7 replies to this topic

[Chris Donaldson]

My dad has a 2000 cooper sport and was looking at the Cooper brake conversions available on mini sport. Unfortunately he has just acquired the car and it isn't at home so I can't look at it myself for some of the more basic answers to the questions.

1) Does the Cooper Sport already have 4 pot calipers fitted?
All the following depends on the answer to the 1st question being no.
2) What size are the disks on the MPI Cooper Sport?
3) there are 2 disk conversions shown on Mini sport that are specifically Cooper products. the 1st is an 8.4" kit at £480 and the 2nd is a 7.9" vented kit at £560. Which one is better? Sounds simple but I would have thought that the bigger the disk the better however the 8.4" is a solid disk and the 7.9" is vented so should disapate heat more efficiently and hence be better but being smaller which one is actually better?

Thanks.

[Swift_General]

My dad has a 2000 cooper sport and was looking at the Cooper brake conversions available on mini sport. Unfortunately he has just acquired the car and it isn't at home so I can't look at it myself for some of the more basic answers to the questions.

1) Does the Cooper Sport already have 4 pot calipers fitted?
All the following depends on the answer to the 1st question being no.
2) What size are the disks on the MPI Cooper Sport?
3) there are 2 disk conversions shown on Mini sport that are specifically Cooper products. the 1st is an 8.4" kit at £480 and the 2nd is a 7.9" vented kit at £560. Which one is better? Sounds simple but I would have thought that the bigger the disk the better however the 8.4" is a solid disk and the 7.9" is vented so should disapate heat more efficiently and hence be better but being smaller which one is actually better?

Thanks.

1. No
2. 8.4"
3. Either will be fine for road use. 8.4" are cheaper as you have seen, bit the smaller discs are to squeeze under 10" wheels.

Edited by Swift_General, 04 December 2015 - 09:37 PM.

[Cooperman]

Unless the car is to be used for serious competition the standard brake set-up is fine. Vented multi-pot brakes are only needed when you use racing slick ultra-sticky tyres on a dry track on a long distance race. There really is no advantage on public roads.

If you want to improve the brakes for 'more spirited' road driving there are some excellent alternative brake pads, such as the Mintex 1144.

[Chris Donaldson]

Ah ok thanks for the quick reply. I'm surprised that the cooper ones don't do vented 8.4" disks like the paddy Hopkirk ones. Would the vented 8.4 disks fit in the Cooper 8.4 calipers? We'd prefer the Cooper conversion keeping with the Cooper theme of the car but the Hopkirk stuff seems far better value.

[Cooperman]

The Mini is a very light-weight car and vented disks may not work as well as non-vented, due to it being difficult to get a vented disk brake up to temperature on a light car.

On a road Mini solid discs are best with top quality road pads.

[Chris Donaldson]

The Mini is a very light-weight car and vented disks may not work as well as non-vented, due to it being difficult to get a vented disk brake up to temperature on a light car.
On a road Mini solid discs are best with top quality road pads.

Makes sense! Thanks

[Batmini]

As cooperman says, keep what you have, just replace the pads for mintex.

[Steve220]

the vented 8.4 disks fit in the Cooper 8.4 calipers?.

No. Vented discs are wider. Personally I'd go for the minisport calipers. You're paying for the name with the cooper calipers. Plus no one will see them behind your wheels.

Edited by Steve220, 05 December 2015 - 09:27 AM.