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I ordered 2008 CL63 brakes for my 2002 w215 as rumor has it, these are direct swap from w216 to w215 and just as strong as the big amg brakes I’ve had my eyes on lately.
These have absolutely massive 390mm front rotors and 365mm rear rotors, bigger than the big amg 215 brakes
Just a heads up for anyone wanting better brakes on the cl500/600. I hear these have the same stopping rating (60-0 in 112-115ft) as the older amg brakes we all love, but with bigger rotors and most importantly about half the price
The only downside is I think the w215 amg brakes look more sexy, but twice the price sexy? I’m not sure they are worth that just to end up with a 360mm front rotor or whatever it is already
i already have rear 2002 cl55 rear brakes but they are barely a step up from the cl500 brakes of that year. It wasn’t until 2003 that the amg cl’s came with top of the line brakes
I will report back my findings. Usually to fit amg calipers on standard Benz models, you’ll need to drill out the mounting holes to be a bit bigger, which I expect to have to do with these brakes
Calipers arrived, and damaged. This has happened multiple times this year where UPS gives me a package that was damaged in shipping
but the good news, I roughly measured the centerline distance between the two caliper mounting points and they both measure out to 4 1/4” so this very well may be possible. I was exhausted after changing my starter on my driveway so I didn’t bother fitting the calipers
still deciding whether or not to return these calipers for the damage or deal with it
i found some front used cl63 rotors for $280 shipped, and ordered some front amg calipers by themselves for about $300. you'd normally spend $1200+ to get AMG 390mm rotors and calipers on the front any other way
One cool thing I found out since I started is that you can buy the cheaper one piece rotors for a GLE class (I think it is), you just need to use washers as a spacer to offset the difference in rotor height . This is a considerably cheaper option if used 216/221 rotors are not available, because otherwise these rotors are $600+ each when new
Before and after photos. Mercedes had me traveling to Texas/Arizona and California for 4 weeks so I am finally home
in other news I have run into some difficulties with this retrofit that I didn’t expect..
the w215 brake hoses are not long enough for this swap, but the w216/221 hoses are indeed long enough. See if you can have the seller of your new calipers to include the hoses, otherwise they are about $20 each from an auto parts store
secondly the w216/221 rotors I went with are not ideal for fitment. I have made everything line up using washers as spacers but if I were to ever get new rotors I would find a set of 390mm rotors with a taller hat.
This has further rendered my new replacement caliper bolts too short for this modification
luckily you can use the lug bolts as I have some extras. They seem to be rated at the same strength as the caliper bolts, they are just longer
ill keep an an eye out for a more suitable rotor for this job in the future. But with this setup you’ll need quite a few spacers to get it lined up correctly, and don’t forget the brake hoses
Edit : for those attempting this swap, I used 3/8” worth of washers on each bolt to get the alignment right with cl63/65 rotors. The washers will go between the steering knuckle and the caliper itself. The same way guys with mk3 supras upgrade to the s500/cl500 front calipers.
please keep in mind this a temporary solution until a more suitable rotor design can be found for this swap. I’ve read that using washers to space out calipers can make the caliper mounting bolts back out and that is bad news. I will avidly be checking my caliper bolts until I can find a more suitable rotor
As mentioned, a deeper/taller rotor from something such as perhaps a gle63(?) can eliminate the need for spacers.
new update : it looks like the GL/GLE rotors are offset further in the wrong direction
however after some digging i found the 2006 cl63 w215 had 390mm rotors, with a rotor offset closer in the right direction. it's actually a bit much and would require some sort of 1/4" wheel spacer BEHIND the rotor if that's even a thing. see link below
More details soon, here’s the first side completed
update : both sides finished. W216/221 cl63/65 s63/65 calipers and rotors in the front. I hope it goes well with my 01-02 amg cl55 rear rotors and calipers. I will bleed the brakes for the second time tomorrow and give them a test drive.
Thank you to the random person on this forum somewhere (that I now cannot find) who said brembo had told them once “the w215/216 brakes are interchangable”, because indeed they are and I really like how they look for the price. I cannot think of a cheaper way to get such massive brakes on this car... to get anything close to 390mm rotors on this car is at least $2k-3k from what I’ve seen
hopefully the performance matches the aesthetics, but seeing as these are the same brakes on the $211k cl65, I doubt they are anything short of great. Time will tell
Last edited by ctravis595; 12-01-2019 at 12:54 AM.
the first test drive is complete, these brakes are very powerful. I highly recommend this mod to anyone looking for big brakes without spending thousands.
Another useful fact is all cl500/cl55/cl600 models all used the same master cylinder and brake booster. So no worries about inadequate force
I found these rear e55 brembo calipers for sale locally for a great price, the fitment of the bolts is not ideal so it seems a custom bracket will be necessary
09-08-2019, 02:28 PM
