Brake rotors replacement?

Tiny
ROBBY631
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 MERCEDES BENZ CLK320
  • 3.2L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 180,000 MILES
I need to replace the front rotors. The ones on the car are ventilated, but when I enter the car's info on Rock Auto or O'Reillys it comes up with both solid and ventilated types which they all claim are an "exact fit". Are the types interchangeable? The solid ones are of course thinner. I would like to use solid ones since they are less expensive and I'm on a tight budget. Thanks!
Sunday, July 17th, 2022 AT 10:11 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,579 POSTS
The front rotors will be vented, the rear rotors will be solid. The exact fit is applicable if you use the correct position on the car. They are not interchangeable however, so you will need vented ones for the front. As you are replacing the rotors you will be replacing the pads as well, you might want to look at one of the kits rock auto sells. Like the Power Stop KOE2786 kit that does front and rear. That will get you the parts to do both ends but at a discount on the parts and only one shipping charge. Just toss the rear parts on the shelf until you get to them.

This guide is similar to what you have except you have alignment pins on the hubs to hold the rotor in place while you change the parts:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-front-brake-pads-and-rotors-fwd
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Sunday, July 17th, 2022 AT 3:13 PM
Tiny
ROBBY631
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  • 2 POSTS
Yes, I know the fronts are ventilated and the rears are solid. But the thing is when searching on Rock Auto, etc. There are front solid rotors which claim to be an exact fit.
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Monday, July 18th, 2022 AT 10:15 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,579 POSTS
There are no solid rotors for the front end, I just looked at all of the rock auto parts and none of the fronts they show are solid. Not sure where you think you saw them, but nobody sells a solid front rotor for that car. I've only seen a solid rotor on small import cars from the very early days of disc brakes. That is because a non-vented rotor would last about a week in normal driving in the front. The front brakes do over 75 percent of the braking and they are vented to allow them to cool off.
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Monday, July 18th, 2022 AT 7:31 PM

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