front brake pads
 

I just bought new ate rotors for the front on an 89 300se and iam not sure which pads to use.does anyone know if the ate pads are organic or metallic?

They should be semi-metallic.

Straight From the Source
 

http://www.contiteves-am.com/english/indexmit.htm

[Select "Our Products" and then "ATE"]

ATE brake pads
In the Thirties, Emero pads using steel wool became standard and in the Seventies the semi-metallic (metal fibre) pads were the norm. At the automechanika in Frankfurt in 1984, Continental Teves presented the third generation of pads, the environmentally-friendly fibre-replacement pads.
Thanks to the fibre-replacement technologies used (pad comprises textile glass fibre, aramid and other fibres), 100% asbestos-free, safe brake pads could be manufactured for the first time. The so-called asbestos-free semi-metallic pads of the time still employed an intermediate layer on the pad back plate that contained asbestos, but it was ATE's brake pads that ensured these pads were now totally free from this dangerous material. Original ATE brake pads are designed as a constituent part of the entire brake system and can therefore resist extreme loads. A stable friction coefficient, compressibility and shearing tenacity are signs of quality that determine the length and direction of your braking distance in emergency situations.
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The ATE pads generate a lot of dust. I'd rather have the dust, lower disk rotor wear, and great stopping characteristics with ATE.

Dust I can clean. :)

Ken300D

Use original MBZ pads! I recently saved $20 by installing Ate aftermaket pads and rotors on my '92 300D. Now the brakes make weird noises, like humming, and performance is less smooth than before. I shared my findings with my tech, who immediately asked if I'd used non-original pads.

You get what you pay for. I will shortly replace the front brakes with cryo-treated OE rotors and factory pads.

brake pads
 

just wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone for the input on brakes.i still havent made my mind up but iam leaning toward mb pads or the ate s. the porterfield s sound like they might be the best choice made of kevlar and carbon but 115 a set is a bit out of my range. happy holidays to you all.