Our Top Recommended Big Brake Upgrade Kits For Your Classic Mini
No two quick Minis are the same underneath, and that is exactly why brake advice for one is usually wrong. The shell is the only part that has to be a Mini. Underneath there might be standard hubs, a Metro or MGF subframe, a Honda or a bike engine, and wheels anywhere between 10 and 13 inches. So the question is never really “what fits a Mini”. It is what fits the hub you are actually running, inside the wheel you actually have.
Two things make this car different from everything else we write about. The first is that most big brake kits on the market start at a 15 inch wheel, and a Mini on 13s rules almost all of them out in one go. The second is that the moment somebody fits another car’s subframe, they stop shopping in the Mini section altogether. Both are covered below, with the kits we would actually fit. The Mini Classic range is on the site too.
- Our entire road caliper range starts at a 15 inch wheel, so on 13s the answer is a compact race caliper or the Tarox Sport Compact
- HiSpec's R114-4 is an ultra slimline caliper they quote as taking a 280mm disc inside a 13 inch wheel
- Tarox publish a 13 inch minimum for their 235mm Mini Classic kit, which is the off the shelf answer on standard hubs
- On a subframe conversion you order by the donor hub, not by the Mini, and we list six kits for the MGF hub alone
What is on this page
Start with the hub, not the badge
A brake kit bolts to the hub and the upright, so that is what decides which kit you can buy. On most cars the badge and the hub are the same answer. On a Mini they very often are not, and this is the single most common reason somebody ends up with a kit that will not go on.
Standard Mini hubs
The car as Issigonis intended, on its own uprights. Tarox build a 235mm Sport Compact kit for exactly this, and it is the only off the shelf Mini kit we list. Straightforward, and it clears a 13 inch wheel.
MGF subframe
A popular route, usually alongside an engine swap. Once the MGF uprights are in, you buy MGF kits. We list six, from a 275mm one piece up to a 300mm Billet 4, and the R114-4 versions are the ones that suit small wheels.
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Something else entirely
Metro hubs, a bespoke upright, a hub nobody makes a kit for. HiSpec sell the calipers, universal brackets, bespoke bells and rotors separately so a set can be built around what you have. This is a conversation, not a checkout.
Why 13 inch wheels change everything
The smallest wheel a kit will go behind is decided by the kit, the disc and the caliper sitting over it, and it does not change from one car to the next. That is normally a helpful rule. On a Mini it is a brutal one, because our road calipers, the Billet 4 and the Monster family, need a 15 inch wheel at the very smallest and most of the range wants 16 or 17. On a Mini running 13s, none of that is available.
What is available is the compact race calipers. HiSpec’s R114-4 is an ultra slimline four piston caliper based closely on the Billet 4, built for race and rally use, and HiSpec quote it as taking a 280mm disc inside a 13 inch wheel. Tarox come at the same problem from the other end with the Sport Compact range, and publish a 13 inch minimum on the 235mm Mini kit. Those two are why this page exists.
| Kit | Disc | Smallest wheel | On 13s? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarox 235mm Sport Compact | 235mm | 13 inch | Yes |
| HiSpec R114-4 race caliper | up to 285mm | 13 inch at 280mm | Yes |
| HiSpec Billet 4, smallest | 285mm | 15 inch | No |
| HiSpec Billet 4, 300mm | 300mm | 16 inch | No |
| HiSpec Monster family | 335mm up | 17 inch | No |
Tarox 235mm Sport Compact: the standard hub answer
If your Mini is still on its own hubs, this is the kit, and it is the only complete off the shelf Mini conversion we list. Tarox build it at their factory in northern Italy: a six piston billet caliper, a heat treated disc, machined alloy brackets, and the braided hoses and Corsa pads already in the box and fitted. Tarox publish a 13 inch minimum wheel for it, so it suits the wheel size most quick Minis run. At 235mm the disc looks small next to the rest of this site, and on a car this light that is entirely the point.
- £1,187.50 inc VAT, complete
- Tarox publish a 13 inch minimum wheel size
- Six piston billet caliper, hand assembled in Italy
- Corsa pads and vehicle specific braided hoses included and fitted
- For standard Mini hubs, not for a subframe conversion
HiSpec 275mm R114-4 one piece: the way into a conversion
This is where an MGF hubbed Mini starts, and it is the cheapest route to a proper four piston setup on this page. The R114-4 is HiSpec’s slimline race caliper, machined in Dartford and based closely on their Billet 4 road caliper, which is why it behaves like a road caliper while fitting where a road caliper cannot. This version runs a one piece disc, which is where the saving over the two piece kits comes from. If you are on MGF uprights and 13 inch wheels, start here.
- £955.50 inc VAT
- One piece 275mm discs
- Ultra slimline four piston R114-4 calipers, made in Dartford
- HiSpec quote the R114-4 as taking a 280mm disc inside a 13 inch wheel
- Fits the MGF hub, so it suits an MGF subframe conversion
HiSpec 275mm and 280mm R114-4 two piece: the one we would have
Same caliper, better disc. These two run a two piece floating disc, a steel rotor on an alloy centre bell, which takes weight off the hub and lets the rotor grow with heat without fighting the bell it is bolted to. On a car as light as a Mini the unsprung weight saving is worth having, and the two sit at the same price, so the 280mm is the one to take if your wheels allow it. Garreth’s view on a fast Mini is that this is the sweet spot on the whole page: a race caliper, a floating disc, and still inside a 13 inch wheel.
- Both £1,155.50 inc VAT, so take the 280mm if it clears
- Two piece floating discs on alloy bells
- Same slimline R114-4 caliper as the entry kit
- Less unsprung weight, which a Mini notices more than most
- Fits the MGF hub
If you have gone up a wheel size
Plenty of converted Minis end up on bigger wheels, and that opens the rest of the range. The 300mm R114-4 keeps the slim race caliper with a much larger disc. Above that sit the two Billet 4 kits, which are the proper road calipers with external dust boots and the low maintenance that goes with them: HiSpec state the 285mm clears a 15 inch wheel and the 300mm a 16. All three are MGF hub kits, so the same subframe logic applies. If you are still on 13s, none of these are for you, and the two piece kits above are the better buy anyway.
- 300mm R114-4 at £1,360.98 inc VAT
- 285mm Billet 4 at £1,254.00, stated to clear 15 inch wheels
- 300mm Billet 4 at £1,464.00, stated to clear 16 inch wheels
- Billet 4 adds external boots and lower maintenance for road use
- All three fit the MGF hub
If your Mini is a one off
Some builds do not match any listing, and a Mini is more likely than most to be one of them. HiSpec sell the pieces separately for exactly this: the R114-4 caliper on its own, universal brackets in two and three inch mounts, bespoke bells in bands from under 260mm upwards, and a bespoke rotor made to your dimensions. That is how a set gets built around a hub nobody makes a kit for. It is not a checkout job, so ring us and we will work out what the car needs before anything is ordered.
What is actually in each box
The two brands price differently, and it matters more here than the headline suggests. Tarox include the braided hoses and the Corsa pads, already fitted. HiSpec price theirs bare so you pick the pad compound to suit how the car gets used, which on a Mini that sees track days is worth having. Spec them level and the gap closes.
| In the box | HiSpec | Tarox |
|---|---|---|
| Calipers | R114-4 slimline race, or Billet 4 road, 6082 T6 billet | Six piston billet, hand assembled |
| Discs | One piece on the 1P kit, two piece floating on the rest | Heat treated, CNC faced and hand balanced |
| Brackets and hardware | Included | Included |
| Braided hoses | Priced separately | Included |
| Pads | Priced separately, your choice of compound | Corsa pads, fitted |
| Built in | Dartford, UK, up to 28 working days | Northern Italy |
Every kit on this page compared
| Kit | Hub | Disc | Caliper | Smallest wheel | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarox 235 Sport Compact | Standard Mini | 235mm | 6 piston | 13 inch | £1,187.50 |
| HiSpec 275 R114-4 1P | MGF | 275mm, one piece | R114-4, 4 piston | 13 inch at 280mm | £955.50 |
| HiSpec 275 R114-4 | MGF | 275mm, two piece | R114-4, 4 piston | 13 inch at 280mm | £1,155.50 |
| HiSpec 280 R114-4 | MGF | 280mm, two piece | R114-4, 4 piston | 13 inch at 280mm | £1,155.50 |
| HiSpec 285 Billet 4 | MGF | 285mm | Billet 4, 4 piston | 15 inch | £1,254.00 |
| HiSpec 300 Billet 4 | MGF | 300mm | Billet 4, 4 piston | 16 inch | £1,464.00 |
| HiSpec 300 R114-4 | MGF | 300mm, two piece | R114-4, 4 piston | Ask us | £1,360.98 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 13 August 2026. The 13 inch figure is HiSpec’s own for the R114-4 caliper at 280mm; on the 300mm kit they do not state one, so that row says ask us instead of guessing. Whatever the diameter, send us the wheel itself so we can check the spokes clear the caliper.
Common questions
My Mini has an MGF subframe and MGF calipers. Which kits do I look at?
The MGF ones, and that is genuinely good news, because it is a hub we stock six kits for. On 13 inch wheels the 275mm and 280mm R114-4 kits are the ones to look at, since the R114-4 is the slim caliper HiSpec quote at a 280mm disc inside a 13 inch wheel. The Billet 4 kits need a 15 or 16 inch wheel, so they are out until the wheels change. Send us the wheel make and model and we will confirm the caliper clears the spokes before anything is built.
Will any of this fit inside a 10 or 12 inch wheel?
Not from this page. The smallest figure anyone here publishes is 13 inch. If you are on 10s or 12s and want more brake, that becomes a bespoke conversation about the caliper and rotor sizes that will physically go in, so ring us and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
I have a Honda engine in mine. Does that change the brakes?
Not directly. The engine changes how much braking you need, the hub decides what you can bolt on. A B series Honda in a Mini is a big jump in performance and a very good reason to upgrade, but the kit still comes down to which uprights are in the car and what wheels are on it.
Is a 235mm or 280mm disc actually an upgrade?
On a car this light, yes, and the numbers look small only next to the rest of this site. What you gain is a four or six piston billet caliper clamping evenly in place of a single piston sliding caliper, a bigger and better cooled disc than standard, and a pedal that stays consistent when it gets hot. That is a different car to drive quickly.
How long before it arrives?
HiSpec kits are made to order in Dartford, so allow up to 28 working days. Tarox build for the specific car in Italy and lead times move through the year. Bespoke work depends on what is involved, and we will give you a real answer when we know the parts.
What we would actually fit
On a standard hubbed Mini it is the Tarox 235mm, because it is the one complete kit built for the car and it goes inside a 13 inch wheel. On an MGF subframe conversion, which is where most fast Minis end up, the 280mm R114-4 two piece is the one we would have: a race caliper, a floating disc, and still inside 13s for £1,155.50. Take the 275mm one piece at £955.50 if the budget is tighter, and the Billet 4 kits only once the car is on 15s or bigger.
And if the car is a genuine one off, that is normal on a Mini and not a problem. Ring us on 0115 9893488 with the hub it is running and the wheels it is on, and Cameron will work out what fits before you spend anything. That conversation is worth having on this car more than any other we sell for.