davetfft

Hi;

I've got a couple questions and hopefully you can clue me in a bit...

My brake wear indicator started tripping on the other day so they are in need of replacement. Any ideas how long you can go with this warning active? Obviously I'll have to save up a bit as this was a surprise.

The main question, who's got the most decent pads/rotors for the 08 E63 , the best brakes for the buck etc... I don't do any track days or really hard driving so I don't need really top of the line stuff but at the same time I do want something of decent quality and am willing to pay up what's needed.

Any recommendations? What's lasted you the longest?
Thanks!

Dave

jayjmuir

The Evosport rotors are great and save quite a bit of weight.

My next rotors are coming from Frozen Rotors though. They source stock rotors and then cryogenically freeze them. According to what I've read, this process makes them last up to 300% longer and gives them up to 30% better performance. I might even get the Evosports and then ship them directly there for the process before installing them. I'm also thinking about doing the entire transmission. With the cost of the 63 rotors, you can imagine how much money you will save if your rotors last 3 times as long! Read up on cryogenic temperance, some guy did his Prius engine and transmission and doubled his gas mileage - he also added horsepower. I know this sound crazy but there is science behind it and it seems to be still emerging so a lot of people have never heard of it.

Many of the E55 guys are using the Akebono pads because they eliminate a huge amount of brake dust. I can't find those for the 63's but the EBC Red Stuff pads seem just as good and essentially eliminate brake dust. They are also cheaper than the stock pads. Search around, the other day I found a full set of EBC's for $180 - for all four corners.

davetfft

Thanks for the tip!

BTW I have heard E55 and E63 have the same brakes & rotors, is that accurate?

jayjmuir

Nope. We have better front rotors - and also way more expensive! I'm not sure about the rears though. I think they are similar but not exactly the same.

I will PM you the link where I found the best price for the EBC pads. The worst thing about MB brakes is the massive amounts of brake dust. I found these pads about 2 weeks after I put new stock pads on and after a month I'm already prepared to switch them out.

davetfft

thanks much!... (and yea that $907 a piece for the front frozen ones... owch! that said those brakes on that thing are incredible...

jayjmuir

Yeah the front rotors price is pretty high. The best price I have found for stock rotors is parts.com - about $780 a piece for fronts and I think the rears were about $120 a piece. With that price for the fronts you can see my motivation to get them frozen and hopefully make them last 3 times as long.

davetfft

Are there any good videos on brake & rotor replacement steps out there or a walk through etc for the E63? I found some generic ones but I'm looking for the AMG specifically to see what might be 'special'. I read the E55 could bite if done improperly so that's why I'm wondering....

jayjmuir

I haven't seen any videos but here is a DIY that Jon2007E63P30 created when he installed some Racing Brake rotors:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...cingbrake.html

tpick23

I did mine recently so i'll give a few tips
I'm using the Evosport rotors all the way around with stock (new) pads. The front brake dust is thick. Evo specifically says no EBC Red pads for use with their rotors.

The 2007-2009 does not have the SBC system so no need to worry about the rotor clamping down inadvertantly.

Two aspects of this were difficult.
You will need to heat the hubs with a torch to get them off, along with some persuasion with a hammer.
The rear caliper bolts are VERY TIGHT with little working space. If you do not have a lift, plan on using a well rated impact gun with the proper socket.

You do not need the grease from mercedes for the pads. I replaced the brake fluid as well. It came from NAPA and 2 packs of the brake grease did the job easily.

davetfft

Thanks!

davetfft

Anybody know what the minimum thickness is for the front & rear rotors?

TerpsV2

Got an 08 here, yeah its expensive and luckily got mine replaced 10K miles ago. Racing brakes and evo sport will be cheaper and better quality than OEM imho. FYI Racing brakes is the U.S. shoot off of AP Racing(UK) who have been making BBK for a while. I havnt really looked into the whole freezing thing but its sounds like a gimic and i wouldnt waste my money on it. what determines rotor wear is drving habits and brake compound(wear, dust, etc). Issue is we dont really have alot of brake pad choices from what i know

timeToy

I have a complete set of used rotors (front and Back) with plenty of life left. I can do just hte front if needed:
https://mbworld.org/forums/suspensio...ml#post5147615

davetfft

nice options there... what pads are you running with your rotors? Would you buy the same setup again or look at something different?

jayjmuir

I'm pretty sure it is not a gimic. There is solid science behind it and it is emerging technology. I'll be doing it on my next set of rotors and will report back what I find out - but it will be awhile before I can judge the wear.

TerpsV2

The dealer replaced them before i bought the car used. Dont know what they used but id assume OEM


Im sure there science behind it but i dont know if the cost benefit is worth it. From what i know its useful for situations like hotlapping and preventing the rotors from cracking not for wear prevention. I bought a set them back in the day and totaled my car like 6 months after, so im not a hater, but it was way to short to say if it helped or not.

davetfft

Thanks for the ideas and tips, much appreciated!

Now time to start saving up for a bit hehe...

Dave

Pushing_Tin

What kind of mileage are you guys seeing on the front rotors before they need to be replaced? Obviously this will vary greatly depending on where you live and how you drive, but I'm just looking for a ballpark figure. I'm at 43k now and am wondering if I need to start saving for new rotors. Anybody have any luck with the rotors from other vendors like brakeperformance or brakeworld?

jayjmuir

I'm sitting at 57k miles and probably have about 5-8k of life left on them. I don't know how hard the previous owner was on them up until 41k miles when I got the car.

infantry

Well i'm at 69,550 miles, and I still am on the stock rotors when I picked it up CPO back in Feb 2010 at ~30k miles. Still don't need changing.

jayjmuir

That's good to hear. I may be underestimating the life left on mine.

davetfft

I was wondering the same at 55k, I can still make out most of the slots in the rotors. Can you still see yours or are they worn flat? Maybe that's a key indicator, if you can still see slots and you've got no warping just replace pads etc.

Thoughts?

NCE500

In my experience, unless rotors are close to or at the min thickness, just replacing the pads does wonders. On my 63, I always use the OEM Benz pads. They are a little expensive and put out dust, but the car stops on a dime and the brakes are very durable.

I used OEM replacement Pagid pads on my SL, and OEM replacement ATE pads on my C. Brakes on both are excellent in every way.

All of my cars are still on the original rotors with fresh pads, no rotor warpage, noises, or brake issues at all. Good idea to change the brake fluid every couple of years too.

IMO for those who need rotors, go with OEM Benz rotors...they are not overly expensive and better quality than most of the aftermarket stuff.

Pushing_Tin

Just had my car in for service including the brake fluid. They said my pads were about 30%, and when I inquired about how much it would be to replace the pads they said they always replace the rotors too, which struck me as very odd. My car has just under 43k miles.

And as far as price goes, the cheapest I have seen for E63 rotors is about $760 each, and where I come from that's overly expensive.

GRAFH

You never want to install new pads on used rotors unless you have them turned or cut.