini_mentalist_chris]

I have just been fitting my new cooper S brake kit and I have not got any new back plates for behind the 7.5 inch discs. My dad said make sure you don't need them for your MOT. I was under the impression that I didn't, am I wrong?

Chris

Quite sure you dont. Mine didnt have them and it passed so i assume not but might be different with mot testers?

Cool. I was just making sure you see, didn't want to assemble it all to find that I needed to take them apart to put new back plates on. I'm sure I've seen loads of people running brakes without them though.

[minimadjonesy]

nope, completely useless items in my opinion. don't have them on my 7.9" vented discs and removed them form all previous minis as they break and rattle

[campaj1]

Curious if removal of these backplates is legal from an MOT perspective... having problems as one is broken on my MPI...

[campaj1]

also, do the bolts need to go back into the caliper when they are removed?

[cal844]

Will pass an mot with them on or off :)

Just leave the bolts out, saves weight

Edited by cal844, 17 June 2014 - 03:07 PM.

[campaj1]

Great to know! Did this yesterday in the end, note to others to follow tho: REPLACE THE BOLTS they're the only thing holding the caliper in place!!!

[cal844]

Great to know! Did this yesterday in the end, note to others to follow tho: REPLACE THE BOLTS they're the only thing holding the caliper in place!!!

On my SPI they are seperate to the caliper!!

[Gremlin]

Will pass an mot with them on or off :)

Just leave the bolts out, saves weight

I hope this post comes across as me sounding angry. Why did you just advise somebody to not refit the caliper bolts? If you do not know exactly how them back plates are held on please do not comment, ask him to put up pictures or explain exactly what the bolts do before commenting

[minisilverbullet]

Will pass an mot with them on or off :)
Just leave the bolts out, saves weight

Unless you want to be dragging your callipers along the road you will need the so called calliper bolts. Don't post if you don't know what you are talking about or at least highlight your uncertainty.

I also removed my back plates, as have many. I remember a member was concerned that the back plates were also seen as a sort of a spacer, so they cut down the back plate which they then used a "spacer".

Now I haven't done this, and i don't think it is needed, but a search my help your concerns.

[campaj1]

Chill everyone, no harm done 

Re: 'spacer' idea, the metal was perished so didn't bother myself. There were two small washers, which I refitted. Driving experience transformed; no longer sounds like a bag o' bolts!

 

A

[sonikk4]

To the OP you do not need to have them fitted. I have done the same conversion to my Clubman and it's sailed through the last two MOTs. As said its a shield and nothing more.

[carbon]

In my experience the front brake backplates were put on the 7.5 inch Cooper S front discs by BMC/Leyland for a reason.

 

About 25 years back I was running this set-up without backplates, and I found that in very wet conditions if you needed to brake suddenly there was a very strong tendency for the brakes to 'lag' slightly before they bit and also that under these conditions the braking was often unbalanced. This car was also very light (530kg) and already a handful in the wet, so I could do without the additional brake imbalance problem causing it to lurch to one side or other.

 

Fitted the backplates and never had this problem again.

 

Suspect this was all to do with the brake discs getting wet, and this caused the 'lag' before the pads finally cut through the water. This set-up was running standard S discs, not drilled or grooved.

[cal844]

Jeez that escalated quickly!!