CLK5OO

Currently running a spec miata as its cheap and any race I go to there are between 15-70 roughly identical cars. I ran a VR6 GTI Volkswagen for years and loved the power but hated the heavy lump on the front wheels....

CLK5OO

There is no squeaking with the Porterfield pads like you would get from a porterfield race compound or like you find on my "god awful why did I buy this humungous this for towing Escalade ESV".......

Frank Rizzo

I'm gonna get a set of porterfields.

I had a MKV R32 that saw a lot of track time with speedventures, even got to do Laguna Seca. I'm leaning to a sec Miata now because I'm tired of the Aholes that pass you in the straights because they more HP and won't give way when you are glued behind them in the corners. Spec Miata makes it about driving skill....

Kevwood

Cool, I miss the SCCA days.

TechSuperstar

Seems one thing was skipped. The porterfield R4s's also have about 20% less stopping power from OE's. I've used them on my last two cars so I know. Your still gonna stop when you need to, the brake just isn't going to be as 'touchy'.

Oh.. one more thing. The kevlar is much rougher on your rotors than the OE pads. If your driving habits include lots of harsh braking on the highway you will end up with warped (pulsing) rotors while using the porterfields.

Rudeney

You are right about the Kevlar pads. I never had warped rotors, but they are tough - I think they would almost outlast the rotors!

My MFD message popped up yesterday, so I checked them tonight and found I do need brakes. The rotors are still in spec, so I think I am going to stick with OEM this time. I can pick them up at the dealer tomorrow and them on this weekend. I've been happy with them, other than the dust (which does wash off easily) so why mess with a good thing? I think next time, when I'll need new rotors, I may look at a performance upgrade.

Rudeney

OK, change of plans! I've not run OEM brakes on a car in over 20 years, so why start now? I checked my favorite Advance Auto Parts store, and they carry Akebono for about the same price as the dealer sells OEM pads. They had the fronts in stock, but the rears will be there tomorrow from the warehouse. I'm going to give them a shot.

TechSuperstar

The thought of cleaning your wheels every other day must have got to you

eddieo45

I don't know how the dust could be "easy to wash off." Do you wax your wheels? My E350 with OEM pads/rotors gets nasty filthy, and I haven't found any spray-on products that work, nor is the ammonia in the bucket with the long-handled brush an easy job. Carwash is the only way.

mis3

For me, I do wax my wheels when I wax my car (maybe once a month). The brake dust can be wiped off easily with my washing mitt when I wash my car.

Maybe because of my AMG double-spoke wheeks, I found car wash did not do a good job to clean the wheels.

Glyn M Ruck

Yup - I have Auto Armor on my wheels as with the rest of the car. A hose pipe will get 98% off. Once over with a sponge does the rest.

The trick is to keep the dust from keying into the wheel coating by keeping clean & not allowing micro scratching to develop on the clear coat which gives the dust something to key into. That's why I will not use brushes.

Most Benz wheels are powder coated & then clear coated. You have to keep the clear coat in pristine condition & never use any form of abrasive on it - never mind how light the cut.

mis3

Gln: Hope you are not using the sponge to wash your car. Try washing mitt, a lot less embedded sand/rocks to scratch the car surface.

LexDiamonds

Obviously, there is no perfect brake pad. After a lot of reading, I have decided to give the Porterfield R4s a try. Seems like the best balance of little/no noise, stopping power, and lack of brake dust.

Armor All whell protectant seems to be a popular treatment for minimizing dust sticking to the wheel in the first place.

Glyn M Ruck

After 8 years the paintwork on my recently sold C Class was as new. Zero scratching or microscratching & never ever polished. My cars are always garaged when not in use.

I use a sponge with Chamois leather sewn over it. I pressure wash the car to remove any sign of grit & then sponge down with Auto Armour friendly cleaner. I then pressure rinse & dry with a chamois. Job done. That's all I ever do.

I don't want to start a huge debate here. I have had enough of them on the other forums & having lived in the US I know what a huge industry detailing is & detailing products are.

When I get a new car I immediately have Auto Armour applied twice - cost here $100. That lasted 8 years without reapplication on my 2 previous cars. Water still pebbled on the cars paintwork & bird crap did not stick or mark.

Every time I took my car for service I used to make them do a body inspection to ensure it came out the way it went in. The comment by the dealer was always your paint is perfect - not even a micro scratch.

I've spoken to Spies Hecker, Glasurit & PPG on my trips around the world in my job. They all agree that modern paints are best left alone & never micro scratched. Breaking the skin of the clear coat starts the deterioration.

Almost all polishes contain a cutting agent. They microscratch the surface & then fill in the scratches with Wax, Polymer or whatever. Take a solvent & remove them & you have a microscratched surface left behind.

So, that is my trick to maintaining paint in as new condition. I live in a relatively low pollution environment. Sea spray, high UV levels & bird droppings are my biggest enemy & you don't pick up much stone chipping on SA roads.

To be fair if the Auto Armor coating which is amazingly tough stopped water pebbling. I would do a reapplication.

Rudeney

The dust from MBZ pads is easy to wash off compared to BMW. Removing the black dust from the wheels on my X3 was like trying to remove road tar, and then it left black pit marks in the finish. On the CLK (and tour C240) I can spray on wheel cleaner (I like Griot's) and wipe it off with a micro fiber cloth, rinse with water and they look good as new. I do clay and wax my wheels once a year.

Frank Rizzo

I had enough of the Akebonos so I ordered a set of EBC RedStuff's for the front. They are almost the same price as the R4's and I had a set on my R32 before upgrading to the yellows for the track - so I went with a known quantity..I dont want to do this again. EBC make the same claims of 30% shorter stopping distances, but I would be happy just to get back to stock levels of bite.
The nail in the coffin was the intense squealing when backing up. I'm sure my neighbors were not thrilled in the AM, and I park in an underground garage

splinter

+1 Porterfield’s R4-S pads are vastly superior to the Akebonos in my experience, offering improved bite and fade resistance in mild street applications.
Haven’t yet found an aftermarket pad that matches OE-specification compounds for ‘first brake application of the drive’ (cold) pedal effort and linear feel though.

http://porterfield-brakes.com/images...4_03_34_23.pdf



*off topic*
Sadly, Mr. Porterfield recently passed away. I helped him with technical inspections at local SCCA events.
A sportsman racer for many decades and one of the good guys, he’ll be missed. R.I.P.


http://www.racer.com/former-scca-nat...rticle/237154/
http://www.victorylane.com/articles/...orterfield.pdf

Glyn M Ruck

How sad - I was not aware of that.

Do "mild street applications" include enthusiastic splinter type driving of the AMG? I suspect they do.

Rudeney

I put the Akebonos on today. I did not replace the rotors as they are still in spec but I did remove them and "knock them down" with 80-grit. i also changed fluid (ATE Super Blue). The pedal is a bit soft but stopping is OK. I'll give them a week or two of break-in before I pass final judgment. If they don't do any better with pedal feel, I'll go back to OEM.

Frank Rizzo

One of the best things about the CLK is how easy it is to change the pads!!

.

Kevwood

My pedal (when i was using the Akebono's) never did firm up, felt soft and extra travel, hope your results are different.

Glyn M Ruck

There is a difference between feeling soft (can be friction material related) and increased pedal travel. Increased pedal travel should never be caused by the pad itself (other than greater pressure required by some pad compounds). More likely mild caliper over return due to pushing the pistons back further than necessary when changing pads & seal stiction in the bores as a result as I have discussed before.

Rudeney

There's no increased pedal travel, but it lacks that "tight, quick" feeling of the OEM pads. It's getting a little better with driving. We shall see!

And Frank, you are right - the pads are super-easy to replace. If I didn't remove the rotors to sand them, I'd have been done in an hour. As it was, I started at 10am and finished at 3pm, but in between I had to take a shower, change clothes and go to a neighbor's luncheon party. All in all, I spent just over 3 hours, including clean-up and a bedding run.

discoduck

I'm thinking about getting these Akebonos too.. It's time for me to replace the OEM pads.

mis3

Please keep us informed. I am very interested how these pads compared to OEM.