elucidate

So the time has come, and all my brakes are shot.

The current amount in parts alone for a full set of front and rear discs and pads for the E55 is something approaching $1000.

Are there any good alternative suppliers of OEM parts?

Or can I get some decent two piece rotors for decent money?

Fitting is no issue, thats an hour in my sweltering hot Texas garage.

novae500

search search.. parts.com for oem rotors and akebono pads are what you need

Yacht Master

Disable your SBC before you do any work on the brakes.

nanayaw6

Parts.com for all rotors (~240 for both fronts and $160 for rears) + amazon for akebono pads (~250) = ~600.
If your brake light has not come on yet, then reuse your sensors. Don't forget the anti-squeal paste.

citylightva

I've got a set of one piece rears I'll sell you pretty cheap. racingbrake.com and Evosport have decent priced 2 piece fronts...

RacingBrake

Front: https://www.racingbrake.com/ProductD...ctCode=2141-02
Rear: https://www.racingbrake.com/Two-piec...EAR-p/2188.htm

See our complete brake offer for "E"
https://www.racingbrake.com/category-s/7264.htm

bbirdwell

Caliper bolts are one-time use, grade 10.9, and take a lot of torque to break loose and to install. Have a shop hammer in case the rotors are rusted to the hub and remember to apply a very thin layer of grease where the rotor sits on the hub. Also have a parking brake kit on-hand; when I pulled my rear rotors I found two bad shoes and lost three days waiting on a kit to arrive.

Rotors/pads were $474, parking brake kit (shoes/springs) was $74, caliper bolts were $22 at the dealer, taps were $7 to $10 each. You're going to want "plug taps", not "taper taps"; the rear brake shield prevents a regular taper tap from completely clearing the threads of microencapsulation.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ml#post7160126

87geeinn

A lot of solid advice here. Just went through this last weekend for the second time. The rear caliper bolts are a royal PITA...especially if you don't have a E27 socket or whatever it is. I had to use my 2.5lb sledgehammer and wail on the rotors for about 10 minutes each from behind while wearing my shooting ear muffs, lol.

Yuille36

I just did a complete brake jobs a few months ago on my 07 E63, to include new 2 piece front rotors w/h pads, rear rotors w/h pads, wear sensors, rotor retaining screws, front caliper pins and hardware for under a $1000.
You have to shop around, get these parts from here and there. I bought my front rotors off of eBay. Pads from Rock Auto, brake hardware from FCP Euro. Antiseize compound and Brake Quiet paste from Autozone.
So I can be done, you just have to be smart with your money and shop around.

Yuille36

The key to getting any rotor off, is to put a generous amount of anti-seize compound on the hub and the back of the rotors, after every brake rotor replacement. This has never been a issue for me.

cm60k

^^--This is the TRICK--^^..

-;ZAYED;-

jumph4x

I'm here to say the obvious: get your parts from FCP Euro.
Nobody will take care of you like they will: https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee

PieRat

YeH fcp EURo are good. Hey so just some advice re akebono and ceramic brakes in general. They are good for road use and low dust which is great but not good for track (circuit) use as they heat things up quicker and cause failure/fade fast after heavy regular braking..

For most people akebono and ceramic brakes are a good choice fir minimal dust..

Yuille36

OEM brake pads can be used for a lite autocross event. But there is a big misconception that OEM brake pads can be used on a race track. This is not true, the only true brake pad for the Race Track, is a dedicated Race Brake Pad, not OEM or Ceramics.

jumph4x

Racetrack application is a function of heat dissipation capacity and the factory brakes are exceptionally large, even given the large curb weight of the chassis.

What do you mean by this exactly then?

Yuille36

Anyone that has tracked their E55 really hard, will tell you that these brakes aren't up to the abuse of track use. The calipers can't handle the heat, as they will turn from silver to bronze, and the OEM pads can't either. The rotors do not have directional vanes, as Mercedes choose to use the same mold for both the left and the right rotors. And that is why, I mention lite autocross use, not track use. Braking is about applying forces to the pads, and having the pads with the right coefficient of friction to stop, while the rotors dissipate the heat. And that is not OEM brakes for dedicated track use. Convince me otherwise. Now carbon ceramic brakes on the other hand are up to the challenge of track use.

jumph4x

Compared to a stock Mustang? 15 minute sessions? 30 minute sessions? Seems pretty subjective.
I think we can all reasonably assume brake fade is pretty standard on street cars for track application.

Others care to chime in with their experiences here?
I know of only one person out there using their E55 for dedicated track use, the individual detailing the oil pump O-ring failure on M113K motors on YouTube.

​​​​​​​I'm not here to convince you of anything, I was curious why you thought that and what your reference point was.
Speaking of what, what other cars have you tracked and how does the E55 experience compare to those?

Yuille36

The E55 is my only point of reference. I haven't tracked my E63, but have tracked my buddies E55, and brake fade was a real issue.
Blasting down a straight away, heading into the corner and you get on the brakes and there nothing. Brake fade is a *****, especially when a barriers are coming up fast.