Katkon

This question is really being posed for those with first hand experience. I've done oodles of research and am very familiar with the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of carbon ceramic vs the regular AMG brakes. That said, I'm least clear on noise - specifically squeal. I've heard some say all ceramics squeal, others say their ceramic are whisper quiet, and yet others say they sometimes squeal.

There are really only two reasons I like ceramics over the standard red brakes: aesthetics and no brake dust. I'll never track the car, and I realize they're expensive to buy and maintain (i.e. when they eventually need replacing); some say they may even negatively impact resale. Have also heard some say they need to be warmed up and so are not ideal for daily, leisurely driving. But my biggest concern: noise. I really would like to hear owners' opinions, or opinions of those who have experiences these brakes first hand. My questions are severalfold:

1. Do current generation Mercedes carbon ceramics squeal, squeak, or hum more than "regular" AMG brakes?
2. If yes, is that noise intermittent (influenced by many varying actors) or pretty much a constant at low speed/slow breaking (i.e. the ceramic brake way of life)?
3. If the brake noise on a standard AMG brake is a 1 out of 10 (in terms of frequency - i.e. happens very infrequently), what is the frequency of occurrence for carbon ceramics? Is it a 10 - all the time, a 7 - quite often, a 4 - not very often?
4. Would carbon ceramic brake owners recommend the brakes for a daily driver?

Thanks in advance!

DriveAMG

ronin amg

I have them on my wagon, no squeal and no dust.

Gotic4u

First time user and I have never heard any sound. I do agree with @orenlasko that after a car wash, they perform bad but it is just for few seconds.

E634Me

Same, never a squeak and no dust.

Grip fine when cold (not that it gets that cold in San Diego, but I did a European Delivery and drove the car in Europe in sub freezing temps).

Same first push or two after being washed, fine after that.

But that can be a problem for normal brakes too. Back in my motorcycle racing days, in rain races, I would hold a bit of finger pressure on the front brake down the straights so I'd have some brakes into turn 1 and a few of the other turns.

Katkon

Curious: do they perform poorly when it rains, or only after a car wash?

Wolfman

Zero brake squeal on Ceramics; definitely have had some brake squeal on on all our MB steel brakes. Last S-Class was embarrassing at times.
I didn't have a choice on the brakes as they were part of the Edition 1 package but I am enjoying the lack of brake dust. Grip is strong in normal traffic and should be no issues in rain. MB is using automatic brake drying on their cars.

CALBenzo

This is good to hear as I have ordered the Carbons as well. For the most part, are most owners bedding their ceramics? Not sure where I can drive 100-25 mph 10 times in a row, or whatever some of the procedures suggest!

PeterUbers

Carac

I've got them on the wagon I've got coming in two weeks. I had them on my R8 and my SLS, neither made a single squeak. I'm A-OK paying the premium for CCBs based solely on how little brake dust they produce.

E634Me

signes

Have them on my Wagon and live where we get sub-zero temps to over 100, snow, rain, etc. never had any issues with their performance in any circumstance, always have the grip you'd expect. I haven't had the car wash issue any more than standard brakes have with a layer of soap residue or tire dressing or the like. Wear has been fine, nothing notable after 20k miles thus far. They do squeak occasionally, and in my case it's normally after many days of just stop and go driving and not getting them up to temp with some stops from higher speed. Feels like some material transfer because after a wash the sound goes away. FWIW, I did bed my brakes and feel like overall they are almost always quiet. Like the performance of iron rotors with aggressive race pads without the side effects of noise and a lot of dust.

I also have never seen any evidence or experience of this claim that they can be a negative on resale. That goes for MB, Porsche, BMW, Fiat... Quite the opposite in fact for E wagons as it is a very rare option. If you are comfortable with the cost go for it!

ronin amg

I did the McLaren CCB procedure and there is absolutely no difference between before and after...Not needed.

Diabolis

Hah! I had the (mis)fortune of driving someone else's E63S sedan equipped with ceramics this past weekend in Toronto where there was plenty of uncleared snow, slush and standing water on the roads... and it was a rather scary experience because the brakes were wet pretty much the entire time. Yes, they are great around the track - not because of the increased resistance to fade (the steelies don't fade either) but because of the lower unsprung and rotational weight - but I chose to untick only that option on mine precisely because I use it year-round in slush and snow. After driving someone else's car with them on I feel completely vindicated for choosing not to go with them.

Gotic4u

To be honest, I didn't feel any difference between rains or no rain. I am in Quebec and we got lots of rain ad snow and the performance was same as dry hot weather.

I think that as long as you keep them hot (using it), it stays dry.

24Hours

Same... we had lots of rain in Switzerland, and some cold days (snow up in higher elevations by St. Gallan). The brakes could easily outperform the tires. I never had any noise... I cannot wait to finally have this car. Damn-near perfect in every way (for me).

absent

Have them on my every DD since 2007 (when I tried them on my then new 599 for the first time).
No going back to steel for me, just way too many benefits, esthetic, performance, no dust, no squeaks, better ride and handling (significant unsprung weight reduction, equal to 6 times same weight elsewhere in the car).
Expensive, yes, when you spend over a $100k already, you can afford another 7-8k too, better choice then some of these overpriced sound systems at the same price.

DriveAMG

Diabolis

That's good to know. I did had to wade though about a foot of water and slush in a couple of places along the Eglinton LRT disaster and also the Bayview extension on Sunday night, and the next one or two stops afterwards caught me by surprise as the usual gentle amount of brake pedal pressure did not result in the usual deceleration rate... but yes, the rotors would have been completely immersed in the water, which wouldn't normally happen. I had CCs on the 991 and never had an issue with them, and I sometimes drove it at -20C.

DriveAMG