E-Class (W124) 1984-1995: E 260, E 300, E 320, E 420, E 500 (Includes CE, T, TD models)

C32 AMG Brakes on my W124

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Old 03-25-2007, 06:49 PM
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Very Slow Mercedes
C32 AMG Brakes on my W124

Finished my C32 brakes conversion on my W124, lot of patience, lots of glue and sure enough it is done.
parts list
1. 2004 C32 front brake calipers-silver finished AMG logo "Brembo"
2. 2004 C32 rotors-factory drilled-left & right are different
3. Stainless Steel brake lines
4. Ate dot 4 blue brake fluid
5. 2004 C32 front brake pads-OEM
6. many 4 letter words I can't repeat here and a case of Monster energy

Have no idea what the difference is but my friends 97 Porsche 993 stops about 1 car lenght later than I do braking from 75 mph.still has even braking, not much dive, without seat belts your going through the windshield....

Why C32 brakes-cheap compared to most big brake kits, why C32 brakes on a W124 cabriolet with 155 hp....stay tuned
Attached Thumbnails C32 AMG Brakes on my W124-phot0349.jpg  
Old 03-25-2007, 06:59 PM
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Youngtimer
very nice job man!
Old 03-25-2007, 07:06 PM
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Range Rover Classic
Do a full wheel closeup shot
Old 03-25-2007, 07:43 PM
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W124's
That's some awesome work man!

Can you give me some info on what needs to be done specificially to fit the C32 brakes? Also, if you can show us some more pictures that would be awesome.

I've been thinking about this conversion a lot lately and was wondering if it would be worth the transplant. Meanging taking out my 4-piston E420 brake set up and swapping it for the C32 set up.
Old 03-25-2007, 08:25 PM
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Enzo, my Benzo
Man if I NEEDED more braking to stop my 3.0L, I'd be all over that kit...that's sharper than those kids on "are you smarter than a 5th grader"!

Old 03-25-2007, 08:31 PM
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Very Slow Mercedes
Cool C32 Brakes

I suck at taking pics
But will try again

You need at least 18 inch wheels with the proper offset, AMG seem to work best, they would not clear my 17inch AMG monblocks which is why I decided to sell those, they would not clear my 03 Sl500 wheels so I need to sell those.
You need Spacers between the calipers and steering knuckle(other call it something else) about 2mm thick, you need to take about 2 mm off the bottom of the caliper where the brake line runs in, it is still thick enough after this,
You must run stainless lines and after you tighten to the caliper you need to take 3 mm off the bottom of the line..
you need to take 1.5 mm off the top of the steering knuckle where the brake line hits..most definately have someone the know there sh.t do it and you need to make the 1.5 mm a curve to prevent weaking the knucke.

You can reuse the original brake pad wear sensor just fasten the sensor holder to the Brembo/AMG caliper...

For those that are **** like me, you need to drill the rotor to accept the allen bolt that hold the rotor to the hub..
My car also had 2 pins that stick out of the hub and the rotor hangs on those, I redrilled the rotor to match those as well.

The 18 inch AMG wheels add about 8 lbs to the front and 13 to the rear depending on what tire you use.

The calipers are ligher than the originals, but the brake rotors are about 8lbs heavier...
I did not notice any difference in accelaration..
Attached Thumbnails C32 AMG Brakes on my W124-phot0339.jpg   C32 AMG Brakes on my W124-phot0352.jpg   C32 AMG Brakes on my W124-phot0356.jpg  
Old 03-25-2007, 08:49 PM
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W124's
Great pictures!

The only thing I'm skeptical about is that these brakes are the same as my E420 - in regards to being 4-pot.

How much did you pick these up for? I haven't gotten a chance to check prices at work.
Old 03-25-2007, 09:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ChrisDPham
The only thing I'm skeptical about is that these brakes are the same as my E420 - in regards to being 4-pot.
I think I'm just going to pull my Calipers when I get the monoblocks and give them a proper cleaning/painting. I've never gotten to a point where I needed more stopping power... however I do think the pads are far too thin and don't last half as long as they should.
Old 03-25-2007, 09:31 PM
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W124
That's pretty cool man. Did they mate right up or did you need to use the caliper mounts from the C32? Did you buy them new or from a recycler?
Old 03-26-2007, 12:42 AM
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1990 300ce 24v I6
O_o crazy stuff dude. How would those stop a w124 compared to the 500e brakes? Lets say (if ever) i could afford the C32 brakes for the 500e brakes, which would have more stopping power?
Old 03-27-2007, 03:35 AM
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nice

but too much work AFAIC. id rather bolt on some early R129 brakes. direct fit.
Old 03-27-2007, 01:21 PM
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2001 BMW M3 vert
looks great as does the rest of your car
Old 03-27-2007, 01:22 PM
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1995 E320 Kombi, 2006 R350 Pewter/Black
Coastline,

What have you done to your suspension set up, if anything, those 18" wheels look very nice, are they the staggered set up?

Thanks.
Old 03-27-2007, 01:34 PM
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1992 400E
Those look absolutely beautiful, and I'm sure that the stopping power is phenominal.

The C32 stops from 60mph in 112 ft, and the 500E in 141 ft. Although there are a lot of factors involved (weight, suspension, tires, center of gravity...) I would be willing to bet that the C32 brakes are much better than the 500E brakes. I'd say it's an excellent upgrade that's better than 500E brakes and cheaper than a BBK from stoptech/brembo/whoever, so long as you're willing to do the custom work.

How long did all the work take you?
Old 03-27-2007, 05:01 PM
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Very Slow Mercedes
C32 Brakes

It took about 3 hours counting time for the paint to dry on the rotor hubs, I am sure this would stop better than a 500E, the R129 sl brakes are great but again are smaller, and I think they are steel/cast calipers...

Those are 18x8 front 225/40/zr18 front
and 18X9.5 rear 265/35/zr18 rear

It has Eibach springs front and rear with 18mm spring pads in the rear,
The car rides excellent like this and is actually smoother over dips and uneven road than with the 17 inch AMG's running 225/45/17 all around, makes no sense...

and if you buy the Sl brakes new it is more expensive than the C32 brakes.
I would probably stop faster than a C32 as well, as the car is near 50/50 weight distribution and is at least 1 fat chick lighter than a C32, but that is only my guess it would need to be tested in real world conditions.
I need to look up what the stopping distance is on a 97 993 Porshe as I stop 1 car lenght before that car, about a cadillac sized car
Old 03-27-2007, 08:56 PM
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89 300TE, and 68 280sel
Sounds like a good upgrade for my TE, maybe the 108 too
Old 03-27-2007, 09:04 PM
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89 300TE, and 68 280sel
Originally Posted by ZorroAMG
Man if I NEEDED more braking to stop my 3.0L, I'd be all over that kit...that's sharper than those kids on "are you smarter than a 5th grader"!

got a vantage on order? Vancouver-Hollywood must be working out
Old 03-27-2007, 09:06 PM
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2004 C32 ///AMG
very nice
c32 brakes are awesome
Old 03-28-2007, 02:33 AM
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1990 300ce 24v I6
I like the c-class, especially the new one. ZOMG and a half. That car is ****ing manly.
Old 03-28-2007, 11:29 AM
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W124's
Originally Posted by myfirstbenz
got a vantage on order? Vancouver-Hollywood must be working out
Hollywood? Just Vancouver. LOL
Old 03-28-2007, 12:04 PM
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Bollywood? what?
Old 03-28-2007, 01:20 PM
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89 300TE, and 68 280sel
Maybe they call it Vollywood.... oh snap.
Old 03-28-2007, 01:46 PM
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is a German Tank
Originally Posted by myfirstbenz
Maybe they call it Vollywood.... oh snap.
Old 03-29-2007, 01:33 PM
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300D, 500E, E420
What size are the C32 rotors (diameter & thickness)? Looks sweet!

A more direct bolt-on are the 334x32 Brembo brakes used on very late R129's. This is a bolt-on for any W124 with an M119 or M104 engine (17" wheels required, but NO spacers or custom work needed.) Great upgrade for 400E/E420 and 500E/E500, a little overkill for 6-cyl models though. I've got a set of 334 fronts and 300 rears that will go on my E500 later this year. And, I've got early 500E brakes going on my diesel this spring. (After much research I came to the conclusion that the early 500E brakes are the best solution for M103 and diesel powered W124's... plenty of stopping power without excess weight, and 100% bolt-on, zero mods.)

Here's a photo of the 334x32 brakes up front... note they look very similar to the C32, just not as pretty in black, and with a used/solid rotor. Factory cross-drilled rotors are available, that's will I'll be putting on my E500.

I may have a set of the 334 Brembos for sale in a couple of weeks, if anyone is interested drop me a line.

Old 03-29-2007, 03:30 PM
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Very Slow Mercedes
What size are the C32 rotors (diameter & thickness)? Looks sweet!

345mmx32 or 34 don't remember, R129 late calipers cost double what the c32 stuff cost so the minor mods are worth it, and they have a bigger brake pad surface, c32 rotors drilled stock, with 17 inch wheels the R129 stuff is great and on a stock car, again however if you plan to exceed the stock R129 sl power or 500E power why use R129 or 500E Brakes?


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