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I got my hands on a full set of 2014 E63S brake calipers. They were free of charge.
Refinishing the calipers and stuffing them under the C55 seems like the proper thing to do. It will not be an easy venture. The front rotors are 15mm taller than stock and the rear calipers are meant to cover 360 mm rotors, too. Brake rotor offset is notably different between the 212 and 203 cars. Another thing to keep in mind is that the 212 also uses 14mm wheel bolts. Yeah, you can't throw them at the car like a SLK55 6/4 swap. However, they were free and I'd like to give it a go.
I popped the factory wheels off the C today and found that the stock wheels should clear the E63 calipers assuming I don't go any shallower than stock on the larger diameter rotors.
Unlike the typical back yard hack, I really do have a clue as to what I'm doing. Brake swaps are nothing new to me. In fact, I installed 2005 S55 8/4 calipers on my 1965 Plymouth and had zero trouble over many thousands of miles. Having a machine shop at home and a good understanding of hydraulics gives me a leg up on the typical 203 driver.
I still have a spare set of S55 8/4 calipers (no, not for sale) but that seems kinda silly on this dinky little car.
So, whaddya think? Should I go for it or am I off my rocker?
The math shows that there will be a 3.5% difference in force at the rear and the fronts will change even less than that.
I crunched the numbers with all three brake setups today. The E63 rears will be more difficult to accommodate due to rotor diameter. The S55 8/4 arrangement would make for an easier parts selection but those would look a bit excessive for a car of this size.
people have made adaptors to make those fit, BUT the CLK SLK 63 parts bolt right on and clear the stock wheels(as long as not p30 pkg fronts) where those other setups that are nice are just WAY more headache and wont clear stock rims, your choice
I have verified that the wheels will clear the calipers.
At this point, my upgrade options invole making the E63 combo fit and buying rotors, making the S55 combo fit and buying rotors, or doing the SLK swap and buying calipers.
Where do I want to spend my money?
I've got a backlog of work in my machine shop so nothing is going to happen immediately.
Someone should be shot for selecting those colors.
The 360mm rears aren't a problem for the 203 swap. A 205 C63 rear rotor is a perfect drop-in part. The front is a bit more difficult to find budget friendly rotors. Those that fit are $400 each and I'm not interested in dropping over a grand into an unnecessary brake swap on my daily driver that sees 60+ miles per day. I've already clocked more than 10,000 miles since buying it in October.
I meant the rear ROTOR is a drop on, not the caliper. If my memory is correct, the height is only off by 2 mm.
As for the 390 mm brakes, that's damned stupid on a 202 and 210. It ranks in there with "stanced" cars.
Big heavy brakes slow you down everywhere, including acceleration. You're dragging a lot more rotating unspring mass. It's also harder on the suspension components.
I'm willing to go 360 mm on rotors in the interest of aesthetics and track days but have zero interest in anything heavier.
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