German tuners AC Schnitzer have enjoyed tinkering with the Mini Cooper S ever since the first model was launched in 2002. But in that time they haven’t got bored with improving the Mini and have now come up with a high-performance brake kit for all versions of the Cooper S, including the John Cooper Works.
The upgrade is for the front wheels only, where the standard calipers are replaced by new 4-pot fixed items that grip onto new slotted discs. The discs have both increased diameter (328mm) and thickness (28mm), allowing them to take much more punishment on track. The new discs and pads are also claimed to give much-improved performance in the wet.
| Technical data | MINI Cooper S by AC Schnitzer | MINI Cooper S (Standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Type |
4-pot fixed calipers |
1-pot floating caliper |
| Brake disc size |
328 x 28 mm |
294 x 22 mm |
| Slotted/perforated |
slotted |
no |
| Internally vented |
yes |
yes |
| Braking distance | ||
| from 100 km/h (cold) |
35.5 m |
37.1 m |
| from 100 km/h (warm) |
35.2 m |
38.2 m |
If you fancy improving the handling of your Mini Cooper S even more you could also look at AC Schnitzer’s new height-adjustable racing suspension and limited-slip differential. Both have been thoroughly tested around the Nurburgring.
