FOREWARD:
When I set out to undertake this project, I wanted to experience it for myself. That is, to go at it as if it had never been attempted, to appreciate it the way those who've pioneered the upgrade have. (Read: Sucker for punishment)

That aside, I've learned quite a bit and I don't [yet] regret taking the harder route.

Also, this guide assumes a general knowledge of brakes, bleeding and installing hardware. This is not intended to be an exhaustive step-by-step build.


As others have done, I'll be upgrading the stock 2x4 piston calipers for a set of SLK55 AMG 6 piston/4 piston clampers. The factory rotors will go from 330mm (13.0") to 345mm (14.6") up front, and 300mm (11.8") to 330mm (13.0") for the rear.

(Thanks to RED DOG for the calipers, and Rudy for the brackets.)



———————————

Tools Needed

Floor jack and jack stands (easier than having your buddy hold up the car)

(3/8" or 1/2") 10mm Caliper Bolt Hex Socket (impact compatible recommended)

(3/8" or 1/2") 18mm Socket (impact compatible recommended)

(3/8" due to clearance) 5/8" standard depth socket (rear caliper mounting bolts

5mm Hex Key (front rotor retaining screw)

Torx T30 bit (rear rotor retaining screw)

Torx T40 bit for front pad wear sending unit coupler

Torx T45 bit for front caliper mounts

Brake Bleed Kit (part Advance Auto Parts #AC3310)

Dremel with cutting wheel or angle grinder

Impact gun

Fresh DOT 3/4 brake fluid (LOTS!)

Brake cleaner or Carb cleaner

Loc-tite (blue)


Parts Needed

Replacement brake pad wear sensors (stock ones become brittle and are prone to breakage when removing). Mercedes part #210-540-1117

Custom caliper brackets (front). You can get these from Rudy (rcompart) on these very forums.

Front axle set of 345mm rotors: R1 Concepts (slotted and drilled, variants exist)
Pads: Centric Posi Quiet (Semi-Metallic)

Rear axle set of 330mm rotors: GENUINE brand via CARiD
Pads: CENTRIC Posi Quiet (Semi Metallic) 10409840

Laminated, SS-braided brake lines (brakes are off, why not):
Front Pair
Rear Pair

Set of wheel spacers (with longer bolts), 10mm, front axle (if you plan on reusing stock SRT wheels):
The description states these are for rear fitment only, however I've run them with no issues on the front. I am by no means telling to to attempt the same; do so at your own risk.
10mm Eibach Pro Spacer Kit


Important Notes
* Stock dust shield will require some modification. [front and rear]
* The stock bracket bolts will work without augmentation. [front and rear]
* The rear wheels and calipers are a direct fit.


The Install

As we've seen before, these clampers are certainly much larger than factory and well, larger than most. Truly something to behold.




As it says above, you will need to trim your dust shield to get these puppies into place. Here you can see the special mounting bracket bolted into the spindle. The exact cuts (which are simple) are seen below.



Here's a quick mock-up with the caliper bolted back into the bracket. Note that the stock SRT-6 rotor is still in place here and is obviously not compatible.



Can't hazard a guess as to why the front and rear rotor retaining screws are different, but here's a respective shot for reference.

This is where your 5mm Hex key and T30 Torx come in. I adapted my bit with a 1/4 ratchet as the rear axle screw was a bit snug.

 

Your going to make this so "step by step" easy that I'll have to find ANOTHER set of those AMG calipers and install them on my SRT6. Nice start to a very detailed "how to" thread!

 

I've been looking for a set myself. I will stay tuned to this thread. Great start.

 

Small update, new hardware for the fronts should arrive next week. Will have updates on the install soon!

 

What size rotors are you going with up front? Are you going to do the "balla" setup (360mm, 2-piece rotors), or the 345's I'm running?

 

Did a fair bit of searching and found a 2-piece set for around $1,200 for a pair. Decided to go the 345mm route for starters since I wasn't sure about finding replacement friction ring screws in the aftermarket.

However, my theory at this stage is that since we're talking about 6lbs difference per on the front rotors, while the calipers are decidedly lighter, it may be a negligible difference.. Hopefully a wash.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-NICE-LEFT-AND-RIGHT-CALIPERS-MERCEDES-BENZ-S65-AMG-BREMBO-20-7919-01-/121204904407?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c386011d7&vxp=mtr
Great thread btw

 

Thanks! I remember Anthony saying the SL brakes won't fit, don't know if that translates to the S-Class.

 

I really wanted to keep all the images in one post for easy reference and printing, but the forum only allows 10 images per post...

Anyway, this really messes up my timeline but here's todays notes and pictures...

The parts I ordered finally came in. As I mentioned earlier to Ant, I decided to go with a 1-piece set for the front, but R1 sent the wrong ones, so those will be going back. The pads and stainless lines appear to be fine however.





I test fitted the black rotors pictured above, but they were VERY off-sized for the setup. Take the overhang pictured here and increase it by 15-20mm. Oy... -So here's the stock rotor back in place, overhangs pictured. After some consideration, I think I may just stick with the 1-piece 345mm rotors.







But this poses an interesting question, as it appears the P-30 upgrade package on the R171 SLK fitted 360mm rotors (340mm 2-piece for the C32 AMG). The question being, why all the extra rotor width, when the radii for the pad surface only reaches ~170mm from hub center?

 

A larger heat sink to absorb and radiate the heat. A larger rotor doesn't translate into better stopping distances. It translates to increased capacity to reject heat so you can beat on the brakes for longer without overheating them.

Les

 

Ah yes, makes perfect sense. But do the 360mm rotors fit inside of the calipers with the same spindle assembly? If so, the clearance for the caliper interior can't be much, if any.

 

Happy day!

Finally found the correct rotors at R1 Concepts. The 345mm discs cross with a 2004 CLK55 AMG (See here).

 

Hey,

what rotor size do you use?

Marco

 

Thanks for the reminder. These are 345mm. -I'll update the post above.

 

So the saga continues... I've confirmed that the stock SRT wheels lack enough rear offset to mount flush to the rotor hat on the front. Basically, they bottom-out against the wide arsed 6-piston calipers.

I ordered a pair of spacers (10mm) for the front. I thought about going 5mm, but I don't think the surfaces will mate up. The parts are going on tonight, so we'll see!

 

I recently sold a set of 6/4 pots to a forum member, and I'm sure he's going to be watching this thread closely to see if the stock wheels will fit with 10mm spacers.

Pay close attention when you mock-up the spacer that if fully seats against the rotor. None of my larger spacers (15mm, 20mm, and 25mm) fit properly up front, but my 5mm spacers do. Hate for you to install the spacers, find out they don't fit, and then get refused a refund due to scratches. On the other hand, if they don't work, put them on the back and maybe 5's will work on the front. If you're going to space the fronts out, have you considered moving the rears out to match?

Have you checked fitment on the rears?

 

Awesome! Looking forward to their progress.

For sure, I've been paying particular interest to the hub snout. The chamfer, specifically. The hat thickness on the new rotors versus stock was an unknown, so even if the wheel mated to the hat, there's almost no meat for the center bore of the wheel to hang onto; bad juju for hub centric. By the by, did you stack 5mm plates per hub?

Oh yes, planning on 'squaring' things up.

Insofar as the caliper, yes. Haven't fit the wheel just yet. If all goes well with the spacers up front, I'll be tackling the back this weekend, and posting pics of course.

EDIT: A turn of bad fortune today, as I learned R1 does not carry a 330mm fitment. I tried running the 2004 CLK55, etc, etc... No dice. So I'll be hunting down a set, somewhere...

 

Finally! Real progress!

The spacers fit perfectly stock wheels are a go.

 

Thought I'd upload a spinning video. Please, don't mind the dirt.

 

Nice work! As for my fronts, I'm not running any spacers and they clear fine even with 360mm rotors. Keep in mind, I've got Brabus reps though.