Mercedes-AMG E63S Brake Upgrade Guide (W213): Iron Rotors, Carbon Ceramic Conversion & CCB Replacement
Updated: Oct 24
A Mercedes-AMG E63S brake upgrade comes down to three routes, and which one applies depends on what’s behind your wheels today. If your E63S has factory iron discs, you can step up to a true floating iron rotor or convert the whole car to carbon ceramic. If it already has the factory carbon ceramic brakes, you can replace those discs with ours when they’re worn or damaged.
The W213 is a heavy, very quick sedan, so its brakes work hard. This guide covers what each upgrade fits, what it costs, how long it takes to arrive, and how to choose between them.
Start with what’s on your E63S
Some E63S cars left the factory with iron brakes, and others with the optional carbon ceramic setup. Iron discs point you to options one and two. Factory carbon ceramic discs point you to option three. Not sure which you have? Send us your VIN and we’ll tell you before you order anything.
Signs your E63S brakes are due
A heavy sedan with this much speed is hard on discs, so it pays to know what to look for. On iron discs, watch for vibration through the pedal or wheel when you brake, deep grooves or scoring, cracks, or a raised lip at the outer edge. Iron discs also have a minimum thickness stamped on them, and once you reach it they’re finished, however they look. Vibration gets blamed on warped rotors a lot, and our post on the warped rotor myth explains why that’s often not the real cause.
Carbon ceramic wears differently and doesn’t always look worn. Chips, cracks or a badly worn surface are easy to spot, but the real test is measuring the disc against its wear limit, and a shop that knows carbon ceramic should do that
Option 1: Floating iron rotors for the E63S, from $1,291
The factory iron disc on the E63S is a quasi two-piece design, with the ring and the hat semi-integrated. Ours is a true two-piece rotor: a G3500 high carbon iron alloy ring on a 6061-T6 billet aluminum hat. It’s a direct replacement for the factory disc with no modification required, sized at 390mm by 36mm at the front and 360mm by 26mm at the rear.
Prices start at $1,291, and you choose your axle on the product page. Lead time is about 35 days, and the rotors carry a one-year, 36,000-mile warranty against manufacturer defects. They’re rated 4.8 out of 5 across 11 reviews. Several other machining patterns are available, so email us if you want something different from the standard one. We highly recommend noise reduction and anti-vibration shims with these rotors. See the E63S floating rotors.
What true floating changes
On a disc where the ring is locked to the hat, heat goes into the ring, the ring wants to grow, and the hat holds it back. On a true floating rotor, the ring is a separate piece bolted to the hat with hardware that gives it room to move, so it can expand as it heats up instead of fighting the hat. The hat doesn’t do any braking, so there’s no reason for it to be heavy iron. Because the ring is its own part, you can replace the ring alone when it wears, and we supply replacement rings on request. Our floating brake disc explainer goes further.
Option 2: Iron-to-carbon ceramic conversion, $10,998
For W213 E63S models equipped with steel brakes, Triton offers a complete carbon ceramic conversion kit.
It’s a direct bolt-on replacement for the factory iron discs and pads, with no modifications required. It includes the front and rear carbon ceramic discs plus performance-matched pads.
The discs use our Gen 3 construction: continuous, long carbon fibers in a 3D bonded structure, rather than the chopped or short fibers used in OEM carbon ceramic discs. Carbon ceramic is far lighter than iron, and it throws off less brake dust, so the wheels stay cleaner. Lead time is about 45 days, the warranty is one year or 36,000 miles, and customers rate the kit 5.0 out of 5 across 12 reviews. New carbon ceramic discs need a proper bed-in, and our bedding-in guide walks through it. See the E63S conversion kit.
What’s Included
Front & rear CCB-H carbon ceramic rotors.
Matching pads engineered for ceramic compatibility.
Floating 2-piece design with billet hats.
Direct bolt-on fitment — no modifications needed.
Advantages Over Iron
50% weight savings vs OEM steel rotors.
Fade-free braking even in high-temp track conditions.
CCB-H hardened friction layer for maximum wear resistance.
Option 3: Replacement carbon ceramic discs for factory-CCM E63S cars
If your E63S already has the factory carbon ceramic brakes, you don’t need a conversion. You need discs. Ours are a direct replacement for the factory CCM discs, with no modification required. They’re sized at 402mm by 40mm at the front and 360mm by 26mm at the rear, and listed for the E63 S 4MATIC and 4MATIC+ (W213, 2018 to 2023).
Pricing starts at $5,498, and you choose your axle on the product page. A full front and rear set is $10,998. Pads are sold separately. Lead time is about 45 days, and the warranty is one year or 36,000 miles. They use the same Gen 3 construction as the conversion kit, and the same bedding advice applies. See the E63S carbon ceramic replacement discs.
Weighing that against the dealer route? Our AMG carbon ceramic brake replacement cost guide covers what owners report and how the alternatives compare.
Iron or carbon ceramic: what changes on an E63S
Weight is the biggest difference. Carbon ceramic discs are far lighter than iron, and because that weight sits at the wheel, it counts for more than the same weight saved inside the car. We explain why in our post on unsprung weight.
Heat comes next. Carbon ceramic copes with repeated hard stops better than iron, which matters on a heavy car when you’re driving it hard or on track. Our guide to brake fade covers what’s happening when a brake starts to give up, and our stopping distance post looks at what changes when you move from iron to carbon ceramic.
Cost runs the other way. Floating iron rotors cost a fraction of carbon ceramic, and carbon ceramic asks for more money up front and more care with pads and bedding.
Some things don’t change. Your tires still set the limit on how hard you can stop, and your brake fluid still has to handle the heat, so high-performance brake fluid is worth doing in the same visit.
The three options side by side
Floating iron rotors | Iron-to-carbon ceramic conversion | Replacement carbon ceramic discs | |
Replaces | Factory iron discs | Factory iron discs and pads | Factory carbon ceramic (CCM) discs |
Size | 390x36mm front, 360x26mm rear | Direct bolt-on, confirmed by VIN | 402x40mm front, 360x26mm rear |
Price | Starts at $1,291 (select your axle) | $10,998 | Starts at $5,498 (select your axle); full set $10,998 |
Pads | Sold separately | Included | Sold separately |
Lead time | About 35 days | About 45 days | About 45 days |
Which Mercedes-AMG E63S brake upgrade should you pick?
Start with how you use the car.
If it’s mostly a road car with spirited drives and the occasional track day, floating iron rotors are the right call. You get a better-built rotor at a fraction of the cost of carbon ceramic, and you can keep the pad choice simple.
If you track the car regularly, it gets more interesting. Lots of track cars run iron, and it works fine when it’s set up properly. Carbon ceramic starts to earn its price when you’re lapping often, you want the lightest setup, and you’d rather not think about heat. Our post on setting up your brakes for track days covers the pad and fluid side.
If you want carbon ceramic on a car with iron brakes, the conversion is the route. Compare like for like, though: the kit’s $10,998 includes pads, while the floating rotors and the replacement discs don’t.
If you already have factory carbon ceramic, the replacement discs are the one that keeps you on the same type of brake. Thinking about going back to iron instead? That’s a different system, so email us your VIN first and we’ll tell you what fits.
What about pads?
The conversion kit comes with matched pads. The floating rotors and the replacement carbon ceramic discs are sold without them, so email us and we’ll match a pad to your car and how you drive it. Carbon ceramic discs need pads made for them. If you’re on iron, our breakdown of semi-metallic, ceramic and carbon ceramic pads will help you pick a compound, and our guide to the best pads for carbon ceramic brakes covers the carbon ceramic side. You can also browse our brake pads.
Installing them
Have a shop that knows AMG do the work. Fit new pads at the same time as new discs, follow the factory service procedure, and torque everything to spec. Fit the anti-vibration shims we recommend with the floating rotors. Carbon ceramic discs and new pads then need a proper bed-in, which is the part people skip.
What to send us before you order
Your model year, trim, VIN, whether the car has iron or carbon ceramic brakes now, and which axle or axles you need. The conversion kit and replacement disc order forms ask for much of the same information, so it helps to have it ready.
OEM part numbers these replace
These are the factory numbers listed on our product pages. Send us your VIN and we’ll confirm them for your car.
Floating iron rotors and the iron-to-carbon conversion: factory iron rotor part numbers 2314211812 and 2134230000.
Replacement carbon ceramic discs: front 231-421-15-12 and 231-421-16-12; rear 231-423-06-12 and 231-423-07-12, plus 212-423-13-12 and 212-423-14-12.
Frequently asked questions
Will these fit my E63S?
Each one is built as a direct replacement for the W213 E63S brakes it’s listed for. The floating iron rotors are 390mm by 36mm at the front and 360mm by 26mm at the rear, and the replacement carbon ceramic discs are 402mm by 40mm at the front and 360mm by 26mm at the rear, for 2018 to 2023 cars. Send us your model year, trim and VIN and we’ll confirm before you order.
Does the carbon ceramic conversion need any modifications?
No. The conversion kit is a direct bolt-on replacement for the factory iron discs and pads, with no modifications required.
Do the discs come with pads?
The iron-to-carbon ceramic conversion kit includes matched pads. The floating iron rotors and the replacement carbon ceramic discs are sold without them, so email us and we’ll recommend pads for your car.
Can I convert an E63S with iron brakes to carbon ceramic?
Yes. The conversion kit swaps the factory iron discs and pads for Gen 3 carbon ceramic discs and matched pads, and it’s priced at $10,998.
Can I buy just the rings for the floating rotors?
Yes. The floating rotors use an iron ring on a separate aluminum hat, so email us if you need replacement rings.
Do the floating rotors need shims?
We highly recommend noise reduction and anti-vibration shims with the floating rotors.
What machining patterns are available?
The floating rotors come in our standard pattern, and several other machining patterns are available. Email us to talk through the options.
How long does delivery take?
The floating iron rotors take about 35 days, the replacement carbon ceramic discs about 45 days, and the iron-to-carbon ceramic conversion kit about 65 days.
What’s the warranty and return policy?
The discs carry a one-year, 36,000-mile warranty (whichever comes first) against manufacturer defects. It doesn’t cover improper installation, use on the wrong platform or damage from outside influences, and it isn’t a road hazard warranty. Only unopened and unused rotors can be returned, with a 20% restocking fee plus shipping.
Do carbon ceramic discs need to be bedded in?
Yes. New carbon ceramic discs and pads should be bedded in properly before hard use, and we’ve written a full guide on how to do it.
The bottom line
For most E63S owners with iron brakes, floating iron rotors are the sensible Mercedes-AMG E63S brake upgrade. If you want carbon ceramic, the conversion gets you there as a bolt-on. And if your car already has factory carbon ceramic, our replacement discs keep you on the same type of brake. Tell us your model year, trim and VIN and we’ll point you to the right one.
Questions? Email info@tritonmotorsportsusa.com or call +1-469-553-0077.
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