The worst brake pads on SE making wheels dirty without using brakes so often?

I’ll check the PN when I get back to work but they should be the same

we use akebono as they are low dust

 

If these are really the pictures of the rear pads, then these are the correct ones. I just ordered them from Amazon. I'm having a hard time finding what look like correct Akebono for the fronts. But the rears are the most critical because of this dust issue.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-mini-brake-pad-set-akebono-eur1762
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZLDJDSP

If you look under the fitment tab on the Fcpeuro link, it shows Cooper SE.

I'm really committed to finding Akebonos because i have them on our R53. It went from major dust on the wheels to practically zero.

 

What about Pelican Parts? They list a couple different options, including Akebonos: https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperCat/13459/MIN_13459_BRKPAD_pg1_brake-pads.htm

Their vehicle selector only goes up to 2021, but if the grid on MiniMania is accurate, then pads for all SE model years are the same: https://www.minimania.com/part/G3NMB2210/Mini-Cooper-Se-Front-Brake-Pads-Oem-Gen3-F56-Electric-Hardtop

 

Pelican agrees that Akebono EUR 1762 is correct for the rear, so that's a good sign. No Akebono fronts however.

I'm going to get the rears figured out first, then try to find fronts. This is the next Akebono front set that looks promising. I wish i would have taken a picture of the front pads when i had them out - but this picture looks the same as i remember when i had the fronts out.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mini-brake-pad-set-front-cooper-eur1308#fitment

 

How well did they work on your R53?
I went to 294mm R56 front brakes on my R53, Audi 38mm piston calipers on the back and EBC redstuff pads all round. Dust not too bad after bedding in and they are peel-your-face-off-the-windscreen stopping power. Huge improvement on stock

 

Pelican, ECS, Turner. All the same company

 

I wouldn't say they stop better than stock, so not as much stopping power than the EBC. I don't lean on the brakes too much, but even so the stock pads left black dust on my polished aluminum wheels after just short rides. It was crazy.

 

So if you replace the OEM pads with something that differs significantly in friction, would that mess with the blending of the regenerative and conventional brakes?

 

That is an interesting question. I believe the only time the SE performs any "blending" of regen and friction braking is when it's simulating regen braking because the battery is fully charged. Otherwise, you control the blending with your foot.

 

My theory is the friction difference isn't significant enough for the car to notice or to feel any different to the driver. That goes for DSC operation also, which really is what is causing the dust, right?

 

In theory, theory and practice are the same, in practice, they aren't.

Doing both a front and rear friction upgrade will not make too much difference. I suspect the car is smart enough to adjust for that, people fit different pads and things vary. Unbalancing the factory friction will affect braking as the car can't change the braking ratio.
You can see this with people putting monster front brakes on a car and then wondering why their stopping distance increased.
I was about to order some EBCs, until I saw the unbalanced frictions. EBC red are GG. I'm not unhappy with the braking of my SE, just the dust.
The lack of aftermarket listings could well be down to the unbalanced friction coefficients. The physical fitment appears to be f56 Justa front, f54/f60 rear. No shortage of those pads on the market.
I think it would be prudent to at least ask your preferred pad manufacturer.

 

SUCCESS - EUR1762 is the correct Akebono part number for the rear brake pads. I just installed them, bedded them in, and drove around a little bit.

 

Oops.. I just looked it up and Akebonos do NOT need bedding in. Recommended procedure is try to drive with moderate braking for 400 - 500 miles if possible. I should be ok. I just stopped hard a few times. But DON'T do that!

 

The rear SE pads are pretty darn thick. I didn't measure them. They were among the easier pads i've ever installed. The passenger side has the brake sensor wire. I just popped out the wire from two retainer brackets to give a little more slack, so i could re-attach the sensor to the new (inner) pad.

Oh and don't forget the bimmerlink app + OBDII adapter, so you can put the E-brake in service mode. I imagine i could have done without that, since the pads were new. But if your pads are worn, just releasing the E-brake might not allow you to fit newer thicker pads in.

The stopping seemed fine, since i mistakenly hit the brakes pretty hard a few times. It's my wife's car and she won't be driving it much. However, i plan on driving it once a week or so - 50 miles round trip to work. The car is so new that we didn't have brake dust. So i will never have the pleasure of dealing with that.

I did order the EUR1308 pads from Amazon and they are supposed to be here tonight. So i'm hoping to put them on the front tonight or tomorrow.

 

On the front brakes, when I search for the BMW part number 34106884263 from the Pelican Parts listing (https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/34106884263.htm), I find some references to the BMW 2-series F45, which was never offered in the US. Quality aftermarket options seem to be slim pickings.

For my part, I really liked the Carbotech 1521 pads on my R53 Mini. They took some getting used to initially. Initially they aren't as grabby as stock, but the feel was linear and they were practically dust-free. I emailed Carbotech to see if they offer something for the F56 or SE. Last resort, they'll take expended pads and rebuild them with whatever compound you want. I'm sure it's not cheap though.