benzmodz

You should see the C180 rear brakes. The C55 rear is huge.

benzmodz

Ok, its cold, its wet and the pads are not warm yet. Does it stop. Who cares about dust if you end up travelling too far.

Seriously, if you can afford a Benz you can afford someone to clean your rims. On top of which if the pads are hard then you will eat your rotors.

Fifth Ring

Did "spr" get a new screen name?

Seriously, I agree that dust production should be a secondary concern to stopping power; but I don't think you give up any stopping power with ceramics when compared to OEM pads. I've had both (OEM, ceramics, new ceramics, non-ceramics), and the OEMs were the highest dust with the lowest stopping power. So, if performance is equal, why not favor low dust?

PS: Not only do I clean my own wheels, but I change my own brake pads AND rotors!

Tump43

I agree with Fifth Ring. These ceramics are as good if not better than OE and produce far less dust. Had mine on for two weeks and couldn't be happier.

Installation is a breeze and should not take more than 30 minutes in the driveway with a jack, pin, hammer and long screw driver.

Regards,

AMGunited

hey guys, so when ordering the pads, the 2004 C32 amg fronts are exactly the same pads as the ones were are running on the 2005-2006 C55's right? well what about the rears? Are the 2004 C32 amg REAR pads the exact same as the 2005-2006 C55 AMG REARS? ~Regards

jgsx

I switched to Porterfields . . . my front wheels now stay clean.

FrankW

yes and yes

slowrey

Has anyone seen where the ceramic pads eat rotors quicker than the OEM?

Fifth Ring

Nope. I've used them and see no unusual wear or deterioration.

Dykemyster

I have had my set of EBC red stuff Ceramic Pads (sounds like I am the only one using these pads) on for quite some time (20,000 miles) and I can say that I will never go back to regular pads. I simply love them and would highly recommend them to anyone. I do live in South Carolina and do not see much a winter but I do drive my car in the winter and have never experienced any problems with stopping power when cold and if I am racing the car I always make sure I get them warm before going all out and I believe the car stops better with them.

Fifth Ring

I used EBC Redstuff Ceramics for a good while and recently switched to EBC Yellowstuff which is not ceramic. The redstuff is awesome for street use and some track work, but I found that they gradually lost bite if they got overheated, and the loss of bite was permanent. The Yellowstuff is supposed to be more track-worthy. Of course, as a non-ceramic, they throw off a lot of dust.

DACHIGGA

Hey Fifth, how are the redstuffs when it comes to noise, I was thinking of EBC redstuff pads with EBC sport rotors (the slotted, dimpled ones). What do you think? If anything, they look awesome.

rbaker

I know a few people have said they like the R4S's, but I tried them on my C55 and they sucked! Sure the dust was lower, but so was the friction. It took slightly more effort to brake & the pads were so soft they basically turned to dust after one weekend of hard use. If you're a mild driver they are probably OK, but the C55/32 are kinda heavy & fast for these pads, but they do work great on slightly less powerful & lighter cars.

I put R4 on after that (for a track wknd) and much better friction level & heat resistance. You just can't use them as daily driver pads as they squeal like a stuck pig. Worse than my Hawk HP+ did.

I've tried the EBC Red Stuff ceramics on a 545 sport and they work OK. Slightly less bite than factory pads, slightly less dust, but are harder on rotors. No squeal yet. Don't track it or drive it as hard so no real comments on ultimate high temp performance.

Fifth Ring

I had no noise with Redstuff once they were bedded in. For the first week or so there was some squealing as I rolled to a stop.

As to how the Redstuff treats rotors, it should be noted that EBC changed their formula for Redstuff and the current Redstuff is an entirely different substance. The older Redstuff had a reputation for eating rotors.

Television

I have used the red stuff ceramic for years, as they are the only ones in the UK no dust or squeal or fade, they make no difference to the life of the rotors

slowrey

So anyone have any long term opinions on the Akebono Euro Ceramics??

rbaker

I agree on the squeal, but they do dust some. Also they sure ate the rotors on the 545 after only a few thousand miles. The factory ones were on for twice as long & the rotors looked practically untouched. The rotors are visibly grooved now with the Red Stuff on for 3-4k. Maybe these are the old formula as stated above, I dunno. I bought these in Dec.

zizzispeed

I have read a lot of your comments and one thing i notice is a slight lag from apllying breaking to actual bite as well as installing ceramic pads would stainless steel brake lines with teflon core advertised in ebay make a significant difference?

Fifth Ring

It might be that the ceramic formula needs a little heat in order to generate clamping force. As to brake lines, I think that all they will do, if anything, is make the brake pedal firmer. Theoretically, they do no expand under pressure as much as OEM brake lines, so when you tromp on the brake, they direct the pressure direct to the caliper/piston with less "ballooning" of the lines. Some people have tried it and found no difference at all.

MRAMG1

Hey Fifth Ring:

Yeah, I had them on my 91 Stang, with 13" discs, and they made ABSOLUTELY NO difference. Keep in mind, that you need to purchase DOT apporved lines for inspection and your insurance company if you are ever invovled in an accident

AS far as cermaics, these I have not used for racing as of yet. Yes I like the no dust issue, and two cars at the track on Monday just switched to them , ceramics, with VERY good results. Both had used Hawk pads before and suffered from brake fade near the end of the 20 minute session. I believe it was from the pad transfering too much heat to the backing plate, hence boiling the fluid at the piston. With their ceramics, they had NO fade at all

FYI

See yeah

Fifth Ring

I've never heard/read that ceramic pads insulate the calipers from heat; but it's possible that this may be the case. It could all be a question of wording, but when I think of "fading" I think of brakes that are not decelerating the car as much, with everything else being the same (pedal feel ,etc.). But whatn fluid boils, the symptom is not fade, but rather a loss of pressure in the system and a soft pedal. Once pressure is pumped up, the brakes work find.

I always wondered why there was so little actual circulation of brake fluid. You would think that would help keep it cool. I flush my own brakes, and the fluid up in the canister and upper brake lines is like new. It's the stuff by the caliper that gets toasted.

MRAMG1

Hey Fifth:

I meant that the Hawk, NON CERAMIC, pads transfered the heat to the caliper. When they switched to the ceramics they had no problems

See yeah

PS: Yeah, I would kill to have a circulating system, as you pointed out, its always at the caliper that is black

360_iti

Bought a set of Akebono for my front wheels from autopartswarehouse.com for $88.30, no tax, no s/h. It's cheaper than the price on their website, but you have to place the order by phone. It's pretty easy and quick to install, definitely a DIY as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty.

360_iti

I just returned from a trip to Aspen to see fall foliage colors, and I'm happy to report that the Akebono break pads worked flawlessly on my car during the 450-mile trip. Pedal feel was improved, and I definitely felt safer when braking. On top of that, I didn't see any dust at the end of the trip. Recommended !

///AMG4EVER

Just wanted to bump this up and give you guys the latest price on Akebono brake pads.

As per 360_iti recommendation, I called Auto Parts Warehouse and bought all four corners for $135.90 w/ free shipping and no tax.