Jeffy

Seriously? Did MB downgrade the 2015 E550A brakes? They look like the same that are on a 2014 SLK250 in my parking lot??? As soon as I got in this car I could tell the brakes were subpar compared to the 2013 E550A we have. Sure enough look at these. Anyone else with '15 550 have these same brakes?

PeterUbers

Hmmm... My 2014 e550 had the big ole Benz calipers ... Yeah that doesn't look right

Jeffy

Confirmed with part numbers at my dealer that new for 2015 on E550 coupe/cab is downsized front brake rotors and calipers!!!

So buyer beware, 2015 E550 coupe/cab front brakes are same common single piston sport brake on SLK/C 250 GLK 250 etc... That is freaking absurd. And yes they indeed far underperform the '13 and '14 front brakes as I had both years of those. I believe that's a change from 361mm down to 323mm rotors.

PeterUbers

That is unreal!!!

Jeffy

Total BS! This is the new front brake on '15 E550 coupe/cab:

PeterUbers

Doesn't even make sense considering the big bad amg style brakes on the 550 sedan. The only thing I can see is that the chassis for the coupe is a c class chassis, but doesn't justify this cost cutting measure

C230Brit

I believe the stock size on the 2010 E550 coupe (I have) was 13.5" (342mm) - somewhere in middle.
The don't look all the different from my e550 stock disks.

Not saying that makes things 'better' - just giving a comparison...

PaulE550

Could it be related to the fact that MB did away with the TT V8 this year in favor of a TT V6 in the sedan and that they soon will be the same next year in the coupe/cab? Maybe they figured they could get away with smaller size front brakes due to the lower vehicle weight and completely forgot or decided to ignore the fact they're still selling TT V8 coupes/cabs in '15? Just a thought. It's the only thing that I can think of that would make sense for downsizing the vehicle's brakes.

nauticalx

I was going to say the same. these look the same as the original 2010 2011 C207 sport package brakes. for some reason or another, it looks like they returned to the old.

SnakeDoctor

Dang, that sucks.

daniel3ooo

Nice April Fools prank!

Jeffy

I wish! No prank.

Jeffy

I doubt it. I think it was purely a cost cutting measure and they figured 90% of E550 buyers wouldn't notice and they are probably right. I don't buy the reduced vehicle weight idea either because then why downsize the brakes on the 550 they are still making? They are selling the E400 coupe/cab alongside E550 coupe cab both with the brakes off of last year's E350. So basically:

2012 E550 Coupe/Cab - Big 550 brakes <-- I think
2013 E550 Coupe/Cab - Big 550 brakes
2014 E550 Coupe/Cab - Big 550 brakes
2015 E550 Coupe/Cab - Small 350 brakes

To have the same set of front brakes on 200 HP SLK250 (last year's) and 400+ HP E550 is just stupid. And my salesman noticed smaller and non-crossed drill front brakes on his new 2015 E350 Sport Sedan. So looks like there is a brake down-sizing program going on in 2015.

C230Brit

Interesting. I guess the million dollar question for me would be:

Has the braking distance improved (I would like to think there was a safety justification / improvement), stayed the same or got worse when compared to the year(s) the coupe came with bigger brakes?

PaulE550

Then I would have to agree with you. Given that both E550 coupes/cabs are incredibly rare, at least in this area, MB probably figured they could get away with some cost cutting on the final year of production. It sounds like MB doesn't care that they're still selling a limited number of TT V8 coupes/cabs in 2015 that require a lot of stopping power. Seems like MB just decided to down-size the brakes to accommodate what would probably be adequate for the E350/E400.

Your info on MB further down-sizing the brakes even on the 2015 E350 Sport Sedan definitely sounds like the cost cutting may be fairly wide spread. Not good news at all.

Jeffy

This move was certainly not an improvement as the stopping power is far less with these smaller brakes. Ultimate emergency stopping distance may not have changed because that may be more a tire traction limiting factor. But for everyday stopping and spirited slowing for corners the initial bite and stopping power is worse. In other words, much more pedal force is required to achieve similar deceleration rates. Its very disappointing.

Jeffy

Paul,

What brakes are on your '15? Can you take a pic? This may have been a running change and some '15's may still have the older bigger brakes as inventory was being used up. Here is a pic of the brakes off a MY2014.

PaulE550

Hi Jeffry,

The front brakes on my '15 couple are the same as your original thumbnail pic. Smaller disc and caliper. Nothing like your MY '14. Now those look like the kind of brakes you would expect / prefer to be on a E550!

So it looks like MB just said the hell with anyone buying the last year of the E550 getting those better brakes. They just slapped the E350 / E400 brakes on and called it a day and thought no one would notice. Honestly, until you pointed this out, I didn't realize MB skimped on the brakes. This is my first MB, so I just expected the company would install the optimal brakes for the type of car it is and how they expected it would be driven by its owners. Given how rare a E550 coupe / cab is around here, I had nothing to compare it to in terms of earlier models.

Did your sales rep say there was any recourse or just too bad, that's the way it is?

Jeffy

Hi Paul,

I have had many MBs since 2005 (I am Daimler employee) and they all have had good to very good brakes on them (mostly 350s). When I started getting some 550s the last few years I was VERY impressed with the V8 power and the awesome brakes - a nice upgrade from the brakes on the 350s. This is the first time I have seen them downgrade brakes on the next model year of the same car. I would have to say the downgraded brakes are adequate but coming from the previous model year big brakes they sure are a disappointment to me.

I can't really press the issue with my dealer as this is only a short-term employee lease for me. Not sure there is any recourse for a buyer anyway. However, if I had bought the car, I would be at the dealer demanding they retro-fit the car with the brakes from 2014. I would call MB customer service and explain how unhappy I was with the brakes and how disappointed I was with their decision to downgrade the brakes.

nauticalx

I wonder if it's a weight loss measure meant to (help) meet CAFE standards. If so, I bet there are other changes as well...

PaulE550

As you say, there isn't really any recourse from the customer perspective. The company will likely just claim the existing brakes are adequate and that is all they are obligated to provide. It's not like they don't work after all. It's just that they are inferior when compared to the previous brakes installed on the same model vehicle last year. The old principle of "good enough" instead of "the best choice" being used in this case. It would have been nice if MB had at least offered last year's brakes as an option or something or even part of Sports Package. I can't imagine the cost difference to MB isn't that much between the old and new types brakes. Am I wrong? At least tell customers that a change like this is being made ahead of time.

Add the fact that both the E550 coupe and cab are very low volume builds for the company (I had to wait over six months to get mine), as opposed to the E350's being everywhere, there really isn't a big incentive for the company to do the right thing so to speak. Now if MB had done this on say the S class, I'm sure the company would be much more willing to retro fit the brakes at no cost when those customers noticed. Oh well.

PaulE550

I can't imagine the weight differential between the old style and new style brakes is more than a few pounds per wheel. Hardly enough to effect overall gas mileage. The stated city / highway mileage is the same for a 2015 as it was for a 2014.

The ridiculous CAFE standards are why the E550 coupes and cabs are being phased out in favor of the new E400. Smaller, lighter, less powerful engine with slightly better gas mileage. Of course the trade-off is a lot less fun ride.

Dueclaws

The same kind of brake-downgrade was previously done by MB for the SLK55.
They dumped the piston AMG brakes and started using slider-style: although there was no change in horsepower.

Our 2012 E550 coupe is looking better and better: compared to the 2015 version.

PeterUbers

Does Mbusa.com speak to these brakes on the coupe configurator?

PeterUbers

Edit: the website has the small brakes .. Check it out lol