'11W204

Why?

(I ordered yesterday.)

W204Motorsports

I just checked TRW prices and they are the same if not more expensive on some site then the genuine pads, curious if the material on them is the same.

W204Motorsports

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/TRW-Front-Lo...eRlboQ&vxp=mtr

^these seem to be an exact match with the material as well, still more expensive then the genuine, now that's rare for a mercedes part to be cheaper

yober37

The shape of the caliper and the decal on my W204 is very different compared to eBay photo.

'11W204

OK, didn't notice that since our decals are long gone. Thanks.

Cardfan91

My vote is for Akebono Ceramic. I've had them on a number of my cars.

yober37

Wouldn't ceramic pads wear out the OEM rotors faster then the OEM semi-metallic pads? In another word , will a person need to get a special type of rotors for the ceramic pads ?

superangrypenguin

Ceramic is not as hard as semi-metallic pads. So no, you don't need special rotors for ceramic pads. However, you do need a clean pair of underwear if you're needing to slam on the brakes when it's cold and/or very very wet out.

yober37

superangrypenguin

So I'm going to play devil's advocate here.

It is mostly accepted and hardly contested that ceramic pads don't work well when it's really really cold out. Some people may disagree with my statement that ceramic pads don't work well when it's pouring rain and you're brake pads/rotors are soaked in water. I certainly noticed it, despite our cars having the "wipe" feature that allegedly keeps rotors/pads free of water. That said, even when it's pouring heavily, the OEM pads/rotors have about a 1 second "bite" delay if you slam on the brakes. With the ceramic pads I felt that was delayed quite a bit longer.

If braking performance is key, stick to OEM/semi metallic stuff. If ease of cleaning wheels is key, stick to ceramic. I will never EVER trade my safety again for cleaner wheels, but that's my choice.

Odd Piggy

superangrypenguin supports my earlier reply with stronger wording. I have to agree with him 100%. The 2 rather bad experiences I refer to in that earlier reply are:

1-Making a hood ornament out of a Ford F-250 with an ML350; and,
2-Making a hood ornament out of a Lexus LS460 with an E320.

Both experiences were had by alternate drivers who had less experience than I do and who expected the quick response of the OEM pads.

Please opt for braking performance over appearance and convenience.

W204Motorsports

It comes down to the ceramics being able to stay much cooler then semi metallic pads. If you are an aggressive driver and you use the brakes hard, you will get the semi metal pads hot real quick resulting in reduced braking ability. I've experienced over heating semi metallic pads and you do lose a lot of braking ability when going fast. Once i switched to ceramics, the brakes performed far longer with consistent results, that is why race cars use ceramic pads.

Back to running ceramics in winter, yes they stay cooler so they attract more water/ice/snow but honestly if you're cruising on the highway and haven't used your brakes for a period of time, ceramic or semi metallic, you will feel a reduced braking ability for a split second no matter the material, I have felt it with cars that had semi metal pads and ceramic. I personally went back to the oem semi metal to have a better brake pedal bite and I've yet to over heat the sport package brakes so I prefer the more aggressive nature of the semi metallic, Il take the brake dust for a better feeling pedal.

superangrypenguin

Thanks for the info. Slight tangent here though. In the second paragraph above, you are attributing the delay in braking effectiveness due to the brake pad/rotor being "cold". I disagree though (and you may be right, but hear me out). Let's assume we take two identical cars with completely identical parts with the exception of one car using ceramic pads and the other using semi-metallic, and we test under the same condition of -20'C in a DRY condition. With both cars being tested from the same speed (say 70mph) and then both drivers applying full brake force, there is near NO delay for the semi metallic pads but there is a delay with the ceramic pads. I know it, because I've tested it.

W204Motorsports

superangrypenguin Yes that is true, that is the natural more aggressive nature of the semi metallic pads, its not like you loose complete brake feel with ceramic when cold, just a slight reduction on initial input. But if you drive hard and cook your semi metallic pads they that is far worse, hot metallic pads are worse then that slight initial brake pedal hesitation but that is on a track or if you drive hard and have 500+hp.. For our cars I've concluded that semi metallics are better since they give you better feel and you cant really get them hot on the streets, at least not the sport package brakes, I haven't felt the normal c class brakes which im sure aren't much bellow anyways.

superangrypenguin

Agreed on all fronts. Thanks!

Nicholi2007

How is the dust? I replaced with Textar and dust was crazy although my rotors should have been replaced.

'11W204

The dust isn't bad with the semi-metallic compound. It's about 2/3 less than a traditional German brake pad we all can remember. The dust from the Centric is brown, it's not black. I can typically go a couple weeks without cleaning the wheels. However, once the dirty wheel has been in the rain, it looks pretty crappy.

superangrypenguin

For those of you complaining about brake dust

I cannot recommend this enough:

https://www.autoglym.com/wheel-protector

Odd Piggy

Looks like Auto Glym Wheel Protector is $27.95 on Amazon.

Also - the wheels on my 2013 C250 do not get nearly as dirty as those on my wife's 2015 GLK350. I asked at the local MB parts counter and was told that the front pads on my car are ceramic. They have plenty of initial bite. There is not much cold weather in my area, so I cannot comment on their cold performance. It may be worth asking at the parts counter if ceramic pads are available for other years and versions of the W204.

yober37

Thanks to all for your responses, I am glad that I used the original MB pads.
Can anyone advise on my post #17 above? I still can't find nowhere the replacement decal plates.

W204Motorsports

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/8-pc-set-Whi...72.m2749.l2649

^These will work very well , here's my results ;

yober37

The sticker that you are suggesting are made of soft vinyl (they can be glued on to the existing decals).
My original aluminum decals have the pins broken off. So I can't reinstall them back on to the caliper.
Hence I am looking for the replacement of the actual plates.

W204Motorsports

My bracket was the same, hole in it and a pin missing. I used bondo to fill the hole, painted black, applied the sticker and finished it off with a clear coat. Its holding up quite well, I just used high temp silicone to stick the bracket to the caliper, some may say its a ghetto way but you will never know unless I told you and is holding up very well.

'11W204

My stickers arrived from Portugal (ebay). They're all separate letters, sort of a transfer system, not a single sticker. Not separating well from the liner meaning the letters are tearing. I don't think I'm even going to attempt it.

W204Motorsports

That sucks, I would recommend the ebay link I have posted, they give you a bunch of different sizes and is a single sticker per logo, not per letter.. that sounds like a pain in the ***.