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Over the holiday week I did a brake conversion on my 2006 C55. I know this subject's been covered on this board multiple times and I found it very resourceful. However, I think I found a much cheaper option for the front brake rotors than any that have been covered here, so sharing it with the audience.
I sourced 6/4 piston brake calipers from an non 030 package 2006 SLK55. The process was a relatively straightforward bolt-on project which cost me approximately $1,800 in parts. Below are the parts I used:
SLK 6/4 piston calipers (salvage parts $1000)
Front Brembo rotors (Amazon $250-$280/piece) part #09.9254.33
Rear Bosch rotors (Rock Auto $63.99/piece) part #36011506
Front pads Centric (Rock Auto $29.79/set) part #10411160
Rear pads Centric (Rock Auto $20.99/set) part #10409840
Motive pressure bleeder (Amazon $60)
This was a true bolt-on project. The only modification needed was to the rear dust shields, where some material had to be cut away to fit the larger calipers. I am extremely happy with the results and cost of the parts. Took me over a year to do the research and collect all the parts, but the final result was well worth it.
If anyone is curious about the AMG wheel shown, it's a C63 wheel with spacers.
Thanks to the board for all the good information.
Hi
You have the parts number of your SLK 6/4 piston calipers?
Thks
Adrian L.
I just acquired a full 340mm setup from an SLK, rotors and all, but I'm missing one critical part that I can't seem to find on any parts diagram: the allen head bolts that secure the front calipers to the brackets. Does anyone have a part number for them or at least the proper size/thread/length? Since everything is aluminum, should I worry about finding Grade 5 or better hardened bolts?
What's the difference between the 6 pot W205 caliper vs the 6 pot CLK63, if you want to run the 360mm. I understand they both need adapter brackets, and the w205 caliper is cheaper/ easier to find.
I have a set of the 340mm 6/4 bakes off of a 2006 SLK55 ready to go on. The one thing I'm not clear on is if the calipers will clear the spokes on the stock 18" C55 AMG rims. The rotor has less height and the calipers seem wider which would push everything out.
Everyone on this thread who has done this setup (and shown photos) is running aftermarket or C63 rims... I'm concerned I might have to run spacers or go to CLK55 rims that have the spokes protruding a bit further out.
I suppose I can just start bolting everything up to see if it fits, but I hate to do things twice if someone knows the answer beforehand...
I have a set of the 340mm 6/4 bakes off of a 2006 SLK55 ready to go on. The one thing I'm not clear on is if the calipers will clear the spokes on the stock 18" C55 AMG rims. The rotor has less height and the calipers seem wider which would push everything out.
Everyone on this thread who has done this setup (and shown photos) is running aftermarket or C63 rims... I'm concerned I might have to run spacers or go to CLK55 rims that have the spokes protruding a bit further out.
I suppose I can just start bolting everything up to see if it fits, but I hate to do things twice if someone knows the answer beforehand...
Well, to partially answer my own question, I looked up the rotor dimensions from Brembo for both the stock 345mm and the two piece 340mm rotors (ironic the standard rotor is a larger diameter).
First, the 2 piece 09.9254.33 340mm rotor:
Diameter: 340mm
Rotor thickness: 32mm (min 30)
Thickness (overall): 49.5mm
Flange (or whatever it's called - the mating surface that bolts to the hub): 6.5mm
So, 49.5 - 32 - 6.5 = 11mm from the wheel mounting surface to the face of the rotor.
46.5 - 30 - 5.5 = 11mm from the wheel mounting surface to the face of the rotor.
So, my conclusion is that it depends entirely on how wide the bigger 6 pot caliper is compared to the 4 pot. The rotor is effectively the same.
This however also indicates to me that you can run the much cheaper stock rotors with the 6 pot calipers with little more than a thick lock washer as a spacer :-). They are thinner, weigh 4.2 lbs more, won't shed QUITE as much heat and your inboard caliper pistons will be run out a little bit (2mm) further, but should be feasible for anyone who doesn't want to spend the big bucks. Also, you've got 5mm more leverage...
Last edited by Spooky55; Aug 13, 2024 at 09:21 PM.
Well, I got the front done. Yes, the 6 pot calipers DO fit inside the stock C55 wheels with about 3-4mm to spare and no need for spacers!
What I never saw mentioned anywhere is that the rear 4 pot calipers are for a larger diameter 330mm rotor. I couldn't get my C55 rear rotors (300mm) off and didn't have penetrating oil handy so I figured I'd just do the calipers for now. I kept trying to get them to fit over the rotors and cutting away at the splash shield to get them down far enough. I then wondered why I couldn't find the bolt holes and discovered why: they were much further out than anticipated, so I pretty much butchered my splash shield. There's now about a 1.5" gap on either side of the 4 pot calipers.
Is there a trick for removing the rear rotors with the drum parking brake, or are they just stuck from 19 years of rust and never having been removed?
One the plus side, I get to buy ANOTHER set of new rotors. Anyone need a brand new set of Silver Arrow (300mm) rear rotors? I'm not sure FCP Euro will take them back since it's been over 30 days...
At least the 330mm ones will partially cover up the mess when installed. ARRRGH!
Last edited by Spooky55; Aug 31, 2024 at 12:33 AM.
Well, the job is now complete. Awesome upgrade! They look amazing and have a much better "feel" to them. Tires may ultimately be the limiting factor in how fast you can stop, but with more leverage, there is much more control. The brakes were already REALLY good, but you can push these much closer to the edge of lockup without triggering the ABS. Another added bonus that I noticed is that because the front brakes are actually lighter, the steering seems a little quicker and more responsive. "I like big brakes and I cannot lie..."
The larger rear brakes do at least cover up the hack job I did on the dust shields. The old rotors came off with a liberal application of penetrating oil and a 2 lb. sledge hammer. The dust shields lose a little strength and rubbed against the inside of the rotors when I first went around the block, but I was able to just bend them inward with a large screwdriver without taking off the wheels. The rears take the same sensor as the stock C55 brakes but the fronts take a different type.
FCP Euro will take back the smaller rotors I mistakenly bought up to 90 days. The parking brakes shockingly were still in good shape, so I will be returning those parts as well.
Next up: A limited slip differential and maybe a 6-speed manual swap...
tricked out turbo w202 & a tricked out porsche 996!!
Originally Posted by Spooky55
Well, the job is now complete. Awesome upgrade! They look amazing and have a much better "feel" to them. Tires may ultimately be the limiting factor in how fast you can stop, but with more leverage, there is much more control. The brakes were already REALLY good, but you can push these much closer to the edge of lockup without triggering the ABS. Another added bonus that I noticed is that because the front brakes are actually lighter, the steering seems a little quicker and more responsive. "I like big brakes and I cannot lie..."
The larger rear brakes do at least cover up the hack job I did on the dust shields. The old rotors came off with a liberal application of penetrating oil and a 2 lb. sledge hammer. The dust shields lose a little strength and rubbed against the inside of the rotors when I first went around the block, but I was able to just bend them inward with a large screwdriver without taking off the wheels. The rears take the same sensor as the stock C55 brakes but the fronts take a different type.
FCP Euro will take back the smaller rotors I mistakenly bought up to 90 days. The parking brakes shockingly were still in good shape, so I will be returning those parts as well.
Next up: A limited slip differential and maybe a 6-speed manual swap...
Any pics of them done?? Im Still trying to figure out if the calipers I bought will fit my car and what size rotors I need?? Cant get any help anywhere
The rotors for the 8 piston caliper cars seem to be 360x36 and fit under the same diameter wheels but the rotor face depth (from the mounting surface) is much deeper - 22mm vs 11mm for our cars (and the actual disc is WAY thicker at 36mm). Our cars stock have 30mm thick discs and the floating ones are 32mm. The lug bolts are also thicker on those cars I believe, so the holes will probably be bigger. With the added depth and thickness, you may end up rubbing on the suspension. Here is the source I used: https://www.brembostoreusa.com/brembo-rotors-and-drums/
Actually, there is another thread on here for a different approach: https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...rake-w203.html He used Brembo 09.B747.51 360x36mm rotors from a CLS, which don't have the same depth and seem to fit his C32. and 6 piston calipers (with custom brackets) from the newer C63. May work with your 8 piston calipers. You'll still need custom brackets though. The original poster there said to reach out to him for info on the brackets (or Zayed here, or a local machine shop).
If sourcing all that is too much of a PITA, I believe the Maserati GranTurismo uses the same 6/4 calipers as the SLK/CLK and might be a little cheaper or plentiful to acquire. You can use the stock rotors for that setup (with a 2-2.5mm spacer).
I'll try to post up some pics this weekend.
Last edited by Spooky55; Sep 13, 2024 at 05:18 AM.
I had my wheels redone a few years ago and they looked great for a while, now the paint is flaking off. I'll have to have them powder coated next time.
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, Thanks a lot for sharing
