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A friend and I installed the Power Stop Carbon Ceramic Brake Pads today on my SL400. The job took about 3 hours but this was the first time either of us had installed pads on a Mercedes. We did view a couple YouTube videos during the job to assist in removal of the old pads.
The new pads did include silicone lubricant. We reused the hardware so no additional parts were needed.
The Power Stop pads fit perfectly. I have only driven about 25 miles but so far, so good. No squealing or noises. I will update this post in terms of the amount of brake dust after I have driven a couple hundred miles.
Brake sensors were located on the right front and right rear wheels. I could have reused the sensors but since I had purchased new ones we did replace the sensors with new ones. I have 2 extra sensors if anyone needs them. $8 each including shipping. The same sensors are used on front and rear.
After a 250 mile road trip I would estimate the amount of brake dust on the wheels is reduced by about 60-75%. Also the dust that is present is lighter in color and thus not as obvious on the wheels. No brake noise at all and braking performance seems to be equal to the OEM pads.
First photo is the rear wheel. A little more dust on the front wheel. Overall, I am satisfied with the results.
Again, the review and update is very much appreciated.
Looks like the results were what was expected. I know, with my OEM MB pads, 250 miles would of produced a lot more dust!
I'm looking to do this myself as well. Any hints/tips you can share or any lessons-learned? I've changed brake pads on several of my cars (all american cars) in the past and it seems like it should be pretty straight forward. The only "extra" I've come across is releasing the electronic emergency brake for removing the rear calipers and then re-engaging it when done.
We did not remove the calipers as the rotors were not replaced. The front caliper has a large bolt holding the pads. The nut on the inside end has to be removed and then the bolt is removed with a punch. Figured this out by watching a YouTube video. Everything else is straight forward.
No special tools needed. Just take your time.
Added: I now have over 1000 miles on the new pads. Dust has been reduced by at least 75%. No noise and no decline in braking performance on the street.
Last edited by rmorin49; Feb 20, 2020 at 06:39 PM.
No special tools needed. Just take your time.
Added: I now have over 1000 miles on the new pads. Dust has been reduced by at least 75%. No noise and no decline in braking performance on the street.
Good deal and great information! Did you go with the Z16 package?
Negative. Wen with the Z23 pads. Check CARid for great pricing.
Hi, the brake dust on my newly acquired SL400 is killing me. I just thought I would check in to see if you are still happy with your Z23 pads. I was looking at the Porterfield R4-S which appear similar to the ones you installed at three times the price. I also noticed there are also the Z17 pads which are a little less money but apparently are ceramic, but not carbon fiber and ceramic. Both should do the job for a street use only car, so I was wondering why you chose the Z23 over the Z17. Also, you have the same wheels as I do and your brakes look just like mine. Are these the AMG sport brake which has a slightly larger front disk? I thought I would do some homework before ordering these pads.
Hi, the brake dust on my newly acquired SL400 is killing me. I just thought I would check in to see if you are still happy with your Z23 pads. I was looking at the Porterfield R4-S which appear similar to the ones you installed at three times the price. I also noticed there are also the Z17 pads which are a little less money but apparently are ceramic, but not carbon fiber and ceramic. Both should do the job for a street use only car, so I was wondering why you chose the Z23 over the Z17. Also, you have the same wheels as I do and your brakes look just like mine. Are these the AMG sport brake which has a slightly larger front disk? I thought I would do some homework before ordering these pads.
Hey! My Z23's are doing great. VERY little brake dust and MUCH less noisy. There is still a little squealing for me at very low speeds especially when they're cold, but once they're warm, it seems to go away. I chose those because of the reviews it got on here. I didn't really look at the Z17's, but I like the Z23's a lot. You'll LOVE the little brake dust they create. And yes, same AMG sport brake with the larger front disk. I actually just painted my calipers after I got the new brakes. Check it out...
Your wheels and brakes look great. If my SL400 was silver, white or gray, I would want to paint my calipers red too, but having a cardinal red car, I will be leaving my calipers silver. There is some surface rust on my disks which I am not happy with, so I may want to see about painting these portions of the discs that have become rusty. Several years ago, I owned a BMW Roadster with the same problem. When I got new Discs, before installing them, I painted the hats with a high temp engine paint. The car was Oxford green so I decided to use gold paint on the discs. Little of the painted portions showed through the wheels, but it provided a little highlight and prevented the ugly rust from forming.
I had pretty much decided to go with the Porterfield R4-S pads before reading your post. I had replaced the pads on my Corvette with Akebono pads, but they do not seem available for our cars. After a few years, the Akebonos began to squeal after the car was parked for an hour or two, like when leaving a parking space, then stopped during regular driving. I assumed it was due to some accumulated brake dust.
Thanks! Painting those calipers SUCKED! I used the G4 caliper paint. Turned out really nice but a lot of prep work and once you mix the activator in, you're on the clock. I'm sure the silver calipers look good with the red. Well, I definitely recommend the power stop pads. Same braking reliability as the stock but with MUCH less brake dust and noise. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks! Painting those calipers SUCKED! I used the G4 caliper paint. Turned out really nice but a lot of prep work and once you mix the activator in, you're on the clock. I'm sure the silver calipers look good with the red. Well, I definitely recommend the power stop pads. Same braking reliability as the stock but with MUCH less brake dust and noise. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks, you cannot beat the price on the Power Stops. It makes me feel a little uneasy because they are so reasonable. On the other hand, maybe the more pricey alternatives are overpriced. It sure would be nice to have some comparative data on performance, but what would be the incentive to do the testing? There is an outfit called My Golf Spy who does this kind of thing on golf equipment. While there is some subjective areas in their ratings of products, mostly the reporting of results is something they do well, occasionally embarrassing big players in the golf industry. Calaway got their shorts in a bind over being called out for poor quality of their golf *****. After some self evaluation, however, they admitted that some of their ***** had a performance problem and they quickly came up with a plan to rectify the problem.
Thanks, you cannot beat the price on the Power Stops. It makes me feel a little uneasy because they are so reasonable. On the other hand, maybe the more pricey alternatives are overpriced.
Agree. Some say MB is overpriced. There are much less expensive "alternatives" to SL, some of them with hardtops as well. I say "one usually gets what one pays for". Hate SL's brake dust, but since MB's CCB $15-20K is not an option for me, learned to live with it.
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Great thanks for the added pictures. Happy to hear that they were a direct replacement with no issues. 
