Racing Brake rotors and Porterfield R4-S pads review
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SL600
Racing Brake rotors and Porterfield R4-S pads review
My 2008 S63 was due for new rotors and pads. After a bit of searching, I chose to order a set of front and rear rotors from Racing Brake, and a set of R4-S pads from Porterfield. Overall, after a couple thousand miles, I am quite happy with the results.
The R4-S pads arent too bad. They produce quite a bit less dust and noise than the stock MB pads, but they have a bit less initial bite than stock. On a street car, this just means that you will press on the brake pedal a little harder to get equivalent stopping. I can't complain about them, and would recommend that you consider them when its time to replace pads. Just be aware of the trade off for low dust and noise.
The Racing Brake rotors are very nice. I did have a couple of minor issues which were resolved to my satisfaction promptly, so A+ to RB for customer service.
1. I was notified immediately after placing my order in mid December that there would be a delay of ~ 2 weeks for the hats to be made. That was fine, and I had expected a couple of week delivery window due to the Christmas and New Years holidays. After the 2 weeks was up, RB contacted me and let me know that the rears were taking longer than expected. They offered to ship the fronts immediately, at no additional cost, if that worked for me. I took them up on that offer.
2. When the rotors arrived, I noted that the hole for the retaining screw was not in the same location as my stock rotors. I have a very early production S63, and believe that this is the cause of the problem. RB offered to take the rotors back and drill a second hole to match up with my hubs. Since this screw is simply a convenience to keep the rotor and hub in alignment while putting the wheels on, I opted to leave it as-is and not bother with it.
The rotors themselves are noticeably lighter than stock, not that it matters much on a 5000lb car, but still good to know. The biggest selling point to me, besides the quality of the rotors, was that they were 2 pieces with a replaceable ring. This means that I save money when these rotors eventually wear out.
Between the price and the quality of these rotors, I see no reason why anyone would buy stock rotors instead of the RB setup. It's cheaper, lighter, and well made.
The R4-S pads arent too bad. They produce quite a bit less dust and noise than the stock MB pads, but they have a bit less initial bite than stock. On a street car, this just means that you will press on the brake pedal a little harder to get equivalent stopping. I can't complain about them, and would recommend that you consider them when its time to replace pads. Just be aware of the trade off for low dust and noise.
The Racing Brake rotors are very nice. I did have a couple of minor issues which were resolved to my satisfaction promptly, so A+ to RB for customer service.
1. I was notified immediately after placing my order in mid December that there would be a delay of ~ 2 weeks for the hats to be made. That was fine, and I had expected a couple of week delivery window due to the Christmas and New Years holidays. After the 2 weeks was up, RB contacted me and let me know that the rears were taking longer than expected. They offered to ship the fronts immediately, at no additional cost, if that worked for me. I took them up on that offer.
2. When the rotors arrived, I noted that the hole for the retaining screw was not in the same location as my stock rotors. I have a very early production S63, and believe that this is the cause of the problem. RB offered to take the rotors back and drill a second hole to match up with my hubs. Since this screw is simply a convenience to keep the rotor and hub in alignment while putting the wheels on, I opted to leave it as-is and not bother with it.
The rotors themselves are noticeably lighter than stock, not that it matters much on a 5000lb car, but still good to know. The biggest selling point to me, besides the quality of the rotors, was that they were 2 pieces with a replaceable ring. This means that I save money when these rotors eventually wear out.
Between the price and the quality of these rotors, I see no reason why anyone would buy stock rotors instead of the RB setup. It's cheaper, lighter, and well made.
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Aug 2008
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CLS550
We appreciate your candid comment on your purchase and installation experience with RB two piece rotor set up to share with other S63 owners.
Kindly keep us updated on the ongoing performance and durability etc.
Kindly keep us updated on the ongoing performance and durability etc.
