Brabus brake upgrade in action

[marc.l]

Hi guys
I will put mine on the scales but I think they are around the same weight , even with cast bells . But I think alloy bells would save around 10kg total . I'm currently cutting my back plates to add cooling ducts to the rotors , my local track is cadwell park and its very hard on brakes !!!
With regards to wheels I put my brabus monoblock s 20x10.5 and they are under 15kg.

 

[ricky s]

Went on a 7 hour round trip this morning to collect my completed bells and brackets for my Brabus brake kit, pictures to follow, car ran perfectly, until 20 miles from home, went round a roundabout at slow speed, as I left locked the steering to navigate the roundabout, a really heavy knock, virtually a clunk, on the front end, straightened up and re left locked to exit the roundabout, heavy clunk again, then managed to re initiate the same noise as I entered my home road by slow turn to left, some 10 miles later, ugh!!! cars! going to book it into local MB Monday, just when you think everything is just swimmingly dandy with your beloved motor, wham, more expense, LOL

 

[marc.l]

Hi Ricky , so hear about the clunk !!!
Weights of standard e55 brakes
Front calliper 6.2 kg
Front disk 15.12 kg
Rear caliper 2.84 kg
Rear disk 8.84 kg
So all in 66 kg I think from the delivery price from mine ( came in via air mail) the gross weight including a small wooden pallet was 75 kg so the brakes including brackets and pads was 61 kg

 

[ricky s]

Hi Ricky , so hear about the clunk !!!
Weights of standard e55 brakes
Front calliper 6.2 kg
Front disk 15.12 kg
Rear caliper 2.84 kg
Rear disk 8.84 kg
So all in 66 kg I think from the delivery price from mine ( came in via air mail) the gross weight including a small wooden pallet was 75 kg so the brakes including brackets and pads was 61 kg

Hi Marc, thats very useful info mate, I will get my brabus kit out of the boot later and put it onto the weighing machine and see how it all compares and post it up, you can then see how much weight saving your alloy bells have actually given you, against the steel bells I have. Interesting that on paper it looks as if you have a weight saving, Alx who sold me the kit I have, maintained that he thought it would save weight, but I had been doubting this, seems he may well have been right. Get back to you later this afternoon.

 

[marc.l]

Hi Ricky
That was with the original bells , in the end all I needed was rear calliper brackets due to it being a waggon have had to fit the rear callipers 1.5 inches lower to clear the suspension link , have had to have the brackets made off centre to keep the calliper on the correct radius to the disk while using the original mounting points on the car .

I have also been looking at wheel weight and found my 20" brabus wheels only weigh 14,94 kg before I had a strengthening ring welded on the inside edge of the wheel to make them stronger for uk roads . Not sure what the original weigh but I think maybe more .

 

[ricky s]

Hi Ricky , so hear about the clunk !!!
Weights of standard e55 brakes
Front calliper 6.2 kg
Front disk 15.12 kg
Rear caliper 2.84 kg
Rear disk 8.84 kg
So all in 66 kg I think from the delivery price from mine ( came in via air mail) the gross weight including a small wooden pallet was 75 kg so the brakes including brackets and pads was 61 kg

Hi Marc, just put my kit on the weighing machine, this is not to the gram, but close.

Front Brabus Caliper with pads and mounting bracket 8.8kg
Front 380mm disc's inc steel mounting bells 14.1kg
Rear Brabus caliper with pads and mounting bracket 4.1kg
Rear disc's with steel mounting brackets and handbrake drum 11.2kg

making total 76.4kg

Seems I need to lose 10kg in weight, (probaly lighter wheels) albeit, prehaps a big ask (23lb), to help compensate for the benifit of having this additional braking. Weird that the front disc assembly is a tiny bit lighter than the OEM disc.

I will take some pictures later, and post them up.

 

[ricky s]

Hi Ricky
That was with the original bells , in the end all I needed was rear calliper brackets due to it being a waggon have had to fit the rear callipers 1.5 inches lower to clear the suspension link , have had to have the brackets made off centre to keep the calliper on the correct radius to the disk while using the original mounting points on the car .

I have also been looking at wheel weight and found my 20" brabus wheels only weigh 14,94 kg before I had a strengthening ring welded on the inside edge of the wheel to make them stronger for uk roads . Not sure what the original weigh but I think maybe more .

Marc, sorry forgot to recall the wheel weight thing, your running those 20's, think I already mentioned that my rear 19" split rim OEM MB wheels alone, (no tyres), are coming in at 17.5kg, so your Brabus wheels are lighter anyway, so you have a saving over my situation, where do you think you will explore next, given your already under way with brake ventilation and your Cf cooling system, sure a few of the guys here would like to hear of these when you have installed them, if weight saving, what would you be looking at. I believe one of our forum members has had most of the sound deadening removed from under the carpets, with quite a big weight saving, but I think its a call between full competion and a occassionly event, how much of your car do you strip out? This said seem to recall Acids passenger seat was out on the track at Santa Pod, to lighten the moment, Sav Man might input here, not totally switched on with his weight load to his beast, loads of power, but not sure where he has gone weight wise.

 

[SavMan]

I am still working on the basis that if I put enough power out I dont have to worry about weight

The only weight that's been shed is when it affects other areas of performance so exhaust changes saved a few kgs and under bonnet felt removed to help airflow.

Acid was running almost full weight he had a lighter drivers seat and then took out the passenger seat after a couple of runs and was slower! It was cooler and getting damp so not really a fair comparision of his earlier runs.

Will consider things over the winter , need a break from the car

 

[marc.l]

I'm nearly ready to layup the cf tank , the mould is made just waiting to finalelise the design of the air boxes and inlet so I can make all the bits at once . I have got quite good at laying up carbon fibre using the bagging method and vacuum infusion. My 82 year old mother in law feel down stairs and cracked 3 vertebrae in her back and the local hospital measured her up for a brace to be made in cf . I ask how many weeks it will take to arrive and they said the same day , so I asked one of the mangers if I could go and have a look at how they make them . I spent 3 afternoons with the guy and learnt quite a lot and the process being fairly light suited my health . I had done quite a lot of glass fibre work in the past but always thought the tec for carbon fibre was beyond the enthusiasts use. I brought a vacuum pump And all the stuff and it only cost me £195 , a friend who works in the aero industry gets me as much cf twill cloth as I need ( off cuts ) upto about 58x 36 inches for free
Next cf project is going to be cf under trays to smooth out the air flow and inter grate it into the front splitter . I have way too much time on my hands ...

 

[SavMan]

You take it easy Marc and look after that heart of yours, really interested in how you get on with the dual TB and intake system.

 

[ricky s]

'need a break from the car'

I know what your saying Paul, bit of a blessing winters here! I personally am going to get a few things in and paid for and rest up for a while, financially and enthusiasm wise, we will all be refreshed in the spring time raing to go! and hear what we have all been up too.

Best regards

 

[Alex]

Hi Marc, just put my kit on the weighing machine, this is not to the gram, but close.

Front Brabus Caliper with pads and mounting bracket 8.8kg
Front 380mm disc's inc steel mounting bells 14.1kg
Rear Brabus caliper with pads and mounting bracket 4.1kg
Rear disc's with steel mounting brackets and handbrake drum 11.2kg

making total 76.4kg

Seems I need to lose 10kg in weight, (probaly lighter wheels) albeit, prehaps a big ask (23lb), to help compensate for the benifit of having this additional braking. Weird that the front disc assembly is a tiny bit lighter than the OEM disc.

I will take some pictures later, and post them up.

Hi Ricky,

Seems like, despite very similar weight, CL and E don't share the same brake components apart from 8-pot calipers. I could swear that OEM rotors in my CL are heavier than those from Brabus. I will try to get hold of a new rotor from the dealer next week and weigh it against your figures to make sure I'm not hallucinating. LOL!

Please post the pics when you can. The brakes must look the part with your 19" alloys!

 

[C240Sport97]

my rear 19" split rim OEM MB wheels alone, (no tyres),

forged alloys are around 10.5 kgs ..

 

[marc.l]

Mmm mine are forged 20x10.5 and I haven't seen any that light , forgestar f14 20x9.5 come in at just under 13kg and Rohana 20x10.5 RC5 Matte Black Machined - come in at just under 15kg and they are both well known for being very light .
Do you have a link ?
Marc

 

[marc.l]

My forged rear wheels on the scales not seen a great deal lighter with TUV certification .
Marc

 

[C240Sport97]

Mmm mine are forged 20x10.5 and I haven't seen any that light , forgestar f14 20x9.5 come in at just under 13kg and Rohana 20x10.5 RC5 Matte Black Machined - come in at just under 15kg and they are both well known for being very light .
Do you have a link ?
Marc

forgestar is not forged ..

www.hreperformancewheels.com

Finspeed - High Performance Racing Gear

 

[SavMan]

Carlsson ultralights are around 10 kgs

 

[marc.l]

I rather like the finspedd F11-rt but can't see any weights on the site . Are they TUV tested ?
I've never looked at Carlsson stuff always just thought about them as a styling house rather than a serious manufacture . But 10.5 kg is some weight saving !
Marc

 

[ricky s]

Having received a call from local MB this afternoon, I wandered down there around 4pm, wo and behold, my Brabus brake kit was now fully completed and being loaded with 5.1 fluid. told the car will be road tested first thing in the morning. so fingers crossed, my car will be back tomorrow.
Whilst this brake upgrade will be subject to further discussion as I lay out the whole sorry saga of the past fortnight, but hoping for a happy ending tomorrow, ie I am a happy boy.

This said, the prime reason my car went to local MB for this fitment over going to PCS, was a clunking sound from the front end of the car, (baring in mind I had hit a pot hole some 3 weeks back, ****dy roads), turned out to be a top suspension joint broken, and then today, MB annonce a flat spot on my 14 month old front wheel as well, which was a replacement for the originally flat spot wheel, I could scream! £1200 a time, I had a brand new replacement for this as I had brought recently from a forum member, so thats now going on as we speak. I think I will just take my car to Goodwood only, its a much safer place!

 

[ricky s]

Having received a call from local MB this afternoon, I wandered down there around 4pm, wo and behold, my Brabus brake kit was now fully completed and being loaded with 5.1 fluid. told the car will be road tested first thing in the morning. so fingers crossed, my car will be back tomorrow.
Whilst this brake upgrade will be subject to further discussion as I lay out the whole sorry saga of the past fortnight, but hoping for a happy ending tomorrow, ie I am a happy boy.

This said, the prime reason my car went to local MB for this fitment over going to PCS, was a clunking sound from the front end of the car, (baring in mind I had hit a pot hole some 3 weeks back, ****dy roads), turned out to be a top suspension joint broken, and then today, MB annonce a flat spot on my 14 month old front wheel as well, which was a replacement for the originally flat spot wheel, I could scream! £1200 a time, I had a brand new replacement for this as I had brought recently from a forum member, so thats now going on as we speak. I think I will just take my car to Goodwood only, its a much safer place!

Anyone remember a film, 'Kellys Hero's' there is a part where this american nomadic army group are looking for an intact river bridge to cross in German terroitory to rob a bank containing german gold bars, theres a famous clip along the lines, of them looking for this intact bridge, 'theres one and its still up', 10 seconds later the US air force planes bomb the bridge!, with the script replying, 'NAH its not' well thats how I feel about my Brabus brake kit, yesterday afternoon, everything looked good, this morning at 11 ish, a call to say one of the rear calipers will not bleed. Interconnecting line will, but caliper won't. Loads of phone calls, result, caliper off and going back to Birmingham on courier, now unlikely to be ready by next week at earlist! So yesterday 'its on' today 'Nah its not', this mod is really testing my patience, I do hope its all worth it in the end, albeit all this c**p has taken the edge off everything for me, and the cost of the fitment has spiralled, now dreading receiving MBs invoice! my intended light weight wheels might be a little delayed now, oh the joy of modding cars, LOL.