How to stop a 255bhp 148mph hot hatch.
Here at Nashin we like a challenge. With the ever changing fashions in automotive performance we are often asked to provide solutions for unique requirements. Such a challenge landed on our doorstep some weeks ago in the form of a Renault Clio 3.0 V6.
For those of you who are not familiar with this model; back in 2001 Renault had the great idea of producing a road going version of their "Trophy Competition car". The Clio Trophy was originally constructed by Renaultsport at their facility in Dieppe, France and was intended solely for competition use within the "Clio Trophy Series" (replacing the "Spider Trophy Series" which finished in 1998). Featuring a mid mounted 3.0 V6 24v engine and producing 255bhp with 221ft lb of torque, power was driven through a manual 6 speed gearbox to the rear wheels and offered an impressive 0-62mph time of just 6.2 seconds!
Road going versions were produced in limited numbers with 1513 vehicles produced from 2001-2003 (known commonly as the phase 1) lowering to 1309 between 2003 and 2005. These numbers have no doubt significantly dwindled over the years with many cars ending up as a total loss due to their power to weight ratio combined with RWD.
So where do Nashin fit in?
Typically many brake manufacturers prefer to cater for mass produced vehicles due to expensive R&D and tooling costs which have to be accounted for. We are one of few brake manufacturers still able to create custom, one off caliper mounting brackets and brake rotor bells, catering for vehicles just like the Clio V6.
The Phase 2 V6 Clio (seen in the images) came to us earlier in the year with it's original brakes looking worst for wear. Whilst replacements could be sourced the current owner wanted to improve the braking performance whilst guaranteeing future reliability. At the time we did not have any "off the shelf" solutions available but we didn't let that stop us.
The owner particularly wanted to retain the original wheels so caliper and rotor size was exceptionally limited. Given the vehicles kerb weight was a little under 1400Kg we opted for our K-Series caliper as the basis for a replacement. It's slim, lightweight design with integrated mounting brackets meant we could offer a 6 pot caliper under the standard wheel size, whilst still retaining the original rotor dimensions. The kit was developed, produced and supplied within 6 weeks ready for a days testing at Bruntigthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire.
Needless to say the brakes performed beyond our customers expectations with improvements in overall performance and initial bite, to a more precise pedal feel under extreme braking.
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