I am looking for ceramic pads for my 83 240d - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 06-23-2008, 01:40 PM

anybody know of a place to get some?

Tom W

JimmyL · #2 06-23-2008, 02:28 PM

I get mine at Napa or O-Reilly.....

winmutt · #3 06-23-2008, 03:26 PM

Why not get EBC reds? Does your 240D really go that fast? I am certainly getting Reds for the front next go around.

AdvisorGuy · #4 06-23-2008, 03:56 PM

I have/had Wagner Thermo-Quiets front & rear. I was working at a parts store back in Jersey last year when I got the car. They're not bad but couldn't get the rears to stop squealing in reverse no matter how many times I took them apart. We started carrying Monroe pads but we didn't stock the ceramics so I got a set of "Dynamics" for the rear while I was still there to give them a shot. I finally switched them out about 4 months ago and no squeal from the rear anymore. Dusting from either is good and pedal has good bite.

#5 06-23-2008, 04:26 PM

NAPA works great for me but the rears will squeak after hard use.

AdvisorGuy · #6 06-23-2008, 05:43 PM

Front pads gotta have nearly 20K on them and they still look new...

Ara T. · #7 06-23-2008, 06:01 PM

I bought some PBR ceramics from Fastlane thinking they would be low dust. Turns out they do put out a lot of black dust but they stopped ok.

MBeige · #8 06-23-2008, 07:15 PM

I think Fastlane has Akebono brake pads.

t walgamuth · #9 06-23-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

NAPA works great for me but the rears will squeak after hard use.

Does napa have ceramics for front and rear?

Tom W

Cervan · #10 06-24-2008, 03:20 AM

are you autocrossing or something?ebc reds should be good.. i mean unless your towing a trailer and slamming on your brakes everywhere.

t walgamuth · #11 06-24-2008, 07:05 AM

dust, my friend.

And I might be towing a trailer one of these days with my autocrosser on it with the price of fuel.

Tom W

Cervan · #12 06-24-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

dust, my friend.

And I might be towing a trailer one of these days with my autocrosser on it with the price of fuel.

Tom W

Ah, i see. Well i googled and found this http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=8339 ( funny, same forum) Post #10 said

I've posted on this subject before. Upgrading the brakes on my Benz was the best favor I ever did myself or my car. I will try to address the previous post in the order they appear. First, I agree with the original poster. Brake dust is the most irritating aspect of owning a Benz (Sorry Duckmuck) yes it comes off with water but if you have a 50 mile round trip to work like I do, you'd be out there everyday (like I was) not once a week cleaning your wheels. I don't know about you, but I signed up to drive a Benz, not a garden hose.

Next, aftermarket rotors do not enable you to use metalic pads anymore than stock benz rotors. They are both made out of cast iron, one is no better than the other. If you want improved rotors, you are now talking forged steel (and huge dollars) mostly made for racing apps. Metalic pads will chew through rotors slightly quicker and thats the rub, but who cares at approx $50 bucks a pop for rotors. What you gain in reduced brake fade and time savings from not constantly cleaning your wheels more than makes up for it. Besides, you don't use metalic pads to rid yourself of brake dust (especially in this day and age) you use carbon-kevlar or a derivitave.

That's wht EBC is. Unfortunately, they are hard to find in this country and have a very limited list of apps. These types of pads are "rotor friendly", decrease brake fade tremendously, and produce almost zero dust. The best source I know for carbon-kevlar pads is http://www.porterfield-brakes.com . If Tim doesn't have your app he will make you some out of an old set of your pads (don't worry, he's got apps for almost every Benz in stock) but he will also make a pattern out of your old pads so the next time you need some you can just call and order. Cost? Maybe $75.00 to $150.00 for fronts, less for rears.

Yes, brake shields are heresy and they are the worst thing you can put on your car (for your brakes anyway). Reason being, they do not allow your brakes to cool properly. Along with warped rotors (and relatively quickly) you will encounter huge increases in brake fade caused by heat that can increase stopping distances 25 to 50 percent. You may want to train yourself to compensate for this by altering your driving style. I don't.

What a wonderfully demonsterative term Kebowers. "High coefficient of friction". And what you say about "harder pads" definetly applies to metalic and metalic based pads. However, carbon-kevlar actually yeilds a higher coeficient of friction than organic requiring less pedal pressure and superior braking. The ONLY drawback that I am aware of with the pads I am proposing is that the first couple of stops every morning can be a little unnerving. Carbon-kevlar pads need a little temperature in them to work. After you realize this they are a pleasure to use. Paul