Switzer Performance is proud to introduce their newest R35 performance upgrade: nano-carbon GTR brake pads. Why does Nissan’s magical R35 GTR need new brake pads? Despite its 3800+ lb. weight, the car can dance through the corners like few other cars can. That weight can take its toll in a lot of ways. With the hammer down on some twisty switchback roads, for example, a 3800 lb. GTR will burn up a set of its factory tires far quicker than, say, a 3200 lb. Corvette will. That should be obvious. What might not be obvious, however, is how quickly the GTR’s mass makes itself felt under braking.
The crew at Switzer Performance have put a lot of work into getting their track-animal GTRs under 3600 lbs. without asking their owners to sacrifice too much. Those cars still offer their owners things like climate control and power windows, and the carbon-ceramic brakes that were fitted to those cars do a great job resisting fade at high track temperatures, but they leave a little to be desired during less demanding street driving. For a car like Switzer’s Ultimate Street Edition GTR, though, which was conceived as a no-compromise, no-excuses car that could be driven daily, the carbon-ceramic rotors weren’t appropriate. What was needed, then, was something new.
These are new. They’re Switzer-specific GTR brake pads that make use of nano-carbon materials in place of the usual phenolic resins used in the factory (and most aftermarket) GTR pads. David Kim, CEO of Switzer Performance, explains that “standard (phenolic resin) pads operate well at temperatures below 400 degrees Celsius. Beyond that, they can feel like they’re melting. Performance suffers. These pads are bonded at the ‘nano’ level, not with adhesives. They have an operating range well over 1000 degrees C.”
That big bump in operating range delivers a number of benefits, namely:
- shorter stopping distances (wet or dry)
- enhanced fade resistance
- enhanced lock resistance
- superior bite and feel (no “catch” like you get with Porsche’s ceramics)
- superior component life (both pads and rotors)
These new GTR brake pads are cutting-edge brake tech developed specifically to meet Switzer’s spec. for the USE cars. Like all cutting-edge tech, they’re not cheap (a set of these pads runs about 1700 USD, installed), but if you smack the wall and die consider them an insurance policy on the 100K you just shelled out for base-model 2013 R35 it’ll seem like a good bet. If the Switzer boys have doubled the horsepower on that GTR? These pads are a no-brainer.
Contact Switzer Performance for more information.
