CLK550 $wagger

So It's time for new brake pads and I came across Stoptechs. I was originally just going to go with OEM but these stoptechs have gotten great reviews on other cars but with after searching on here I haven't seen anybody that has used them on stock rotors. Have any of you guys tried them? Im not looking to sacrifice any brake power for less brake dust so the dust free pads are out of the question. I also don't want any squealing so I have a feeling that I'm going to end up with OEM pads unless somebody can recommend these stoptechs.


Do you guys have any suggestions for the cheapest place to buy OEM brake pads?

Rudeney

I used Akebono pads and hated them. I swapped them for Porterfields about a month ago and they have been great so far - great pedal feel and so far, little dust.

CLK550 $wagger

How do they compare to stock?

Rudeney

I can't attest to actual quantitative data regarding stopping distances, but the Porterfields "feel" as good as stock OEM pads, and the stock pads that came on my CLK550 were pretty darn good. The Akebono pads felt like crap. Ironically, the car I've had with the best brakes was a BMW X3. I know that sounds odd that an SUV would have the best brakes, but if you look at its specs, it was rated at 60mph to 0 in 119ft. It bested almost every other vehicle of its time (not counting the usual supercars ) except for a few Porsches. And it was a 4,000lb+ SUV.

Fatz

Can't help you with input on Stoptech. I replaced my pads with EBC (yellow) about 6 months ago. Very pleased with them. Had 1 true (unplanned) panic stop..... all stop and no fade. Brake dust is not a big issue for me. Others have used EBC reds which are low dust. I think the OEM pads are really good, as well.

Wadster

Had these on a '93 300E and a '98 E430. Loved them on both cars. Still some slight dusting but braking power was excellent and they were gentle on the rotors.

I'll be getting a set for my CLK come Spring. ($169.95 direct from Porterfields)


Incidentally, what's the 60-0 stopping distance for CLK-550's on OEM brakes?

sleepyheadzzz

the clk 550 stock brake pads are MONEY

probably the best ones for the price...if you don't mind the brake dust....

i don't mind...it makes my rims look like gunmetal coated after 3 weeks LOL

Wadster

What sort of special coatings are you using to prevent brake dust etching?

Rudeney

If you're buying the Porterfields, I highly recommend getting them from Jerry at ForMyMercedes.com. They are the same price as direct from Porterfield, plus he ships "The Silencer" kit with it that includes the high-temp grease and other goodies for quiet brakes and no more rusted-on rotors and wheels. I paid $294 delivered for a full set F&R.

Oh, and on OEM pads, no special coating is needed for the wheels - the MBZ pad formula won't etch the wheels, but it will dust them up. Unlike BMW brakes that will not only dust the wheels, they are so bad they will leave pits on the rims.

Wadster

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up.

sleepyheadzzz

wheres the best place to get clk 550 brakes online?? how much r u guys paying for install of all 4?

elijah

So true. I was pleasantly surprised. A friend test drove my X3 and also said the same thing about the brakes.

Rudeney

If you want Porterfields (which I highly recommend) see Jerry at formymercedes.com. If you want OME pads (which are very good for performance, not so good for dust) pearts.com probably has the lowest price. As for others like EBC, I am not sure -t here are a lot of places selling brake. With the Porterfields, I found that all sellers were pretty much the same price, so I chose to deal with Jerry as I have had very good service from him over the years.

If you need new rotors, you can get OEM at parts.com, or you might look into frozenrotors.com. You can also get Centric rotors (good, but from China) on eBay. I don't know what the cost to install is, but the book rate for pads is about an hours, so if anyone wants more than $150 for the job, they are overcharging. Add another 2 hours for rotors and if you want the brake fluid replaced (prescribed every 2 years), that's another hour.

Kevin9664

I'm in the market for new pads. This is my first time buying non-OEM pads too so I don't know much about different factors. I think the previous owner said he had Akebono pads on them. What didn't you like about them? I really like how my wheels barely get dirty.

Can anyone recommend good pads that gives off very little brake dust? Thanks.

Rudeney

The only think I liked about the Akebons was a lack of dust. Otherwise, they were crap. The pedal felt too soft, they did not stop well, and they began to squeak - loudly - in reverse. And I'm not the only one with those problems - search and you'll find similar stories. The Porterfields have generated some light dust, but nothing like OEMs, but they feel and stop great. I'd say they are the best bet over OEMs if you are looking to reduce dust. If you want the best feel and short stopping distance, stick with OEM.

Kevin9664

Interesting. I do mainly casual local driving. Barely on the highway. Drive about 4K a year so I'm not too concerned with the performance. I would like to reduce dust as much as possible. I think I have Akebonos now which I don't have much complaints about now but then again I've never driven with any othe brakes. I'm leaning towards those but would consider researching Porterfields a little. Can you give me the part/model number that I would need for my car? Thanks.

Rudeney

My CLK is my daily driver, but braking is still very important to me. I want to be able to stop when I need to and I just did not feel that the Akebono pads gave me any level of confidence whatsoever.

omega48er

^ Rudeney helped me pick out the Porterfields and i must say I LOVE THEM! i purchased the R1 concept rotors from Keven@r1 from this forum and the combo is awesome! yes, they are expensive but worth every penny!

Ghennes13

Hey rudeney,

i just purchased a 2009 clk550 with 59k miles. I bought it from a reputable dealer. It’s a very clean car however I freaked out when I encountered several things. I was having a panic attack and called back the dealer and they said they would take care of it. I was hoping you could help put me at ease here.

The first thing I noticed was the shifting. It seems a tad harsher when shifting compared to my 05 clk320.

Second is the brakes started squealing at very low speed until coming to a stop. I seem to have to work around it with the brake petal to stop the noise!

The third thing is there is some slight vibration coming from the steering wheel. Not terrible though.

Fourth thing is I noticed the temp gauge would go up one bar and then down two. They’d fluctuate. Is that Normal? It was very hot out but I recall my clk320 never going back and fourth that much. Usually just one bar above the norm, then back again.

Last thing I noticed is the front passenger headlight seems to stick out a half inch or so. Doesn’t look awful and I didn’t even tell when first looking at the car. I recall you saying that most of the Clks have some kind of bumper issues because of the age. After this I freaked out and thought I’m screwed. The engine sounds great. Lots of power. Everything works. I looked underneath and saw no sign of leaks. Very dry underneath.

I really appreciate your response!

Rudeney

Welcome to the forum! You might want to update your forum user's profile to include your location (at least country).



Your other car had the 5-speed 722.6 transmission. This car has the 7-speed 722.9. Some people do complain about hash shifts. There are some software updates the dealer can apply that might help. Also, the transmission fluid and filter needs to be changed every 60K miles. If this has not been done yet then I'd do that.

This is rare with OE pads, but common with aftermarket pads. Often it can be corrected with a proper lubricant applied tot he backs of the pads where they contact the calipers. I will say that I tried Akebono pads on my CLK550 and nothing I did would stop the squeal, so I went back to MBZ pads.

Tire balancing and an alignment should correct that.

The V8 generates a lot more heat and you will find the electric engine suction fan running more often. As long as the temp never exceeds 100C, I would not worry about it.

There are actually several adjustments for the headlight and bumper alignments. Given that the car is over 12 years old, it's likely it has been involved in some sort of minor crash that might have damaged the bumper or at least moved it a bit. This is just cosmetic and i would not worry about it.

Ghennes13

Good news. Dealer just replaced the brake pads for me at no cost and noise went away! Thank you for answering my post. Also want to add something else i heard while driving. There is a clacking noise when I accelerate. Almost like lose metal. Don’t know where it’s coming from. Only happens with acceleration. Hope this isn’t anything serious! Regardless it is very smooth!