W210 Rotor Preferences, Anyone? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

shertex · #1 06-01-2015, 10:02 AM

Need to do front brakes on the 98 soon. In the past I've used Balo rotors, but having trouble finding them. Was considering Pagid....have had good success with their pads in the past. MB branded a bit more but not too expensive.

What's anyone having good success with?

Jeremy5848 · #2 06-01-2015, 11:07 AM

I put Zimmermann (MB 203-421-03-12) rotors and Akebono EUR710 brake pads on the 1996 E300D a few years ago. No complaints and the wheels stay a lot cleaner with the Akebono pads.

Jeremy

Can't Know · #3 06-01-2015, 11:35 AM

I would second Jeremy's suggestion on the Zimmerman Z-Coat rotors.

Akebono pads are very popular for the low-dust option, but it's hard to beat the stopping power of the MB pads. Myself I went with the Axxis Deluxe Plus pads, which are part of the PBR enterprise, an OE supplier for MB pads. They are not a factory compound, though, and like the Akebono offer nearly zero pad dust. All of that said, I don't know anyone who is not happy with Akebono or Axxis Deluxe. (I chose the latter given the OES connection and they were a good bit less expensive than the Akebonos.)

I would avoid carbon-fiber pads unless you're going to be carving canyons. I had some of those previously, and while they lasted a good long while and offered excellent performance (once warmed up, they weren't as good as factory when cold, which is the problem with many aftermarket compounds), they had lots of brake dust and had kind of a "grindy-crunchy" sound to them; very soft, but noticeable if the windows were down. They also wore through the rotors in one set of pads, though they lasted 75,000 miles in the front and over 100,000 in the rear.

Textar, Pagid and PBR (and the base Axxis pads) are all good options with compounds very similar to the OE ones. I'm not sure exactly what brand and model you could source in the aftermarket to be assured of getting exactly what you'd get from the dealer's parts counter.

So to sum up, if you want factory-assured performance, hot or cold or dry or wet, and you don't mind brake dust, then go with dealer pads. If you don't have a fair dealer (many charge an additional amount over MSRP, as much as 30% or more on some things) then shop online with one of the dealers that offers good discounts.

Good luck.

shertex · #4 06-01-2015, 11:47 AM

I can get rotors from dealer for $63. Zimmermans would be about the same. I already have MB pads.

dlssmith · #5 06-01-2015, 03:48 PM

local dealers here in MN charge $85 for the rotors. Aftermarket rotors have not been worth it in my view. I've had a couple that warped fairly early.

jay_bob · #6 06-02-2015, 12:58 AM

Not to knock our sponsor in any way but you are dealing with the laws of physics here...

The reason the dealer charges so much more than online is the freight cost is built into the dealer price. Once you total out and hit the shipping page the dealer starts to look real attractive...

And I agree the OEM rotors are the best quality. When you have a part that has to go from ambient to nearly 2000 degrees and back again many times, quality matters.

w123fanman · #7 06-02-2015, 01:22 AM

You can get OEM at a discount OEM site, that's what I did for my 190D with 190E 2.6 front brakes, it was like $26 per rotor vs the regular price of like $35 or $40. Unfortunately that website is no longer up, it was run by my local dealer.

shertex · #8 06-02-2015, 06:35 AM

There are at least a couple of dealers that discount parts at about 25% and ship. Anytime I'm buying an MB branded part, that's how I do it. There's no way for any of the aftermarket parts suppliers to compete. For everything else, it's whoever's most competitive for price and service (glad for that to be Pelican, our esteemed sponsor).

Graham · #9 06-02-2015, 10:16 AM

I put Zimmerman coated on rear of my 98 E320. In my case, here in Canada, they were less expensive from on-line vendor that from dealer.

The coating comes off the rotor braking surfaces as soon as you use them. I used Pagid OE type pads. What I found, was that I had a lot of squeaking at low speed for the first year. We parked the car over the winter and for some reason, this year there has been no squeaking! Can only assume that the rust off the rotor surfaces somehow changed the pad surface. I had meant to remove the pads to roughen, try and remove the zinc that had become embedded and add re-do anti-squeal paste, but no need now.

I checked with my dealer parts guy. He says that their rotors are also all coated these days. Showed me one. Don't know if coating is same as Zimmerman's which I seem to recall is zinc based.

VW1300 · #10 06-02-2015, 11:27 AM

Are Brembo rotors any good?

Can't Know · #11 06-02-2015, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VW1300

Are Brembo rotors any good?

Yes, Brembo is an excellent company. Their stuff is also fairly expensive. If you find them at a price that is competitive for you, I'd definitely do that.

dlssmith · #12 06-03-2015, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham

I put Zimmerman coated on rear of my 98 E320. In my case, here in Canada, they were less expensive from on-line vendor that from dealer.

The coating comes off the rotor braking surfaces as soon as you use them. I used Pagid OE type pads. What I found, was that I had a lot of squeaking at low speed for the first year. We parked the car over the winter and for some reason, this year there has been no squeaking! Can only assume that the rust off the rotor surfaces somehow changed the pad surface. I had meant to remove the pads to roughen, try and remove the zinc that had become embedded and add re-do anti-squeal paste, but no need now.

I checked with my dealer parts guy. He says that their rotors are also all coated these days. Showed me one. Don't know if coating is same as Zimmerman's which I seem to recall is zinc based.

The dealer tech here told me that the coating is some kind of primer and it looks it. They put the discs on and let the pads take the primer off. I did the same and it seems fine.

Zulfiqar · #13 06-03-2015, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham

I put Zimmerman coated on rear of my 98 E320. In my case, here in Canada, they were less expensive from on-line vendor that from dealer.

The coating comes off the rotor braking surfaces as soon as you use them. I used Pagid OE type pads. What I found, was that I had a lot of squeaking at low speed for the first year. We parked the car over the winter and for some reason, this year there has been no squeaking! Can only assume that the rust off the rotor surfaces somehow changed the pad surface. I had meant to remove the pads to roughen, try and remove the zinc that had become embedded and add re-do anti-squeal paste, but no need now.

I checked with my dealer parts guy. He says that their rotors are also all coated these days. Showed me one. Don't know if coating is same as Zimmerman's which I seem to recall is zinc based.

There is a correct burnishing process for brake pads, which literally roasts them on the disc, that friction coal is what is required for good performing long lasting quiet brakes.

With new rotors and pads it takes a great deal of time to burnish the pads.

Zulfiqar · #14 06-03-2015, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VW1300

Are Brembo rotors any good?

I have Brembo rear brake rotors on my W210 with Pagid pads. The rotors were super cheap at 15 bucks piece.

The only problem with them was their box was beat up. They are italian made and even have balancing divots on them.