Upgrades For ML W163 Brakes?

Well it's not so much the feel of the brakes that is the problem, it's more the strong smell of burnt brake linings and the fact that no matter how hard you jump on the brake peddle, it only pulls up gradually as if you were slowing down, not trying to stop :eek

Please don't get me wrong, the brakes do work, very well for a time, but if you continue to push them they give up and over heat..... I had the same problem with a Toyota Landcruiser..... big car, little brakes, not a good combination. The discs / rotors are way bigger on the Range Rover, and that doesn't suffer from fade at all. And while I find the lack of brakes annoying after a spirited drive, I have come to expect it, and adjust the driving style accordingly...... BUT, it is used for towing heavy trailers (3.5 tons / 7500 lbs+) and the worry is brake fade when going down a steep long hill. Happened once in the Landcruiser and was not a nice experience.

I need to improve the thermal efficiency of the brake system, and the best way is bigger discs / rotors to dissipate the extra heat, rather than increase the braking pressures........ I don't need to stop any quicker, but I do need to stop for longer :wink

I've looked at that one already! I think I'll just have to pay a visit to a Mercedes salvage yard and see if I can sort out something bigger... I have noticed that the Brembo callipers are are fitted to the 270CDI so there must have been an option for better brakes..... But I need bigger brakes and it looks like the ML500 has a different hub/knuckle assembly to the smaller ML's.... Might just try a set of drilled / slotted discs to start with, the self cleaning action of the discs should ensure that I'm at least stopping with clean friction material, rather than, err, burnt :eek

I had to change the clutch the other week, and while there was 2-3 mm left on each side, and it was nowhere near the rivets, the clutch plate was black and totally burnt.....The net result was the clutch acted normally at low revs, but if you pushed it the revs would stay high, constantly slipping, almost as if the clutch was covered in oil..... I suppose that the brakes are doing the same thing, when they get too hot, the carbon / burnt bit acts as a lubricant..... Not the best thing if your trying to stop :wink

Just reading through the thread and there seams to be a bit of confusion.... My brakes are working as Mercedes intended.

But where I live there are rather a lot of round-a-bouts, if your unfamiliar with these Google Earth / Map Milton Keynes UK, and have a look at the major roads... Nearly all the major roads in Milton Keynes Have a 70 MPH speed limit and are broken up with round-a-bouts.... in a 5 mile stretch you can go from 0 -70 - 0 multiple times, in fact the road that shows up the brakes weaknesses has 9 stops in a 6 mile journey.

By the time I'm pulling up at home, I'm having to push the brake peddle with all my might and keeping my fingers crossed that I'll stop. As I said this is not the first 4x4 that I have had this problem with, but I do also have a 4x4 that doesn't suffer at all. So it's not a 4x4 thing

I've just been looking at the size of the discs and there appears to be 2 sizes listed 303 mm and 345 mm for the front, is that the difference between sliding and 4 pot callipers? 345 mm front discs are exactly what I'm after, the Range Rover sports 344 mm fronts, so that's the sort of size that I need!