Ceramic pads-less effective stopping power.
 

I had some Akebono ceramic pads installed along with new front rotors on my 95 E300D. Unfortunately, after 1,000 miles I still have to press the brake pedal harder and longer to bring the car to a stop as compared to OE pads. This was not the experience I had with Akebonos on a Toyota LC I had.
Will this braking impove after more 'break-in' time? Anyone with similar experience?:(
P.S. I did a search and read previous threads.

OE pads are high friction thats why they dust more.
My guess is you're not generating enough heat to warm up these ceramic pads. What happens if you stop repeatedly? Does the braking get progressively better?

Try to use some bedding in procedures. Find a deserted corner of your neighbourhood and bring the car up to speed and brake hard to a stop. Do it 6-7 times from 40-60 mph then drive to cool.

If you are looking for low cost dustless pads with good friction right off the bat try Axxis Deluxe Plus pads. The plus ones are better than the plain deluxe ones. You can get them here http://www.buybrakes.com/axxis/apps-Mercedes-Benz.html Mfg Part Number: 45-04230D

Since the ceramic pads are 'harder' than the steel rotor, won't the bedding-in procedure you describe overheat and possibly warp the rotors?

From what you and others have reported, what you experienced is normal. Ceramic pads are designed for heavy service, such as racing, to prevent brake fade from overheating from heavy, repetitive use. They don't work well in regular driving. Do you really need ceramic pads on your dieselmobile?

Having installed ceramic pads on my truck about 6 months ago, I can assure you that the pedal effort and stopping distances ( unless the brakes are VERY warm ), will both be greater than with other materials.;)
I doubt that I will be buying them again. :(

Earlier this week I was preparing to order a set of Akebonos for my car. At the last minute, I dedcided to go with PBR Deluxe Plus. I am glad I obeyed my intuition. :)

reawakening an old thread
 

I have akebonos on one car and PBR deluxe on the other, both are '87 300D turbos. I can tell which pads I am using as soon as I hit the brakes. I swapped the pads from one car to the other also, one has slotted rotors and the other is OE. The ceramics do better on non slotted discs and definitely take greater pressure when cold and I wouldn't want my wife to drive with them so I did the swap. I believe its fair to say the PBR Deluxe pads offer the low dust feature with nearly the same coefficient of friction as Textars (OE) so that's what I was using before experimenting with Akebonos and I won't be buying any more of them either. I usually get 50K miles on a set of pads though so I won't be buying pads any time soon :rolleyes: IF I were driving the mountains a lot I might be inclined to use ceramics because they do not fade.

My experience with Akebono pads (compared to Textar pads) when cold it takes more brake force to get the initial grip that the Textar pads had. With the Textar pads I could apply a light pressure to the brakes and it would grip immediately.

After driving with the Akebono pads for a month I got use to the lack of initial brake grip and don't notice it anymore. When I first installed the Akebono pads I cautioned my wife (who rarely drives the Mercedes) about the lack of grip with the new brakes. My wife couldn't tell any difference with the new brakes. This is most likely due to the fact that she wasn't comparing them directly with the Textar pads.

If I can get 60K miles out of the Akebono pads then I will buy them again. I only got 40K miles out of the Textar pads.

Actually, it's because of TUV requirements that the pads contain a certain amount of graphite/carbon. That's why it's always the German OE pads that have the worst dust characteristics.

the hawks i bought from tire rack require less pedal pressure for the same braking affect.

good on dust too, with no squealing.

tom w

Which pads did you have on your wifes 300D that i drove? those were very responsive and the grip was amazing!

I believe those are PBR Deluxe in the car that you drove, Ruben. They grip nicely, almost as quick as Textars and OE's (basically the same) and just a hint of brake noise under heavy braking.
I removed the Textars after I painted the wheels or rather I had the nearby bodyshop I told you about, Bayshore Autobody paint them.