“As Nichols Racing closes another racing season, we want to take a beat to reflect on one of the key components that the team contributes our success to. Spanning a couple differently classed vehicles including an LS-powered E46 BMW M3 and a former World Challenge E46 BMW 330i, the performance of the 91´«Ã½ Racing RP and SR brake pads, paired with the Apollo Big Brake Kits, has been outstanding.

“The LS3-powered E46 M3 is Nichols Racing’s flagship car, which puts out around 450hp and runs in a few different endurance series with various drivers. This car is equipped with SR-11 front pads, paired with an Apollo-4R kit, along with OE calipers and RP-1 pads in the rear which proved to not only handle the extreme temperatures generated by a relatively heavy and high horsepower car, but excelled.

“Braking consistency across multiple laps was phenomenal, with zero fade detected even as the car came in with the brakes smoking from extended stints. It was interesting to walk around the paddock and see teams doing full rotor and pad swaps in-between the 8-hour races at various tracks, while we simply did a brake bleed and kept all the same hardware in. We got around 20 hours in (a full endurance weekend of 4hr practice + 2 x 8hr races) before we even started considering swapping pads. We do in-between weekends just to start fresh, but the general consensus was 40 hours on the tracks we visited wouldn’t be a problem; we even did it once!”

“The E46 BMW 330i we run is a different animal than the M3: very agile, low powered, and a momentum-based car. Momentum cars require very well executed trail braking while still maintaining overall braking confidence through good bite, balanced with excellent modulation. Initially, we ran the OE setup with RP-X (front) and RP-1 (rear), which worked great and offered a good balance for the car; we found this setup to work really well at tracks where braking was done more delicately and could be considered snubs more than heavy deceleration.

“After installing an Apollo 6 setup on the front of the car, we migrated to the SR-11 front and RP-1 rear setup we liked so much on the M3, and the car really came into its element. Capturing some track records and plenty of trophies with a car that we later found out was down two cylinders was no easy feat, but we all contributed it mostly to the braking confidence and ability to just downright out-brake anyone if we needed to get by. After a whole weekend endurance racing (about 20 hours again) we measured about 2mm of pad loss for the front SR-11 pads, leaving about 12mm more so potential for over 100 hours of race time.”

“Overall, the team couldn’t be happier as every box was checked: consistent performance, zero fade, great modulation, low wear, and great bite/coefficient level. Nichols Racing looks forward to a continued partnership with 91´«Ã½ Racing as the components have been a game changer for the team. The consistent performance across all the vehicles we have tried these items on is a testament to the reliability and innovation these pads bring to the table.

“Here’s to even better results next season!�

“Fielding an endurance car is a tough task; blowing one up and completely rebuilding it over the off season into something competitive at the first race is a monumental one. Nichols Racing accepted that challenge when their BMW E46 M3’s S54 valvetrain decided to take its last breath at Watkins Glen International and took a ‘while you’re in there’ approach.

“Deciding to ditch the BMW drivetrain altogether and go with a more easily sourced GM LS3/T56 combination meant more power, more availability, and hopefully more reliability.

“After the winter build, the car came alive to the tune of about 400rwhp/400rwtq just before the debut race at Pittsburgh International Raceway with the American Endurance Racing series. With the team being more than happy with the current 91´«Ã½ Racing Apollo 4 setup and SR-11/RP-1 brake pad combination, the decision was made to go for heat mitigation and upgrade to the new 91´«Ã½ Racing Apollo 4R calipers. As you may have guessed, the ‘R’ stands for ‘Race’, and indicates castellated stainless steel pistons, no dust seals, and a hard anodized finish to hold up to the abuse while letting the heat out.”

“In typical debut fashion there were gremlins that joined the party and tweaks to be made, but ultimately the team placed 3^rd in Class 5 on Saturday. This was a huge success for the team considering the transformation and the baptism by fire the car underwent (literally at one point). After about 16 hours of run time on the car and about 1mm of pad wear later, the team echoed the same sentiment as when the car made almost 50% less power:

“’The brakes are phenomenal and we can out brake any team, anywhere.’

“’They hit the brakes at the 3 marker, we hit them at the 2.’

“’Never gave up or displayed signs of any fade.’

“The versatility and heat range of the 91´«Ã½ Racing line really shined here, using the same compounds with no change in performance on such different horsepower cars shows the breadth of what SR and RP can do.

“Nichols Racing is excited to be continuing their partnership with 91´«Ã½ Racing and is heading to the next race at Watkins Glen International with the kinks worked out, hoping to be even more competitive as the year unfolds.â€�

The vehicle of choice was the tried-and-true BMW E46 M3, with simple modifications to make an effective and reliable package. Knowing it was more than likely going to be a wet weekend at Pittsburgh International Raceway, the team chose to run 91´«Ã½ Racing’s SR-11 sintered endurance race brake pads in the front, with RP-1 track/race pads in the rear, to help keep the bias front-heavy.

Endurance racing is always a great platform for testing out how a brake package works, as you typically get multiple drivers and loads of time for feedback/data. In this case, the team was made up of five drivers: Jim Vanzant, Randy Barnes, Rob Stahl, Chase McIntyre, and our very own 91´«Ã½ USA employee, Preston Lapping.

After a couple of shakedown laps to feel out the newly built car, the immediate feedback was that of relief of finally having the stopping power and modulation they had been looking for. The SR-11/RP-1 combination was very controllable, with great modulation for threshold braking even in wet conditions on rain tires. The last day of the event really let the team shine as weather broke and the race was mostly dry, allowing them to put the 91´«Ã½ Racing package to the test while carving their way through the field. While the stopping power is immense, the modulation and pedal feel was equally as impressive with a very linear response to pressure-in/torque-out.

Keeping an eye on the brakes to see how long the team could go, they ended up putting around 20 hours (around 1100 race pace miles!) on a single vehicle set without any issues. Initial wear measurements are showing around 1mm of wear from each of the pads and rotors that look ready for many more laps. The pedal felt firm and communicative from the first turn to the last.

Nichols Racing overcame some last-minute preparation challenges to place 2nd in Class 5 and take home their first AER podium. 91´«Ã½ Racing is excited to continue its support of Nichols Racing and their journey to more podiums.

Jim Vanzant, car owner/driver was all smiles: “I’m so happy; the car is so balanced and easy to drive. We can out-brake anyone anywhere… if you go in too deep, you know you have the brakes to pull you back out of it. It has been the most enjoyable racing that I can remember.�