To prep our customer's R53 JCW Mini Cooper S for his first track event, we decided to do a modest brake upgrade. This is a popular retrofit going from R53 to R56 Cooper S brakes but it hasn't been all that clearly documented. We didn't want to go with one of the aftermarket 4 pot or 6 pot kits as we wanted to still use the 16" TE37's we had spec'ed previously for this car.
By upgrading to the R56 brakes, the car goes from a 276x22mm to a 294x22 mm front rotor, plenty of stopping power for a lightweight car with under 200hp. The bigger piston and pad also will be better for braking confidence and heat management. All this fits easily within a 16" wheel which is exactly what we wanted. For the rears we went with a simple Textar semi-metallic pad and rotor in the factory size which should be ample for the rear end.
To do the front brake upgrade you will need the parts below, we used aftermarket rotors, pads, and remanufactured calipers. Use these OE numbers to cross-reference:
| Front Right Caliper | 34116778336 |
| Front Left Caliper | 34116778335 |
| Rotors (294x22) (2 required) | 34116858652 |
| Brake Hose (2 required) | 34306788442 |
| Brake Pads (sensor optional 34356789329) | 34116778320 |
While the front pad may not sound much bigger on paper, here's a comparison of the two pad shapes from Hawk. The overall width and height of the pad backing plate are not that different and the thickness is basically the same, but you can see by the shape of the pad that there's a lot more surface area of pad material. The HB560 is for the R56 pads while the HB444 is for the R53. Despite a wider bracket, the HB560 has at least 30% more surface area.
Additional Note
If your R53 JCW came with the factory brake upgrade, this R56 would not be needed for you. These can be identified by the John Cooper Works decal and red calipers
