yo guys, this has probably been covered before, but if you guys don't have the ceramic brake pads on your car, you need to get them immediately! besides improved feel and no fade- I CAN DRIVE MY CAR, HARD, FOR A WEEK, AND MY WHEELS DON'T GET BLACK. F'ING AMAZING.

got mine on tirerack for 100 for the fronts. didn't do the rears yet, but will next time they need it.

unbelievable!

Akebono Euro Ceramics? I have a set waiting to go on. I've used ceramics for 2 years now and am very happy with them. I don't care so much about the dust. I just like the way that they work!

yeah the akebono is what i put on. great pads. i was worried they might sound loud during breaking, but they've been great so far.

hmm i need some pads soon for my c32 BBK do they squeak? when u first installed them?

no squeak at all. In fact, the reason i changed them out was that my originals were squeaking. they;re super quiet,and i'm a maniac about noises.

I have the akebono pads on my rears and they dont ever squeak and their dust is very low. I have porterfield r4s pads up front and they are noisy when ya first start the car and they are also very low dust.

I'm going to wait on the rears till i need to pads. the akabonos on my fronts don't ever squeak- i wouldn't be able to deal with any squeal, whether they're warmed up or not. hate noises, and hate break dust.

i drive so hard that my wheels would be dirty in a 2 days. with the ceramics on the front i can go a least a week and they barely have any dust on them at all.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...23041658QQrdZ1
Or
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...18329960QQrdZ1

I noticed that Tirerack does not carry the Akebono for the 2006 C55's. Are the C32 and C55 brakes that much different?

nope they are the same

yep, same brakes. it's a shame we didn't get the cool looking rears they put on the clk 55s!

So I can order those pads although it's "made" for a 2004 C32?

I think so. they are the same brakes. but you might want to try to order some C55 pads and C32 pads on either mercedes or some other site and see if the part numbers are the same.

can anyone confirm they are the exact same part numbers

by the way, drove my car in the rain yesterday, and the wheels STILL don't look black. really amazing. and the response from the pads is great.

I just ordered a set of these Akebono Euro Ceramics for my C55 front calipers from BMA Auto Parts. I had to tell them to order the 2004 C32 front pads as based on this thread. I'll let you all know whether they were correct or not when I get them installed.

Installation will be in about two weeks when my rear 030 rear caliper and cross drilled rotor set arrives from Germany. I'm going with OE rear pads on the O30 set, stainless steel woven brake lines at all four corners and the Akebono pads up front. I may upgrade to the front 030's but right now I do not see the need.

Regards,

do the stainless hoses do much?

No. Mostly they look good and firm up the pedal. On my C43 the ss lines improved the feel of the brakes and I liked them. No dramatic difference though. Should last longer than OE brake lines.

Maybe it's typical car folklore, but I've "heard" that braided lines can accumulate road dirt and sand in the fibres, and the flexing can cause the fibres to break down. I've "heard" that the solution is a brake line that is braided and then coated. So then maybe for looks, it should be braided, coated then braided again!

I had stainless brake lines on my 99 C43 for years. Never had a problem with sand. Worked just fine.

Just put the stainless lines on my 05 C55, front and back. They have improved the brake feel immeasurably.

I just had the Akebono front pads for the '04 C32 installed on my '05 C55. The calipers and pads are exactly the same. Pads work just fine. I'll let you know next week if they have really eliminated the OE brake dust problem.

Regards,

Excellent. Have you experienced quicker take-up, better modulation or less travel? Perhaps the full gambit?! Which brand did you install? I’ve got a line on some StopTech pieces. They’re local, so I’m inclined to give them an opportunity.

Already have the Porterfield R-4S pads and fresh rotors just waiting in their boxes. Figure since I’ll already be groveling about the garage floor, now is the time for the new lines and more fresh fluid.

Track day at Willow scheduled for September. Feedback and advice welcomed.

So did we find out if we can use the C32 brake pads on the C55 yet?

Yes, re-read my above post.


Much better initial bite, better modulation a little less travel. I got them from gforcebrakes on ebay Item number: 230151989759 http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotor...9759QQtcZphoto

On another note: I had Porterfied R4-s pads on my C43 and thought they were fantastic. Just giving Akebono a try this time.

Regards,

Sounds like Akebono is a good alternative. I'm about to purchase a set for my front. Should I take it to the dealer considering that I've never done it before ?

Akebono is Freak Great i got them about a week ago and still NO Dust i love Em

Waveykat, good. How was the install ?

it took me about 45-60 mins total for the Front could of been faster but i was taking my time and cleaning the all the brake dust off the pins/calipers and other parts that the Stock Pads give off.