126 S-class.
16 years, and I'm finally getting tired of the brake dust.
Bought a new set of wheels, so that may have been what set me off.
I've used several of the major pad brands over the years (Texstar, Pagid, PBR, OEM) and they all have the same characteristics:
stop really well, don't squeal, good pedal feel, wear pretty quick, dust like crazy.
Right now I'm on Texstar, and they could be the worst yet - the dust is actually greasy. The fronts get unacceptably dirty (for me) in 20 miles!

Some guys on here rave about the ceramic pads.
What is the lowest-dust pad available, and are there major drawbacks to it for a gently-driven old S-class (rotor eating, squeal, soft pedal, etc)?

Thanks, guys,
DG

PBR Deluxe pads. They squeak some but there is very little dust even after several months.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

EBC green stuff. They are kevlar and dust clear or slightly white. I use them on every car I own to keep the rims clear. They have superior braking power to most pads I have tried and I track! The down side is they can get a kind of gravely noise to them... much better than a squeak in my opinion but something you are not used to hearing. If they do make noise, spray them with the hose while washing the car and rise out the dust build up. They might not make them for your car but if they do... very good pads! You can get them through tire rack. People debate that they dont last as long as semi metalic... I have not had that problem but it stands to reason, theres no metal in them! They have the added bonus of not eating the clear coat on your wheels the way normal pads will.


ceramic pads dust black and are hard to break in... you actually have to follow the steps to do it or they will squeak like crazy. Performance friction is probably the easiest and cheapest to get but I have never been a big fan. People debate that they eat rotors, I think its from not beding them in properly. But, like I said, they dust. They can glaze over pretty easily if you lightly ride the brake which will cause the to squeak like crazy. If they do, spray them with the hose to wash out the dust and maybe you can scrub off the glaze while driving. If not, pull the pads and rough em up with sand paper. Ceramic pads have great braking performance and are an upgrade to semi metallic but I wouldnt get them to cut down on dust.



Never spray hot brakes with water to rinse out the dust... not so good for rotors.

Thanks for the inputs, guys.
I hadn't thought about Performance Friction or EBC on the old Benz.
I have used their pads on my Vettes, but I always assumed the "sacrificial" rotors on the Benz wouldn't be compatible.
I'll check for some applications.
The PBR sounds good....but once I bought a set of OEM that squeaked, and the "Boss" really complained. Finally had to swap them out.
But I might try those.

Cheers,
DG

the ceramics from tire rack are working for me....hawks.

not much dust. big big improvment on dust and less pedal pressure needed to stop.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The PBR MetalMasters are pretty good. There are minimal dust... it is a light copper color dust after awhile of not cleaning the wheels. After 20K miles of driving, I still have lots of pad left!

Ceramics are excellent for long life and low dust, but a cheap rotor will get chewed under it's increased hardness. Get a good rotor too.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

I know what you mean by Textar! I swear I can write my name on my front wheels after driving down the street! I am gentle on those brakes to, I bet I get 30k-40k around town miles out of them!

I wish I knew what pads the PO put on my SD. If I do not clean the front wheels for a month and they still look really clean! With the Textars I clean them 3-4 times a week. I ride the brakes hard on that car too! They must be ceramic or something because they do not bite like the brakes on the SDL do. You have to really put some foot into the pedal but once you do they come on strong.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

DG, stay with Textar brake pads and get a set of Kleen Wheels. If you drive conservatively you'll have no problems with overheating/warping the rotors. I have Kleen Wheels on the front wheels of our 4 MB autos and all is well.

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Fred Hoelzle

I've got a set of PBR ceramics and they dust like crazy.. wheels are black after a week. I don't bother cleaning them anymore... clearcoat on the wheels is dead anyway, plus the bundts just plain annoy me.

The brakes bite pretty well though.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Guru, best brake pads are dusty, cause their softer compund makes you feel the easy breakingfeeling, plus very friendly with your rotor, the ceramic type (bendix) is not that dusty but you not going to enjoy the feel of your foot, its a bit hard but stops car with ease. ofcourse there are other type of brake pad with more metal particle, but you'll stilll have the dust, so far non dust residue pads are not intorduced to the public yet. or still to be invented.

My understanding, and it makes perfect sense, is that softer pads are more quickly efficient from a cold state in a panic stop. They also require less pedal pressure. Less pedal pressure equals greater braking efficiency from the pads. Isn't this what you would want for normal driving conditions?

I think the manufacturers have figured this out. Harder pads take longer to heat up and are better for racing. Having said that MB brakes are designed for speeds up to 150 mph.

I'll just stay with the yellow box Textars and clean the dust.

Steve

If you don't drive aggressively install a set of dust shields between the rotor and rim. They are available on the web.
Mike

I use Porterfield pads, which are carbon fibre/kevlar. No brake dust to speak of.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

PBR Deluxe.

I installed them up front about 2 months ago, and have not needed to clean my front wheels since. Regular car washes easily remove any accumulated dust.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black