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I recently purchased a 2014 cls550 rwd and I’m really excited about doing a stage one tune and adding an exhaust. Currently the car is stock but I think I’m going to have to change the brakes bc they don’t stop like I’d like them too even stock. Maybe because they need to be replaced anyway idk but instead of just doing a regular replacement at the dealer I’d like to just upgrade rotors and pads bc the tune will be done this summer. I’d like to upgrade them anyway, my question is I’d like to get a brake set and calipers that is direct fit or bolt on (forgive me if my terminology isn’t correct lol) for the vehicle and I would like to know if anyone has upgraded their brakes for this car and what it entailed. I don’t plan on racing just want a little more power and with better stopping power, thanks guys for any help just bought the car 2weeks ago and am really excited to do some things with it
Congrats on your new purchase. I have a tune and I wish I could upgrade the brakes. Ive just learned to press harder earlier. Hopefully you find a better solution.
Congrats on your new purchase. I have a tune and I wish I could upgrade the brakes. Ive just learned to press harder earlier. Hopefully you find a better solution.
Thanks I just don’t know where to start and it seems like all of the research hasn’t led me to many answers. I like the Brembo kits but the 5k plus for the brakes and rotors seems steep for what I’m trying to do but they look so clean. Just don’t plan on racing and think it’s a little overkill. I just want to have better stopping power and enough to handle a stage one tune. I’d like to get a cls amg brake setup but I don’t know if it would be a direct fit and if so where would I get them I’m guessing the dealer but before I drop the money I just wanted to know what brake setups any other cls drivers out there with a tune Are running
Not sure how much the big brake kits cost, but if you happen to go the AMG brake/rotors route, it's going to be a hefty price. Couple years ago, on my W211, I asked one shop for brake upgrade to the E55, they quoted somewhere around $5,200.
For me, i just downshift it and press on brakes lol you'll also have to consider the space you have between wheels and the brakes. Some won't fit unless you buy new wheels or shave them off a little. It is going to be a bit costly. Unless you find someone parting out an AMG, that'll be a cheaper option.
Good look with it
Not sure how much the big brake kits cost, but if you happen to go the AMG brake/rotors route, it's going to be a hefty price. Couple years ago, on my W211, I asked one shop for brake upgrade to the E55, they quoted somewhere around $5,200.
For me, i just downshift it and press on brakes lol you'll also have to consider the space you have between wheels and the brakes. Some won't fit unless you buy new wheels or shave them off a little. It is going to be a bit costly. Unless you find someone parting out an AMG, that'll be a cheaper option.
Good look with it
Looks like the brembo kit is like 6-8k which I will consider if that will be the only option just think it’s overkill for all I’m trying to do and as far as the amg brakes that’s what I’ve found is there is some modifying is needed for that and that’s what I’m worried about is the level of difficulty it would be to squeeze it all in there because I’m not good at all when it comes to fixing stuff and def would not do any modifying myself lol but I have some friends that are helping me with the tuning that im going to do, they have nothing but great things to say about the EuroCharge in Orlando And it’s not far from me so I might take it over there and see if they have any recommendations since they are most likely doing the tune and other things as well. l Might be able to get some good ideas there. Thanks for Input and looking forward to hearing if anyone else out there upgraded their brakes on their cls550 and what was done thanks guys.
Last edited by Dblok1113; May 31, 2019 at 05:39 PM.
I just paid last night for Eurocharge tune. Their handheld devices are on backorder, but I guess I should receive it in within 2 weeks? Friend of mine also has Eurocharge tune on his GL550 and few others that I know are running Euro. We shall see what it do once I download the file on the ECU.
Be careful when you do pull the plug on BBK. If you are getting aftermarket wheels, it might cost extra couple 100s or 1k, based on how expensive the wheels are, to shave off or modify them. If you get the AMG brakes, you can play around with the offset and the wheel width to fit them. If the BBK is around 6 to 8k...that's little toooo much, unless you are going to track it and such then definitely. But street use, I wouldn't shell out that much. I'm getting the tune and going to buy Ferrada wheels very soon, then if I really want, I will get cat-less downpipes in winter and it's complete. That much money on Brembo brakes...I'd save a bit more and just get the AMG. And don't look towards carbon ceramic brakes lol too expensive to replace.
I just paid last night for Eurocharge tune. Their handheld devices are on backorder, but I guess I should receive it in within 2 weeks? Friend of mine also has Eurocharge tune on his GL550 and few others that I know are running Euro. We shall see what it do once I download the file on the ECU.
Be careful when you do pull the plug on BBK. If you are getting aftermarket wheels, it might cost extra couple 100s or 1k, based on how expensive the wheels are, to shave off or modify them. If you get the AMG brakes, you can play around with the offset and the wheel width to fit them. If the BBK is around 6 to 8k...that's little toooo much, unless you are going to track it and such then definitely. But street use, I wouldn't shell out that much. I'm getting the tune and going to buy Ferrada wheels very soon, then if I really want, I will get cat-less downpipes in winter and it's complete. That much money on Brembo brakes...I'd save a bit more and just get the AMG. And don't look towards carbon ceramic brakes lol too expensive to replace.
Just my opinion
I was thinking the same thing as far as the bbk, I spoke to friend of mine who said he just upgraded the rotors pads and brake lines and absolutely loves how his brakes stop now. So I think I might just upgrade pads and rotors. I’m going to keep these rims they are amg wheels and I like them. I took them to get balanced and found out they are bent so I’m going to a place called dr rim and they are going to fix the rims and then paint them black and paint calipers red and the hub black where there is a little rust as well all for 950 so I’m going to pull the trigger on that this week I’ll post pics when finished. Once the wheels are straightened out then painted I’m hoping to have the new pads and rotors, that way I’ll be ready for tune. What pads would you recommend ?
Yea I think upgrading your rotors and pads to a better quality should help a bit. Me, not so sure. I've usually stuck to OEM stuff. My W211 was E350, so upgrading/tuning/performance rotors or pads never came to my mind lol it has only been 10 months since I bought the C218 and the brakes are in good condition. I wouldn't be able to help on that question, sorry. Maybe look for AMG rotors and pads? I hear Akebono pads are fairly good and little brake dust. Rotors...not sure.
Man I want wheels so bad, but they are going to cost $2,500, tires and installation and such. I keep avoiding to buy them, yet I want them lol
What color is your car? Red brake calipers...are getting too common. Do something different. I was thinking to paint mine like gold/bronze ish. I had red calipers on W211. They looked cool, but then my love for red calipers faded away lol Get a paint like some of those exotic cars have on their calipers. Red is too basic man. I think yellow would look nice if the paint is dark silver or grey or black. Just curious...
Yea I think upgrading your rotors and pads to a better quality should help a bit. Me, not so sure. I've usually stuck to OEM stuff. My W211 was E350, so upgrading/tuning/performance rotors or pads never came to my mind lol it has only been 10 months since I bought the C218 and the brakes are in good condition. I wouldn't be able to help on that question, sorry. Maybe look for AMG rotors and pads? I hear Akebono pads are fairly good and little brake dust. Rotors...not sure.
Man I want wheels so bad, but they are going to cost $2,500, tires and installation and such. I keep avoiding to buy them, yet I want them lol
What color is your car? Red brake calipers...are getting too common. Do something different. I was thinking to paint mine like gold/bronze ish. I had red calipers on W211. They looked cool, but then my love for red calipers faded away lol Get a paint like some of those exotic cars have on their calipers. Red is too basic man. I think yellow would look nice if the paint is dark silver or grey or black. Just curious...
i got the wheels back and I’m blown away at how good they look, I haven’t had a chance to take it on the highway to see how it feels but I will be getting new rotors and pads here soon and then I’m off to renntech in Stuart I will update on the type of pads and rotors I get this week. But either way very very happy with my cls so far. If anyone has upgraded anything on their brakes whether it was just pads or pads and rotors it would be nice to hear what you did and how is it working for you. Thanks
Congrats on your new purchase. I have a tune and I wish I could upgrade the brakes. Ive just learned to press harder earlier. Hopefully you find a better solution.
Honestly, I think this is sound cost effective advice lol. It's my plan as well. Thinking about the OE Tune they've got for sale this week and I think if you're not tracking the car on said or any tune, the extra stopping power and heat dissipation from a brake upgrade may not be necessary. All for safety and extra stopping power don't get me wrong, but it's gonna come down to driving habits. I just replaced my rotors and pads all around (brembo is an OEM supplier for MB btw) and from 90mph in wet conditions on the highway, I love how the car stops.
Honestly, I think this is sound cost effective advice lol. It's my plan as well. Thinking about the OE Tune they've got for sale this week and I think if you're not tracking the car on said or any tune, the extra stopping power and heat dissipation from a brake upgrade may not be necessary. All for safety and extra stopping power don't get me wrong, but it's gonna come down to driving habits. I just replaced my rotors and pads all around (brembo is an OEM supplier for MB btw) and from 90mph in wet conditions on the highway, I love how the car stops.
my father and i are going to do the black badging this weekend and then go look up the rotors and pads. Honestly I was thinking just doing the brembo rotors and pads and see how that goes. I am going to renntech in a few weeks, I’ve decided that I’m going to have them do the mods for tune, transmission and exhaust. I live only a few hours from Stuart so I’m really stoked about that. I’ll keep updated as soon as I get rotors and pads. Also can you post a link of the new pads and rotors you replaced with
thanks
my father and i are going to do the black badging this weekend and then go look up the rotors and pads. Honestly I was thinking just doing the brembo rotors and pads and see how that goes. I am going to renntech in a few weeks, I’ve decided that I’m going to have them do the mods for tune, transmission and exhaust. I live only a few hours from Stuart so I’m really stoked about that. I’ll keep updated as soon as I get rotors and pads. Also can you post a link of the new pads and rotors you replaced with
thanks
You have to determine what you're hoping to accomplish with a brake "upgrade". Shorter stopping distances? Better "feel"? Better resistance to heat induced brake fade?
These cars already have pretty stout brakes, though I do think they lack feel. In normal street driving, even "spirited" street driving, you're unlikely to over heat them to the point they fade. But if you do manage that then switching to a harder compound pad will likely help (and might also help with "feel"), but at the expense of low speed initial bite. Harder compound pads work better when they're hot, not so much when they're cold so at lower speeds you'll find you'll need more pedal pressure than was necessary with the OE pads. As far as the discs go, the difference between brands is negligible when it comes to the disc's ability to influence how the car stops, and I would suggest if there is a measurable difference you'll never see it on the street. Higher quality discs may have less run out, may be better balanced, might have better painted finishes, but they're not going to make your whip stop any faster. The only exception are discs that have a metal compound that is softer than OE discs; they sacrifice long service life for higher friction.
Brake feel is influenced by many things; the master cylinder, the ABS module, the flexible lines, the calipers and how much they flex, the compound of the pads, the condition of the fluid. Assuming the fluid is in good condition and there is no air in the system, the biggest bang for your buck is going to be harder compound pads - but with their associated trade off when cold.
On the street the single biggest factor in hauling these cars down from speed to a dead stop in as short a distance as possible (and assuming brake fade isn't an issue at that moment) is the tires. With our completely OE brake systems you likely already know what happens at any speed when you crush the brake pedal; the ABS kicks in. And that means only one thing, the tires have reached the limit of their adhesion to the road surface. Spending money on calipers/pads/discs/lines etc won't slow or halt your car any faster if the real limitation is at the tire contact patches. Instead, spending money on a set of performance summer tires, with their softer compound rubber, will.
i got the wheels back and I’m blown away at how good they look, I haven’t had a chance to take it on the highway to see how it feels but I will be getting new rotors and pads here soon and then I’m off to renntech in Stuart I will update on the type of pads and rotors I get this week. But either way very very happy with my cls so far. If anyone has upgraded anything on their brakes whether it was just pads or pads and rotors it would be nice to hear what you did and how is it working for you. Thanks
Where did you end up getting your calipers painted? Curious how much that is?
You have to determine what you're hoping to accomplish with a brake "upgrade". Shorter stopping distances? Better "feel"? Better resistance to heat induced brake fade?
These cars already have pretty stout brakes, though I do think they lack feel. In normal street driving, even "spirited" street driving, you're unlikely to over heat them to the point they fade. But if you do manage that then switching to a harder compound pad will likely help (and might also help with "feel"), but at the expense of low speed initial bite. Harder compound pads work better when they're hot, not so much when they're cold so at lower speeds you'll find you'll need more pedal pressure than was necessary with the OE pads. As far as the discs go, the difference between brands is negligible when it comes to the disc's ability to influence how the car stops, and I would suggest if there is a measurable difference you'll never see it on the street. Higher quality discs may have less run out, may be better balanced, might have better painted finishes, but they're not going to make your whip stop any faster. The only exception are discs that have a metal compound that is softer than OE discs; they sacrifice long service life for higher friction.
Brake feel is influenced by many things; the master cylinder, the ABS module, the flexible lines, the calipers and how much they flex, the compound of the pads, the condition of the fluid. Assuming the fluid is in good condition and there is no air in the system, the biggest bang for your buck is going to be harder compound pads - but with their associated trade off when cold.
On the street the single biggest factor in hauling these cars down from speed to a dead stop in as short a distance as possible (and assuming brake fade isn't an issue at that moment) is the tires. With our completely OE brake systems you likely already know what happens at any speed when you crush the brake pedal; the ABS kicks in. And that means only one thing, the tires have reached the limit of their adhesion to the road surface. Spending money on calipers/pads/discs/lines etc won't slow or halt your car any faster if the real limitation is at the tire contact patches. Instead, spending money on a set of performance summer tires, with their softer compound rubber, will.
Great advice and I agree about getting new tires and that’s my next purchase coming up here soon but a lot of car mods got put on hold as I’m closing on a home here in about a month. I did purchase new Brembo rotors and pads for the front and the rear, I had the fronts installed and fluid changed made a huge difference. I will be getting the rear pads and rotors installed here this weekend but for now there’s no need to purchase calipers I also have to have new trans and engine mounts put in per the mechanic after my 100,000 mile service. He quoted me 1000 for everything so I will be doing that here soon as well but after I close on the house the trans will be upgraded and a renntech tune and exhaust is going in. But I have to say I absolutely love the Brembo rotor and pads I put on !!! Any advice on a good summer tire ?
Where did you end up getting your calipers painted? Curious how much that is?
Regards
Mario
I got the wheels straightened, powder coated, and calipers powder coated for 1150. All four rims were bent and I think it was only 150 for all of the calipers. Sad to say the calipers are already peeling off but I took it back to the place which was rim doctor in Orlando and they said they would fix the calipers for free just haven’t had time.
Mercteil.com carries OEM MB stuff. They have the CLS63 brake set up on their site.
Will check it out thanks for the info, I looked a little on there and that looks great as far as the pricing now is it a direct swap from cls 550 to the 63 ?
Last edited by Dblok1113; Aug 16, 2019 at 12:09 AM.
Great advice and I agree about getting new tires and that’s my next purchase coming up here soon.... Any advice on a good summer tire ?
Glad you like how the brakes feel now after the rotor/pad/fluid change - the pads probably account for the majority of the improvement.
Food for thought: If one was to install identical tires (size and model) on a 550 and a 63, the 550 will stop just as quickly/in the same distance as the 63 - at least once. If you put summer tires on the 550 and leave the others on the 63 the 550 will stop shorter.
What the brakes on the 63 really buy you is fade resistance (and perhaps better "feel"). If you're hauling one of these cars down from speed repetitively - such as one would on a track, or are really really flogging it on the street, then the 63's brake set up makes sense. But if you, like most of us, need them to haul it down from 100 to 0 every now and then, the cost of the 63's brakes make no sense (to me, anyway).
Will check it out thanks for the info, I looked a little on there and that looks great as far as the pricing now is it a direct swap from cls 550 to the 63 ?
If you email those guys they'll be able to give you some direction on if it's a direct swap or not.
Glad you like how the brakes feel now after the rotor/pad/fluid change - the pads probably account for the majority of the improvement.
Food for thought: If one was to install identical tires (size and model) on a 550 and a 63, the 550 will stop just as quickly/in the same distance as the 63 - at least once. If you put summer tires on the 550 and leave the others on the 63 the 550 will stop shorter.
What the brakes on the 63 really buy you is fade resistance (and perhaps better "feel"). If you're hauling one of these cars down from speed repetitively - such as one would on a track, or are really really flogging it on the street, then the 63's brake set up makes sense. But if you, like most of us, need them to haul it down from 100 to 0 every now and then, the cost of the 63's brakes make no sense (to me, anyway).
Unless one wants them just for bragging rights.
Make sense, im not going to be tracking it or anything but I do want to try and get some more power out of it and want to make sure I have the stopping power to handle the added power, but that’s a few months down the road and if I need more stopping power then I’ll cross that road when I get there but def happy about the rotor and pad change much more confident hauling around town. Let’s say you could have any caliper would you go amg or Brembo calipers? Any tires you like more than others ? Thanks again for the input
Originally Posted by darkgable79
If you email those guys they'll be able to give you some direction on if it's a direct swap or not.
awesome will do, I am new to all of this, so the help is appreciated and that site is awesome !
Your OEM brakes are fairly good, and as soon as you hit the brakes hard, or semi hard, the brake assist will kick in and apply full brake force. One thing though not mentioned yet, is thermal brake capacity. Several hard deceleration, within a short time period will lead to reduced brake force and even fade. There are several good aftermarket brake kits out there, at affordable prices. Some will require larger diameter rims.
I have used K-brakes for several projects, and they are performing very well, good quality, good brake fell, floating rotors.
I got the wheels straightened, powder coated, and calipers powder coated for 1150. All four rims were bent and I think it was only 150 for all of the calipers. Sad to say the calipers are already peeling off but I took it back to the place which was rim doctor in Orlando and they said they would fix the calipers for free just haven’t had time.
Hey I was thinking about Dr rim. Is that where you went? I reside in Orlando as well.
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