C32 Brake upgrade
 

As part of my engine conversion I am also looking to upgrade the brakes. I know that SRT6/SLK32 brakes are a direct bolt on but I would prefer at least four piston calipers. Has anyone looked into using C32 brakes?

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

More pictures of C32 set up

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

????

Any other comments? I know there are various various big brake kits available for our cars such as Brembo etc., but going this route is relatively cheap and Brembo makes the calipers for Mercedes. From the research I have done and reading the Mercedes forums, this appears to be a bolt on swap. A n/a Crossfire uses 300mm rotors, SRT is 330mm and Mercedes C32 is 345mm.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Those would be nice, i really like the AMG badge. How much are they going to run you? Hopefully they mount up.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I've been looking at big brake kits. The C32 brakes seem to be a bolt on but you would need aftermarket rims or a spacer to clear the calipers based on what I've read. I have NO first hand experience on the subject but this is my understanding.

Les

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Our wheels should be fine. SLK guys on the the Benz forum stated that you need at least 17" wheels. I just checked and the C32 came stock with 17" wheels so this should fit no problem. I also have been researching the calipers and you can get them with either "Mercedes Benz" of "AMG" on them. I just depends which vehicle they came on. for example the CLK500 uses the same caliper but the car was not an AMG. The prices are very reasonable compared to a big brake kit from Brembo and others. you can find used calipers for $200-$300 double that for brand new. There are lots of choices for the rotors. I would use ceramic pads and Goodridge braided stainless lines.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Those do look good! No experience with them, but I can see why you would want them over the SRT6 brakes.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Where are you planning on getting all your parts? ebay?

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I have been keeping an eye on Ebay, but since my car will also be a show car, I will probably buy all new parts unless I find a really clean set somewhere. A good tip for you guys that put on new rotors is to get some high heat ceramic clear paint and paint the rotor before you install it. Dont worry about getting paint where the pads contact as the pads clean the rotor. If you do this you will never be looking at rust. I used to design and sell low cost big brake kits for the Mini Cooper racers, but with this bolt on swap you could have amazing brakes with Brembo calipers for a steal.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

These look like they were pulled out of a fire.. eeek

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__AMG-Front-Brake-Calipers-CL55-R215-Mercedes-Benz_W0QQitemZ250337618294QQadiZ2865QQadnZCarQ20Q2 6Q20TruckQ20PartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQcmdZViewIte mQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item 250337618294&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A 1171|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I really like this idea... a LOT. Keep us posted

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I got the idea from the SLK guys who thought their calipers looked like WWII era Russin hardware and not like what you would expect on an upscale sports car.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

The C32 AMG calipers should work VERY well. Plus you get to save that green for other parts of this project.

Let us know about any fitment issues or non-issues.

Maybe consider Porterfield R4S pads. Those are their street compound, but they have more friction than OEM pads. I run the full R4 compound on the track and they are great!

Cheers!

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Here is a thread I found that proves this is a simple bolt on swap. This guy put the C32 Brakes on a R170 SLK which for our purposes here the SLK IS A Crossfire. It doesn't matter if you have an SRT or N/A Crossfire, this is a bolt on swap.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...ad.php?t=22001

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

This would be a great "mod package". If we could come across complete sets of these and provide all the needed instructions/ hardware....I bet a lot of X fire owners would buy this! Those brakes look soooo much nicer than the SRT6 OEM set up!

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I believe this would be a great performing and great looking big brake upgrade for our cars. I have read that to total cost with all OEM parts from the dealer is around $700. 13.6" drilled rotors and AMG/Brembo four piston calipers would be a bargain if that is all really costs. Is there any MB dealer selling online at a discount? I can't find these calipers new online anywhere.

It sounds like all you really need is:

2 C32 calipers
2 C32 rotors
set of pads
4 longer caliper mounting bolts

for the cost consiouss (ebay)

Calipers: $200-$300 per pair
Rotors $220 per pair aftermarket new
pads $65 new ceramic pads

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Does anyone know for sure if these calipers will clear the storck NA Xfire wheels? It's not just a matter of diameter -- the usual clearance problem is from the inner face of the spokes to the caliper -- I don't like running spacers on the track !!!!

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

How much space do you have between the spokes of the stock wheel and you caliper now? I don't have stock wheels to measure from. Does the space increase as you move out from the center of the wheel? How much space do you have at about 6.5 inches from the center of the wheel? These same calipers are on just about all new C class mercedes. The only differnce is the length of the mounting lugs to fit various size rotors.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I say just order those Chinese plastic caliper covers, that will turn the stock units into 4 piston AMG brakes in 10 minutes. god I love the cheap manufactuering skills of the asian countries, lol

you know the down side of the AMG calipers will be reduced stopping distance.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

That is funny :)

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Well I have been checking Ebay everyday and found a deal I couldn't pass up. A complete set of calipers and rotors for $99.00 plus $49 shipping. The parts are used, so I will detail them up paint them and do what ever I have to do to make them look show quality. I will document the install for those who are interested. The set up I just bought came off a CL500, but uses the same rotors and calipers as the C32. Here is the link to what I bought:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=200318039437

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Nice deal. I want to find some that say MB or AMG on the side.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

What size are the rotors? I like the newer style but that is a heck of a deal... I have pretty new slotted rotors and it would be nice if we could just get the 4 pot brakes to slip on....:D

MikeR

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I may have jumped on the price too quickly. C32 rotor are 345mm and the ones I just bought are 330mm (same as SRT/SLK32) which is still a nice improvement over the na Crossfire brakes which are 300mm. I plan to bead blast the calipers and paint silver and add the AMG lettering. I may even replace the visible bolts on the outer side with polished stainless allen's. Should look nice.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

well that should make it a direct replacement for the facotry 2 pot caliper on the SRT with the 330mm rotors.... looking forward to seeing how they turn out....

MikeR

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Will the rears also bolt on? they're ventilated, larger, etc. and may help keep the braking balance better?

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Most likely they will but I haven't started investigating that yet but I will after the fronts are on.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

My Ebay calipers just arrived! These came off a 2000 CL500 which uses 330mm (13") rotors. I only paid $99 plus shipping ($145 total) so couldn't resist. The C32 uses the same basic rotors except for they are 345mm rotors (13.5"). These OEM CL500 rotor are in great shape and are factory drilled. They have too much offset, so I will clean them up and put them on the Dallas Craigs list. The Brembo calipers are factory black and in very good shape. They even have good pads and the complete sensor harness on them. I will take before, after and during pictures of the project. I intend to bead blast them to new condition and then paint them MB silver and re-apply the Mercedes Benz or AMG lettering. For rotors I am going to use SRT/SLK32 rotors which are 13"/330mm and the same diameter and thickness as the CL500 rotors that the calipers are designed to fit. This could end up being a very inexpensive big brake kit with a factory OEM look.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Nice...cant wait to see them!

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I wanted to point out to anyone looking to change calipers, that it is important to match the piston area to the OEM caliper if you want to maintain proper brake balance. The stock n/a caliper has a single 2.25" piston which has an area of 3.96 sq. inches. The OEM 4 piston Brembo calipers I have, have a total area of 3.66 sq inches which is close enough to not make a difference. To find the area of a fixed four pistion caliper you only measure the area of one side of the caliper. The Brembo's have a 1.44" and a 1.62" pistons on each side. Using just one side you come to 3.66 square inches.

Next I am going to tiral fit a caliper to the car and if all looks good will start shopping for rotors and I will bead blast the calipers and paint silver and then either put "AMG" or "Mercedes Benz" on the side. the other option is to leave black or paint red and put the "Brembo" lettering on them. Thougts? I am leaning silver as that goes with all the silver trim on my SSB Coupe.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

check the Car and driver specs of the srt6 vs Limited. limited stops in shorter distance. Limited rotors are lighter and have less mass to overcome. those big AMG rotors would take forever to slow down... all your gaining is heat retension with the larger brakes. And I don't see you Auto-crossing the V8 Crossfire in the future.your better suited to building up a TT v6 if that's the goal.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

I thought both of your comments on this thread were stupid, especially the first one about using plastic Brembo covers over the stock calipers. Who said I building my car to Auto Cross? The fact is I just think the stock floating calipers don't look good even though they work fine. My car stops just fine now. I am presently using Ceramic pads which have no dust and are easier on the rotors than semi metalic and intend to put ceramic pads into this set up.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

C32 brakes FS …http://www.mbworld.org/forums/suspen...mg-brakes.html

They’re not mine; can’t vouch for the member.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

These will bolt right on any Crossfire. If I hadn't already bought parts, I would be jumping on these! One of you guys should try to buy them! I just finished trial fitting my calipers and will post pictures in a few minutes.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

Project Update:

Today I jacked the car and removed the stock caliper. the CL500 Brembo Caliper bolted right on! They even clear the stock dust shield just fine although I suspect I will have to ditch them when I get new rotors since the new rotors are thicker. I then popped in the pads and verified that these rotors are in fact designed to work with 330mm rotors (SRT-6/SLK32). Next I mounted my wheel up and verified that the wheel clears the calipers. they do clear but it is much closer than stock. See pictures. Now I need to find some SRT rotors. the OEM rotors are very resonable but I am also looking at drilled and/or slotted.

P.S. Someone really should by the C32 brakes that Splinter provided a link to.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

The calipers are now ready to install. I bead blasted them to bare metal and then painted them with silver Caliper paint then applied the lettering. How do they look? I am now waiting on rotors and and some new Posi-quiet ceramic pads.

Re: C32 Brake upgrade
 

How do they look? Like new!

Les