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I had my GL450 for a few years now, more than 6, and overall, it has been good to me. However, I have never been impressed with its braking power at all. I have been thru a couple of brake bad replacements and even rotors. but i still feel there is something missing. Has anybody had the same concerns?
I had my GL450 for a few years now, more than 6, and overall, it has been good to me. However, I have never been impressed with its braking power at all. I have been thru a couple of brake bad replacements and even rotors. but i still feel there is something missing. Has anybody had the same concerns?
Thanks
how would you like a 5k pound vehicle to stop? braking is adequate if the fluid is replaced every 2-5 years and abs module is bled properly.
how would you like a 5k pound vehicle to stop? braking is adequate if the fluid is replaced every 2-5 years and abs module is bled properly.
I can understand what you are saying, however, I’m not talking about going at 65 and stopping. Just 30mph speeds. I used to have an E55 AMG with massive calipers. I believe the Germans would have come out with whatever necessary to keep the vehicle safe.
Now, that brings me to another question. although I don’t have any engine or abs lights on, I don’t recall ever feeling the ABS kicking in. At least not recalling the vibration you would feel in some other brand of vehicles.
To those of you that own the same model; when the vehicle ABS kick in, at a sudden stop, is that vibration noticeable at the pedal?
I can understand what you are saying, however, I’m not talking about going at 65 and stopping. Just 30mph speeds. I used to have an E55 AMG with massive calipers. I believe the Germans would have come out with whatever necessary to keep the vehicle safe.
Now, that brings me to another question. although I don’t have any engine or abs lights on, I don’t recall ever feeling the ABS kicking in. At least not recalling the vibration you would feel in some other brand of vehicles.
To those of you that own the same model; when the vehicle ABS kick in, at a sudden stop, is that vibration noticeable at the pedal?
absolutely. the brake pedal gets very busy when abs is active
Wow!, thanks. well, I have purposely tried several times, and they do not engage. Not sure how one is related to the other since I was not exactly looking for that issue to start with, but in regular driving. Either way, one may fix the second. Any ideas what to start looking at?
To answer your first question, in regards to how the brakes "feel"... I have actually been quite impressed in the stock braking performance. Even taking into account the weight of the vehicle, I think it is VERY safe and stops very well.
ABS won't kick in until your tires lose grip. You may just not have been stopping hard enough. With the size of the tires, there's a lot of grip there. Try it out on a wet street - stomp on the brakes HARD and see what happens. If you can't get the ABS to kick in, then there's an issue somewhere.
To answer your first question, in regards to how the brakes "feel"... I have actually been quite impressed in the stock braking performance. Even taking into account the weight of the vehicle, I think it is VERY safe and stops very well.
ABS won't kick in until your tires lose grip. You may just not have been stopping hard enough. With the size of the tires, there's a lot of grip there. Try it out on a wet street - stomp on the brakes HARD and see what happens. If you can't get the ABS to kick in, then there's an issue somewhere.
To add to Dennis01's point, if your ABS is not working and you apply brakes to the point where tires are not gripping, you'll hear the tires break from the pavement loud and clear. One wheel might lock up, or maybe more than one. The locked wheel might even leave a mark on the pavement. And the car might lose its straight line direction and kick one rear corner out. I say the latter so you can be careful if you were to try this and be prepared to correct the direction if necessary. Be safe! Try where no cars are around and you have ample space with no obstacles, like light posts in parking lots, or narrow roads with no shoulder and ditches very close to the road, etc.
Brake feel is subjective. I thing the GL scrubs speed well for its weight and factory setup. I'd like to have less brake pedal travel, personally, but that's just my opinion and preference. Other than that, I'm satisfied with its braking performance. I'm running front OEM and rear brembo rotors with akebono ceramic pads on a 2010 550. Fronts had lots of pad left still so I decided to milk them till they are no longer of service.
Last edited by expl0rer; Nov 26, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
Go to a Kmart parking lot at night (should be completely empty) get up to about 45mph and stand on the brake pedal.
Does the pedal vibrate? Good ABS.
Did any of your tires screech continuously? Bad ABS.
you may have glazed pads from constantly riding the brakes, which degrades stopping power.
a few rips around the Kmart parking lot should fix that in no time.
There are times when a car is given the power to repair itself - the Italian tune up is one of them, this is the other. I will call this the Swedish brake job.
what was your last pad/disc makeup?
Last edited by Max Blast; Nov 24, 2020 at 11:04 PM.
ok, just tried it at a very empty parking lot, just not kmart. . The abs did kick in, but the amount of force I had to apply to the pedal was insane, even when the abs did not kick in. For sure not the way my other previous mercedes have behaved. Definitely spongy, So first things first, I'll try to have Midas to do a full fluid replacement, and go from there. i'll keep you guys posted.
Thanks!
No doubt, my GL63 will out brake a Porsche Cayman S. The GL/S 63 brakes are incredible. Stock X164 brakes work well with stock pads but suffer from extreme brake dust. If you go with new pads and rotors and utilize the OE pads, the braking is not horrible. I did notice that when I installed ceramic rotors on my X164 the braking pedal effort increased quite a bit while I did the same on the 63 but noticed no decline in braking effort.
As mentioned above, there is more pedal travel than what you might be used to - it does take some getting used to. The amount of braking force is excellent - but it does take more pedal travel to do it. It also takes a lot of force (as I mentioned above) to break those big tires free - but that part is a good thing.
However, if you don't know when the fluid was last changed, that's a good thing to do, regardless. If you know, for a fact, that your local Midas (it can be hit or miss) is good, go for it. Otherwise, search around for a reputable independent shop.
I had my GL450 for a few years now, more than 6, and overall, it has been good to me. However, I have never been impressed with its braking power at all. I have been thru a couple of brake bad replacements and even rotors. but i still feel there is something missing. Has anybody had the same concerns?
Thanks
I agree with some of the other reply’s that the GL has pretty adequate brakes from the factory, and it’s a big heavy suv. I’ve been quite impressed when doing some panic stops. If there was an issue with the abs the brake light and abs light would be on in the cluster.
But......that being said, I do love some big brakes and that leads me to this.....
Would you like some additional stopping power? Well here you go! I put this kit on my GL550 last weekend.
I agree with some of the other reply’s that the GL has pretty adequate brakes from the factory, and it’s a big heavy suv. I’ve been quite impressed when doing some panic stops. If there was an issue with the abs the brake light and abs light would be on in the cluster.
But......that being said, I do love some big brakes and that leads me to this.....
Would you like some additional stopping power? Well here you go! I put this kit on my GL550 last weekend.
Disclaimer, I am in NO way affiliated with TEI Racing, I just love their products is all.
Looks great! How is your pedal travel? Has it shortened with the SS lines? The main downside I see is only fitment for 21 inch wheels. Wouldn't be able to run smaller size wheels in the winter.
Looks great! How is your pedal travel? Has it shortened with the SS lines? The main downside I see is only fitment for 21 inch wheels. Wouldn't be able to run smaller size wheels in the winter.
The manufacturer suggested 20”s should clear, but that depends on the wheel drop center, and spoke style.
Pedal travel isn’t what’s most noticeable, maybe a little, but pedal effort has dramatically decreased.
Many of the original 2007 road tests of X164 noted a poor feel to the brakes, and I note it in mine as well.
This in no way means the braking is inadequate and you can take to the bank Mercedes produced a product with more than adequate braking.
What substitution of aftermarket pads and/or rotors creates is another story.
They are now 8-13 years old so maintenance and inspection of systems may be needed to return components to original performance ... normal cost of doing business.
Good day guys! I had the brake fluid replace, and I did see a big improvement. All this time 🙄 it was that. I’ll drive around for a couple of months and then decide if I go for the brake upgrade mentioned before. Either way! Thank You all!!! 👍👍👍
Good day guys! I had the brake fluid replace, and I did see a big improvement. All this time 🙄 it was that. I’ll drive around for a couple of months and then decide if I go for the brake upgrade mentioned before. Either way! Thank You all!!! 👍👍👍
It's hard to imagine what the problem was. Possibly someone lamed the prior work and let air in.
In any event, you should be flushing brake fluid regularly, as it absorbs moisture. This lowers the boiling point and can lead to corrosion.
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. The abs did kick in, but the amount of force I had to apply to the pedal was insane, even when the abs did not kick in. For sure not the way my other previous mercedes have behaved. Definitely spongy, So first things first, I'll try to have Midas to do a full fluid replacement, and go from there. i'll keep you guys posted.
