fatchance

Hi there,

Will be upgrading the E430 front brakes very soon. I've been in touch with Alex, but also wanted to touch base with the forum to see who has also upgraded their brakes.

At the moment, the AMG C32 brake set seems to be the one I'm leaning towards, however, I would really like to hear from those of you have done the mod and even better if you're in the SF Bay Area, we could hook up so that I can chat with you about the upgrade.

Right now, the brakes have been bled, there's plenty of meat on the pads, but the pedal travel is long and vague. It's horrible, especially compared to our other cars. (Porsche 993 and Volvo XC90) Definitely not up to the potential of the car.

So, if any of you have some experience with this upgrade, please share!

thanks,

-travis

MARK CUMMINS

I Had The AMG C32 front brakes on my W210..Then I UPGRADED to AMG E55
Also Installed The AMG C32 Front Brakes on my C Coupe..
Will Be Installing The AMG C32 Front Brakes On my Smart!

fatchance

Mark,

Thanks for the feedback. Why did you upgrade from C32 to E55 brakes? Do you track your car and found that the C32 brakes were inadequate?

This car is 100% street so it doesn't see the thermal loads a track event might subject the brakes to.

I'm just looking for a significant improvement in feel and responsiveness. The stock brakes just plain suck.

thanks!

-travis

The Godfather

Mark, you got W211 E55 brakes?!? Shiitt...me wants!

Richard Galing

Previously, I too dreaded the spongy brake feel and long pedal travel, something you don't expect from a $60K vehicle!

Have you looked into upgrading your OEM brake rubber hoses to a set of stainless steel lines? The P-V (pressure vs volume) relationship will be reduce to some degree (less volume will be required at a given pressure). This should firm up the brake pedal slightly on an OEM setup, on a BBK setup with more piston area, more fluid is required to move the same amount of distance it's really noticable and if you track your vehicle, there is a huge differnce at the end of the session where the braided lines retained pressure much better then the OEM rubber lines when they were extremely hot.

Brake pads affect pedal feel noticeably as well (at least on the front) imo - I liked the firmer efficency the Axxis Deluxe Plus I had on the OEM calipers w/Brembo sport rotors, yet they don't have the hard, linear feel the Hawk pads I'm currently using on the Brembo GTs. I have a set of Pagid Blue RS421 sitting in the garage waiting to be put on (I hear it's a slightly firmer feel than the Hawk pads, but on the downside they dust like crazy and cost twice as much).

Good Luck
Richard

fatchance

Thanks Richard.

Yeah, the stainless lines are pretty much a given for the brake project. Any brand you recommend? I'm leaning towards the stoptech lines at the moment.

As far as pads, I have Axxis Metal Masters on the Porsche and they're fine. Not for the track, but good enough around the street. I have a set of pagids for track excursions.

Appreciate your feedback on the pads you have tried. I just don't think I'm going to get enough improvement out of a pad and brake line change to make me happy.

Been talking with Alex about the parts needed and he's been great about letting me know what I'll need and what it all costs...

-travis

Richard Galing

Travis,

StopTech SS lines or Goodridge G-Stop should keep you happy momentarily.

Depending on your budget and driving/tracking intentions you'll find that there are several brake upgrade options you can source; Brembo Gran Turismo or Sportline, StopTech, AP Racing, Movit, Kleemann, Renntech (Brembo) or C32 AMG brake.

Keep us posted with your decision.

Alexbenz

for your money the c32 kit is nice...... i'm working on another project which might be done sometime soon but i need to test it out.... stay tuned for into.....

travis nice talking to you man.........will let you know on monday...