Vince

I just got the warning in the HUD, "warning brake lining wear. Please visit workshop." So i take it that i need new pads.

I saw some kevlar one's on tire rack.

EBC Green

has anyone used these or know anything about them?

also what other kinds would you suggest?

Buellwinkle

The few people that had them say they run too hot for the stock rotors and warp them. They work OK with the correct aftermarket rotor. I have Porterfields and they work well. Put about 11,400 miles since they were installed and other than some occasional noise they work and wear well. Pulled the wheels off to install the Renntech intercooler this weekend and the pads look as thick a new. I've heard they last about 50-60K miles. Geoff at speedtoys.com worked us all a great group buy last year, try him for best prices, they are $179 from most places (front pads only). They also have more grip than the factory pads, and once warmed up they stop way better, no heat fade.

If price is a concern, I've heard Pagids work great. A more traditional semi-metallic but dusts a lot less than stock and cost about $50 (front pads only). There's also Mintex, haven't heard much good or bad.

Vince

how long do the factory brakes last?

i only have 21,000 mi on my car. is it normal to have to replace my pads so soon?

Buellwinkle

A friend of mine got about 20K out of his pads on his C320. It's normal. Sure, some people may get more if they cruise the freeway more and some get less that do a lot of short trips.

antonio

do the pagids squeal like the porterfields? i'm really picky with sounds. any one know?

Vince

i guess all that canyon driving has taken it's toll on my brakes and tires. porterfiellds sound like the best choice so far. I like the fact that i won't have to clean my wheels so often if i get those.

side note:

my 500th post. I'm a super member

Buellwinkle

My guess is that they all squeal if installed incorrectly as many MB dealers do, including the MB pads. Use lots of anti-squeal paste, bevel the leading and trailing edges, have the rotors cut (even if they tell you it's not necessary) and lightly sand the pads to remove any coating. If you absolutely won't tollarate any noise whatsoever, factory pads are the softest and would likely squeel the least although they can also squeel. On the downside, factory pads dust like crazy and wear out in half the time of other pads.

nevide

ok this might sound really dumb but how do you install the pads. Do you install them yourself or dealer? Thanks

Vince

that's not a dumb question at all.

I'd say leave your brakes to a professional.

Daveskee

I recently installed Porterfield pads (R4-S) with cross drilled rotors and they don't squeal at all. Like others have said, lots of anti-squeal lube is the key. I chose Porterfields because from everything I've read, they're pretty easy on rotors, reduce brake dust, and perform pretty well for street pads.

I installed everything myself and it wasn't difficult. If you know how to turn a wrench, you could DIY. Do a search for brake pads and you'll find a description of an installation by someone or someone who has done it on your model car who'll help you out.

Vince

really,

is it that easy to do?

nevide

another question:

do you need to replace both the front and back or the front by itself is enough? Would the brake still work fine with the front only replaced? I have no idea about brakes.

Buellwinkle

I took my wheel off and stared at it for a while, how do you release the pads from the caliper? Is there a pin or clip you remove? Here, point it out to me in this picture if that helps.

SoCal240/6

See that little accordian rubber piece (to the left of the numbers stamped on the caliper)?

The bolt runs through that. The head of the bolt is facing towards the inside of the car, if you get your head in the wheelwell, you'll see it.

There is a similar one on the bottom. Remove those two bolts and the caliper comes right apart. The pads will come right out.

That's it.

Put the new pads in, bolt those 2 bolts back (I use Blue loctite on them), and that's it.

Once you have the wheel off, its a 5 minute job.

SoCal240/6

Here's a pic to help. The two bolts are where the arrows are. I think its a 10 or a 13 mm head.

Once you remove the two bolts, the inner part of the caliper, marked with the X in the picture, pulls right off. As you can see, that inner part is what holds the brake pads. When you remove the inner part, the brake pads fall right out.

You don't need to disconnect any hydraulic lines or anything like that. Its a simple mechanical operation.

That's it.

(The rears are even easier. One single pin holds the pads in. Push it out to remove the pads, drive it back in to put them back in).

SoCal240/6

P.S. I wonder why your brake rotors are so rusty? My car is 2 years old, and there is not a speck of rust on the rotors.

nevide

is that picture in your sig your car? Sick.

Buellwinkle

Don't know, I think it might have rained once since I got the car. Maybe my car was on the top deck of the boat coming over and got some salt spray on it!

mleskovar

I'm happy with the Porterfield pads on the front of my 320 but took them off the back. The back pads went beyond the edge of the rotor by about
3/32" and left a ridge about .030". Pads are too "high" in brake pad talk. Porterfield said their "mold" was evidently off but not to worry, no problem caused. I looked at them because I started getting a click from the back when braking after 5K miles on the pad. Put MB pads back on and noise stopped. I'm guessing the noise had something to do with the ridge...which is easy enough to file off but APITA to do every 5K miles.

Daveskee

Rust on non-plated (factory and aftermarket) rotors is common. The hats (the portion that sticks out away from the rotor surface) and the outer edges are the places that rust. If you have open wheels, the rust is pretty obvious. If you have a full or closed type wheel your may never know you have the rust but most likely its there. Only way to keep the rust from occuring is having it plated (Cadmium is common on many of the big brake upgrades) or a low cost alternative is painting those areas with a high temp paint, ie: engine paint.

You can also change just the front pads and it won't affect the rears. Best to check the remaining pads you have and see how much mileage you have left. Might be worth it to do it all at once if they both need replacing although the fronts do 70-80% of the work and probably will be the first to need it.

If you're changing pads because of wear then you most likely have to replace your rotors or have them turned (resurfaced). OEM rotors are relatively inexpensive and there is some debate as to whether you can or should resurface rotors. I'd opt to get new ones.

Vince

buell,

how much did you guys get them at speedtoys for?

I need to get these pads ASAP!!!

Vince

i order my brake pads today from formymercedes.com

paid $159 for porterfield r4-s for the front wheels. That includes shipping and anti squeal lube. This was the best price i could find online. Autowerks wanted $169 without shipping, tax and anti-squeal lub and they also claimed that that was the discounted price.

formymercedes.com

Buellwinkle

Speedtoy.com did a group buy for the forum for $100 for the fronts (I believe it was about $121 shipped). Didn't care about the rears since they don't dust or wear as much.

Diego

Buellwinkle do you think do we still have the opprotunity of get those prices? I am going to write them to see what they say! If any one is interested please tell me!

Diego

they just wrote me back and the price at Speedtoy.com is

Your total to your door is: $151.88

Full retail would be $199.84.



I want to know how much would be if we do a new group of buyers? any one is interested ?