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I gave my 221 S-65 a Brembo big brake kit that got rid of the pair of (heavy) sliding calipers and made for bigger rotors on hats.
Point of doing this being to reduce unsprung weight and increase the ability of brakes to handle large thermal loads that go along with stopping the land yachts we so love to abuse!
They looked good, stopped very well but warped every bit as badly as OEM brakes. I’m admittedly hard on brakes. I DRIVE my cars. Brakes are consumables.
My 222 S65 is equipped with Carbon Ceramic brakes. HUGE reduction in unsprung weight (rotors weight 3 or so pounds each. Really!) + pads and rotors last and last with no brake dust.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Yeah JohnLane, I split the world neatly into 2 categories: those who deemed the '92 500E brakes insufficient and those who didn't. You're obviously in that first category. Jokes. This is the same group who need carbon ceramic brakes on a road car.
In all seriousness, I've had that thought maybe a half dozen times in the dozen or so years I've owned it. Sure I drive the cars, but I don't need serious braking power from triple digit speeds with any regularity, and that's by design.
When I want to flog something, that's what the M3 is for.
Just to answer the "two piece" part of the question...
usually the two pieces are different materials. For example, the hat could be made of aluminum whereas the disc could not (usually cast iron or some steel alloy). The fasteners between the two pieces can also be designed to allow for thermal expansion in a direction yet fix the disc in another. This could reduce warping that might occur in a large casting being subjected to thermal cycling.
Get the best brakes you can afford and drive accordingly?
I very much appreciate the posting of the article by Chris Perkins...It helped answer a few questions that have puzzled me for some time... I am well aware that in GT racing that virtually all the cars use steel rotors in racing... and in the past, I did a fair amount of racing in Porsche machines and warped a few rotors ... Then I bought my first CCB equipped car and was just stunned at what I perceived as a much better system.. I now have 4 cars with CCB's and swear by them... The article has certainly made me adjust my perception by stating that there is no real performance gain in braking distance.. I have understood the un-sprung weight impact and appreciated the effects..
So we are left with the $9,000 question of is it worth it for less brake dust and maybe lifetime rotor survival ... My seat of the pants tells me they really are much better when braking during aggressive street/back road driving,. I do think that any manufacture's performance based street car with over 600 hp and weighs more than 4,500 lbs should have the CCB's included ... I was surprised at the amount of manufacturing time involved. I assumed that since around 2000 that manufacturing processes would have made the CCB's much more cost effective and that the $9,000 price should have come down quite a bit.. Now I see that the economy of scale has not taken place..
Again, great article and one that probably needs to find it's way to the various different enthusiasts blogs for all to see...
While we are on the topic, what is the largest 2 piece Brembo rotor you can fit on the front of a w220 AMG, both diameter and width?
I'm looking at a set of 360x32
However i have seen 380/390 x 34 advertised but was unsure if they would fit properly. I'm in the market for some new front brakes (Everything) and would like a little bit of an upgrade if i can.
Joe... Brembo builds kits. They will need measurements of inside of wheels to fit largest possible. The kit I had on the 221 S-65 required 20” wheels... but I got to take several measurements of them to verify they would clear before they shipped. Rotors on hats were bigger diameter and thicker than stock but cut several pounds of weight compared with stock. The Brembo calipers easily reduced unsprung weight 10-15lbs per corner vs the ‘Two sliding caliper per front wheel’ arrangement MB did to save money in their range topper car back then.
I very much appreciate the posting of the article by Chris Perkins...It helped answer a few questions that have puzzled me for some time... I am well aware that in GT racing that virtually all the cars use steel rotors in racing... and in the past, I did a fair amount of racing in Porsche machines and warped a few rotors ... Then I bought my first CCB equipped car and was just stunned at what I perceived as a much better system.. I now have 4 cars with CCB's and swear by them... The article has certainly made me adjust my perception by stating that there is no real performance gain in braking distance.. I have understood the un-sprung weight impact and appreciated the effects..
So we are left with the $9,000 question of is it worth it for less brake dust and maybe lifetime rotor survival ... My seat of the pants tells me they really are much better when braking during aggressive street/back road driving,. I do think that any manufacture's performance based street car with over 600 hp and weighs more than 4,500 lbs should have the CCB's included ... I was surprised at the amount of manufacturing time involved. I assumed that since around 2000 that manufacturing processes would have made the CCB's much more cost effective and that the $9,000 price should have come down quite a bit.. Now I see that the economy of scale has not taken place..
Again, great article and one that probably needs to find it's way to the various different enthusiasts blogs for all to see...
Has anyone run the numbers on this? Also, what about emergency braking performance over stock brakes?
I am not at all opposed to any braking WHEN NEEDED. But I am vehemently opposed to riding the brakes or applying the brakes for no good reason. Probably half the drivers on the road, that I have seen in my lifetime abuse their brakes in my observation. I just wonder how they get their brakes to last any reasonable amount of time.
Has anyone run the numbers on this? Also, what about emergency braking performance over stock brakes?
I am not at all opposed to any braking WHEN NEEDED. But I am vehemently opposed to riding the brakes or applying the brakes for no good reason. Probably half the drivers on the road, that I have seen in my lifetime abuse their brakes in my observation. I just wonder how they get their brakes to last any reasonable amount of time.
The Brembo big brake kit I put in the 221 S-65 performed same-same as stock with regard to ABS operation... It is electronics and the ABS pump that manages threshold braking. Limited by grip which is the tire and road surface. It was capable of making ABS operate from well into three digits.
The 222 S65 is every bit as strong braking. Though without warped rotors the 221 car had continuously.
Many modern cars see brake pads last 60-90,000 miles without noise and rotor wear. Disappointing for those of us in the auto repair biz who used to get to brakes every 20,000 miles.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
