Ok so pros and cons of each looking to swap out my brakes.

 

Anyone's have an opinion on this?

 

Sounds like overkill on a 350, but that's my 2 cents

 

Why waste the money?

 

I drive my 350 "hard"/fast so braking faster seems like a good idea. And I already have the front two piece rotors and rear calipers.

 

I donno if you are in the right car if you are planning "hard and fast" driving. May be an E550 or AMG would be the right one for you if not BMW/ Audi.
I think you might get more information from the AMG forums about brake upgrades, but anyway wishing you good luck with your upgrade.

 

I have a BMW. The E350 is capable of going 155 I've personally gone 135 so fast yes fast. I know people with both E550/AMG. Not go any faster then 90 so speed depends on the person driving ��

 

Do some research on brakes, bigger rotors and multiple pistons will not make your car stop any faster or shorter.

If you are doing 40MPH and you slam on your brakes and are able to lock up the tires, you have sufficient braking power. Adding bigger brakes not properly designed for your vehicle can actually prevent you from stopping as well as you do now.

The key to better braking performance on the street is to have Solid rotors that are vented (Not drilled or slotted) as you need the maximum surface area for your pads to grip. Along with some great quality pads (Ferrodo makes the best, OEM is great too). Most IMPORTANT is to have GREAT tires, if your tires can grip you will stop WAY better.

I have been there and done exactly what you are talking about and let me tell you, an E350 will not be able to out accelerate its brakes. You are about 200HP short of needing a serious upgrade.

 

Don't kid yourself, you'd kill yourself at 155 in an E350 and it's limited to 130MPH. The 135MPH indicated on your speedo is incorrect. Car manufacturers are known to let the speedo climb after you hit the limiter to fool you into thinking you are moving faster.

Also, for an E350 to go from 130mph to 155mph will take an absurd amount of road. The wind resistance is too great to get there at any speed above crawling.

Sell your car and buy yourself a Z06 Corvette or a CTS-V if you want to just go fast. The E350 is NOT a sports car.

 

Thanks for letting us know the capabilities of E350. You are correct in saying that the capabilities of driver matter more than that of the car. It's also true that any car can be stretched to its limits. But my point is that E350 is primarily a premium / luxury car and is probably not intended as a hardcore sports car. You will get more bang for your buck if you do the type of driving you want to do in a car that is intended to do just that. Having said that you can always upgrade the brakes, but why stop only with the brakes? Why not the suspension, engine tuning, tires/ wheels, transmission, etc and a whole lot of others which make the driving truly sporty in a safe manner (or buy a pre owned AMG for the money you'll spend doing those).

 

I agree with you on the brakes but not this. I came from an 09 G37 and I did 140 in that thing with no problems before I chickened out and backed off. Went from 80 to 140 in a matter of seconds. And I know the car was actually going faster because the tach was also still climbing. So I know it wasn't a speedo illusion.

 

As for the brakes, while you may not really get any increased stopping power at all, there are still some advantages that make it not a total waste of money. For one, they look really good. So if that's what you're after, problem solved.

For actual functionality, you'll get the benefit of much more even pad wear between the inner and outer pads due to the fixed caliper design. With these types of brakes, the actual caliper does not move at all to provide the stopping power, only the pistons move. So as long as the calipers are not defective or damage internally, the inner and outer pistons will provide equal brake pressure to the pads promoting much more even wear on the pads and more consistent braking over time.

With the standard brakes, the calipers use a sliding method with pistons only on the inside pads. This style relies on the caliper to slide in order to provide pressure to the outside pads. In order for this to operate efficiently, the caliper sliders must be well lubricated and free of dirt. But over time and from heat and moisture, these sliders get sticky, rusty, and sometimes seized. When this happens you're only getting brake pressure on the inside pad where the piston is actually moving because the caliper is unable to slide properly to use the outer pads, which results in poor braking and uneven pad wear over time.

This alone makes the fixed Brembo style brakes worth it for me. But they are just too expensive for what I'm personally willing to spend. But if you have the money and are in good financial standing, go for it. Just don't go into it thinking you're gonna get a bunch more stopping power, because you're not. People spend thousands on wheels, suspension and body kits just for looks. Just because you want to spend the same on brakes doesn't mean it's a waste of money. Do you!

 

Have read about others changing their E350 front brake calipers - going to larger AMG E63 six-piston or E55 eight-piston calipers with the corresponding larger brake rotors (discs).

Have some questions about replacing the OEM front calipers and rotors with larger OEM or aftermarket components.

Are the E350 front spindles designed to accept these larger calipers and rotors? Since the E350 has a single-piston sliding caliper and the E55 and E63 have multi-piston calipers (and larger rotors) - wouldn't the spindles require replacement? At least the dust-shields would need replacement for the larger rotors - along with brake lines and hangers - probably other assorted hardware.

Can the existing E350 ABS braking system properly accommodate such a change? Will the master cylinder be sufficient and correct? Are there proportioning valves and/or other critical brake system components that can be effected?

Without changing the rear calipers and discs - wouldn’t the front/rear braking force be changed enough to have a negative effect on vehicle dynamics? (also relates to ABS function and balance).

Changing the existing front brake calipers and rotors on the E350 for improved braking may not be so straightforward. It would also seem that any increase in braking force will require a corresponding increase in traction through tire/wheel replacement to be of benefit.

There's a lot of engineering in the OEM brake systems. Personally – I would leave the brakes alone (unless all these questions can be answered first - and possibly even then).

J.

Edit/Add: Quick check shows the same Mercedes P/N for the 2014 E350 "Knuckle" (spindle) and for the 2014 E63S (both w/o 4-Matic) - also the same P/N for the brake master cylinder. P/N for the 2014 E550 Knuckle was different. Very interesting - makes sense from a production standpoint to use similar hardware where possible. Maybe the upgrade - however expensive - is actually a bolt-on. Guess it would make sense to do the rears at the same time.

Still - would likely be better to simply trade-up to an AMG if the E350 isn't stopping well enough (and/or slow down on the open road).

 

Updates besides for looks and cool factors. I will be purchasing Michelin pilot super sports and red stuff pads.



For the Nah Sayers

 

And with tuning and proper upgrades you could get to 155. The E350 has the lowest drag of any car on the road just sayin. I would never in my life buy a Z06 or any America car for that matter. My E350 is for looks and speeding when I want to on the highway since I drive 90 everyday.

 

Gonna look good! Just need a new paint job on them bad boys!

 

Yes Sir going with red as my car is silver.

 

Did the swap on my 2013 E350. Found a 2011 E63 at the salvage yard. Bought the rotors and the calipers. Bought all new lines and pads. Had the calipers painted to my color liking. Had to cut the dust shields and use a larger bolt on the front calipers. Its not plug and play but it does work and there is a difference in the stopping power. Looks good too! Did this for less than half of what it would cost to buy new Brembos for the front and back.

 

That looks good - what kind of wheels are those?

 

Nice! I had the factory big brakes on my G37S. Great brakes but it was a pain in the *** finding wheels I liked that cleared the fronts. Those calipers are huge.