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Hey guys so dealer says my front brake pads are getting thin, when servicing the front brakes can I do just pads and leave the rotors? My c63s is the one with the red brake calipers and the rotors look very thick and good still, I don’t track the car or anything like that, and not in the mood to dish out 1500 per rotor..this car is a garage queen and weekend street driving here and there.
any input is appreciated! Thanks
I’m thinking you’re fine just doing the brake pads unless the dealer states the rotors are below minimum thickness. How many miles are on the current rotors?
Unless there is a massive lip on the front rotors, you can totally add in new pads without changing the rotors. I just DIY’d this recently with Porterfield R4-S pads. The reduction in brake dust is very noticeable compared to OEM pads. I had 13.5k miles on the front pads and they probably had 40% remaining. I did the change solely for the promise of reducing dust.
If you are considering DIY, it’s quite simple. Make sure you buy a brake pad sensor for the front (only one) - it’s located on the right side. You can pick one up from FCPeuro for ~ $6 IIRC
The rotor ought to have a Min Thickness value stamped on the edge of it somewhere. Take your tire off, if that’s not a problem, find the value then merely measure it. Usually if it’s about a millimeter in wear - or if you rotor has faced to sets of pads and is needing a 3rd set; then you should change.
Don’t buy them from the dealer as they will rape you in the price, to the point your wallet will need council for the next month or two.
As said above, rotors have a minimum thickness. The only way to tell if you need new rotors is to measure them. You typically have about 1-2 mm of allowed wear, which is not all that much. Some rotors also have wear indicators. I don't remember if the stock front rotors do, the rear stock rotors don't. My aftermarket Brembo front rotors have them. You should have > 50% wear left to be safe for a second set of pads given no change in driving style. The rear rotors are usually more likely to have enough life left for a second set of pads. I'm on my second set on the original rear rotors. There are better and cheaper aftermarket rotors as well. As said, I have the Brembo rotors, which are actually OEM. They were standard on the C63 Black Series and are found on the GT R w/o CCBs. They are full floating rotors, so they perform better and are a bit lighter than the stock rotors. You also get free lifetime replacement if you purchase them from FCP Euro. Just have to send back the worn rotors (pads, too) and they refund the purchase of a new set of rotors and pads. FCP Euro has a whole kit with rotors, pads and sensor.
In Nov. 2021 my Check Brake Pad came on. Since I had an appointment at MB Dealership in a few days for a new KeyFob(lost) I had them do the repairs.
It was the front brakes and rotors that needed replacing. The front rotor measurements were: min thk 33mm actual 34.1 and 34.3
The SA discounted some of the cost for the rotors. Photos below.
My car 2019 C63s coupe and at the time of front brake/rotor change had 16, 548 miles. The car looks nice with new rotors.
I was advised by a previous SA is to just wait for the Brake Pad Light come on as opposed to MB tech. saying they are getting "low".
It's a thing about dealerships, they tend to have you replace rotors and brake pads as early as you can, I've had similar issues. I'd say wait till the light come up (when the sensor find the rotor too thin) to replace it, if you don't track, brake disks lasts long.
It's a thing about dealerships, they tend to have you replace rotors and brake pads as early as you can, I've had similar issues. I'd say wait till the light come up (when the sensor find the rotor too thin) to replace it, if you don't track, brake disks lasts long.
It's actually a brake pad sensor, not a disc/rotor sensor. It will NOT tell you when it's time to replace rotors. Sensor will "trip" when the pad material hits minimum depth and the sensor actually touches the rotor/disc face and will alert you inside the cabin.
If you (yourself) want to see if your discs need to be replaced, go on Amazon, purchase a "micrometer" (
Jack up your car, take your wheel off, and measure your rotors in multiple places (you can spin the rotor freely on the front). Take notes on your measurements - they should be pretty equal, to 0.1 or 0.01 decimal places.
The rotors should read somewhere between 36MM and 34MM.
36MM is thickness when brand new.
34MM is minimum thickness and requires replacement (don't quote me on this, someone should validate).
Regarding the brake sensors. Yes, you can wait until it trips, but keep in mind only one pad has a sensor. Pads don't wear evenly. The inside pads may wear different from the outside pads, and the higher up pad wears more than the lower pad. They generally place the sensor in the pad that sees the most wear, but this is why dealerships start pestering you once the pads are down to about 3 mm. At this thickness they also don't handle heat very well anymore and are much more prone to fading. With normal driving its pretty much fine to drive until the sensor trips, but I wouldn't take it on a fun road for some hooning unless you still have plenty of meat on the pads.
As said above, rotors have a minimum thickness. The only way to tell if you need new rotors is to measure them. You typically have about 1-2 mm of allowed wear, which is not all that much. Some rotors also have wear indicators. I don't remember if the stock front rotors do, the rear stock rotors don't. My aftermarket Brembo front rotors have them. You should have > 50% wear left to be safe for a second set of pads given no change in driving style. The rear rotors are usually more likely to have enough life left for a second set of pads. I'm on my second set on the original rear rotors. There are better and cheaper aftermarket rotors as well. As said, I have the Brembo rotors, which are actually OEM. They were standard on the C63 Black Series and are found on the GT R w/o CCBs. They are full floating rotors, so they perform better and are a bit lighter than the stock rotors. You also get free lifetime replacement if you purchase them from FCP Euro. Just have to send back the worn rotors (pads, too) and they refund the purchase of a new set of rotors and pads. FCP Euro has a whole kit with rotors, pads and sensor.
Superswiss,
Did you do the 2pc Brembo's in the rear too?
No, I'm still on the original stock rotors in the rear, but they don't have the Brembo's for the rear. FCP has a different kit for the rear. Our rear calipers are floating calipers, so they already center over the rotor. Full floating rotors doesn't make sense on the rear. The only thing would be looks, but the stock rotors on the S are already different front and rear anyway.
No, I'm still on the original stock rotors in the rear, but they don't have the Brembo's for the rear. FCP has a different kit for the rear. Our rear calipers are floating calipers, so they already center over the rotor. Full floating rotors doesn't make sense on the rear. The only thing would be looks, but the stock rotors on the S are already different front and rear anyway.
I was curious as they have a 2pc Brembo rotor for the rears as well but like you I was sure of how much improvement they would be over the stock rotors.
Regarding the brake sensors. Yes, you can wait until it trips, but keep in mind only one pad has a sensor. Pads don't wear evenly. The inside pads may wear different from the outside pads, and the higher up pad wears more than the lower pad. They generally place the sensor in the pad that sees the most wear, but this is why dealerships start pestering you once the pads are down to about 3 mm. At this thickness they also don't handle heat very well anymore and are much more prone to fading. With normal driving its pretty much fine to drive until the sensor trips, but I wouldn't take it on a fun road for some hooning unless you still have plenty of meat on the pads.
True story: growing up in South Philly, my dad owned and operated a State Inspection station. VERY stringent inspections back in 1962. I worked by his side from 1962 to 1969 until I joined the military (think Vietnam...) so I got to work on all those muscle cars back in the day. Price for an inspection? $2.50 twice a year. Odd or even yearly quarters determined when you were due for a renewal. However, back then, we were required to pull only one wheel; front or rear. Remember leading up to 1962 and several years later we used brake shoes and drums. Eventually, Harrisburg realized the fronts wore at a different rate than the rears. So, we were then required to pull one front and one rear. A few years later, it eventually came to pass we were required to pull all four wheels since one side can wear faster than the opposite side. Price went up to $10.50 for a sticker.
How stringent were inspections back then? Any hole in the metal body bigger than a quarter ($0.25) must be filled in to prevent a pedestrian from cutting themselves on the metal. ANYTHING on the rear deck all came down. No hats or stuffed animals, etc. Nothing allowed to hang from the rear view mirror. It was seen as interfering with the front view. That included handicap placards. Any windshield crack or ding directly in the line of vision was required to be replaced (we didn't have Safelite back then). Windshield blades were inspected, headlight adjustments were done manually, any exhaust leak must be repaired. It was a long list.
Times, they have changed. Now, IMHO, anything on the road can get a sticker if you know who to see in this State.
^ yep, we learn over the years. Also, these days there is much more that affects brake wear. The brakes no longer just do work when the driver steps on the pedal. The brakes are also used by the ESP, TC and for torque vectoring. The latter two primarily put wear on the rear pads. Do more left than right turns and the left rear pads will wear faster than the right once due to the torque vectoring. All this is also why particularly on our cars the rear pads are worn first and we do have a sensor in the rear and front, but still only on one side.
^ yep, we learn over the years. Also, these days there is much more that affects brake wear. The brakes no longer just do work when the driver steps on the pedal. The brakes are also used by the ESP, TC and for torque vectoring. The latter two primarily put wear on the rear pads. Do more left than right turns and the left rear pads will wear faster than the right once due to the torque vectoring. All this is also why particularly on our cars the rear pads are worn first and we do have a sensor in the rear and front, but still only on one side.
I read early last month that Brembo has tested a new type of braking system that is 'intelligent'. They showed plans of rolling it out sometime next year(?). Sounds encouraging.
I’m thinking you’re fine just doing the brake pads unless the dealer states the rotors are below minimum thickness. How many miles are on the current rotors?
I’m in Canada and the car has 52,000 km of just normal city highway driving
*****I've seen these before in advertisements but don't know anyone who has them personally. I do know several people with the Brembo rotors and a variety of different brake pads for street/race applications. The Brembo rotors are really nice rotors - I've had a chance to look at them closely and have that brand rotor on several other platforms I own. If and when it comes time to replace the rotors on my C63s I will for sure consider the Brembo option, unless something else is out there that provides similar value in terms of performance/cost, etc..
IME, the Brembo rotors and other products they make have been consistently high quality and well engineered. Below is a pic of the *really* nice for its day Brembo caliper and rotor for the ZR1 Corvette. It was revolutionary in its day as the performance of it all was very well balanced on the track compared to offerings available on other platforms with their stock brake offerings. Really amazing the difference in performance at the time. Not cheap.
As said above, rotors have a minimum thickness. The only way to tell if you need new rotors is to measure them. You typically have about 1-2 mm of allowed wear, which is not all that much. Some rotors also have wear indicators. I don't remember if the stock front rotors do, the rear stock rotors don't. My aftermarket Brembo front rotors have them. You should have > 50% wear left to be safe for a second set of pads given no change in driving style. The rear rotors are usually more likely to have enough life left for a second set of pads. I'm on my second set on the original rear rotors. There are better and cheaper aftermarket rotors as well. As said, I have the Brembo rotors, which are actually OEM. They were standard on the C63 Black Series and are found on the GT R w/o CCBs. They are full floating rotors, so they perform better and are a bit lighter than the stock rotors. You also get free lifetime replacement if you purchase them from FCP Euro. Just have to send back the worn rotors (pads, too) and they refund the purchase of a new set of rotors and pads. FCP Euro has a whole kit with rotors, pads and sensor.
So I finally measured the rotor and I am getting 36.2 mm consistently around, and the dealer was telling me to replace. No real scoring and the wear dimple is intact. I am at 6500 miles, 5 track days, using EBC Blue pads (about 2 track days per set of front EBC pads). I was ready to pick up new rotors, but it looks like I have plenty of rotor life unless I am measuring them wrong.
Has anyone used Girodisc rotors? I am considering just switching this season when I get Raybestos ST43 pads.
Does anyone know the minimum thickness for front and rear rotors on the S brakes?
MB invoice from Nov 2021 for my Front rotor replacement 2019 C63s coupe shows: Rotor min thk 33m actual 34.1 and 34.3.
The rear brakes and rotors were replaced in March 2022 but on the Invoice don't see any indication for what is the minimum rotor thickness.
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