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The first order of business was to remove the factory brakes, which are comprised of single-piston calipers and vented rotors measuring 12.8in (325mm) up front and 12.9in (328mm) in the rear.That rusty residue may have been from me getting a little particular and washing the underside of the car while it was up on the lift. What? You're saying no one else does this?
While you won’t find an “E46 M3 Big Brake kit” on Wilwood's website, that doesn’t mean it doesn't exist. You can order it from UUC Motorwerks, which manufacturers its own parts necessary to make this kit work specifically on the E46 M3.
From Wilwood we sourced the 14.0in (355mm) rotors, front 6-piston calipers, 4-piston rear calipers, brake pads and hi-temp racing brake fluid.
The two-piece Spec 37 SV GT rotor is one of the most hardcore rotors money can buy. It’s manufactured with Wilwood’s proprietary cast iron alloy and features a staggered directional vane setup, with every other vane being either a full or two partial ones. This results in an enlarged cooling surface and less weight simultaneously. The rotor is also 1.1in thick, the same thickness as stock.According to Wilwood, the SV “staggered vane” GT rotor design has registered remarkable temperature reductions in high performance driving, due largely in part to the enhanced airflow through the center of the rotor. By staggering every other vane from a full vane to two partial, the airflow area was dramatically increased and, thus, better cooling was achieved. Also, adding to the overall vane count further increased the available cooling surface area.
UUC’s Rob Levinson is a big fan of the Wilwood SV GT rotor. He says, “removing that vane material also reduces weight, which allows Wilwood to thicken the rotor face—and more mass equals more heat absorption and storage capability—without increasing the overall mass of the rotor. It’s a process that undoubtedly costs quite a bit more in both machining time, as well as raw materials, but the results are worthwhile!”
From UUC we sourced our rear rotors, front and rear adaptor brackets (rear adaptors not pictured here), D.O.T-compliant stainless steel brake lines and machined aluminum brake hats. They even supply red Loctite, which is nice, but also not pictured (okay, so I found the missing stuff UUC sent in the box later and only after I, like a moron, went out to the local parts store kicking and screaming to buy my own $25 large bottle of Loctite, which I’d also already cracked open).Since UUC just happened to be out of stock of their slotted rears, we went with a full-face ventilated rotor for the rear for now. These rotors provide full functionality for the parking brake. UUC does supply its customers with rear slotted rotors to match the front rotors, however.
