Big Brake Kit
XYZ Racing Hollow Front Brake Kit — Mercedes Benz SLK 230 R170 (1996-2004)
SKU: XYZ-BRK-BKF-ME-006-FRONT
- IncludesFront axle pair (2 discs + 2 calipers)
- PositionFront
- Disc Ø330–444 mm
- Caliper pots6 / 8 / 12-pot
- Lead time10–15 working days
Fits Mercedes Benz SLK 230 R170 (1996-2004)
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Caliper render for this kit:
The R170 SLK 230’s supercharged M111 four-cylinder sits ahead of the front axle, loading the nose and asking more of the front brakes than the rear-biased weight distribution might suggest. Mercedes specced the R170’s factory binders for a roadster that would spend most of its working life on relaxed grand touring routes, reasonable when the car was new, less so for how these cars are used in UK hands today: track days, mountain runs, and the sort of driving that justified choosing a two-seat roadster over a saloon in the first place. The XYZ Racing front brake kit answers that gap directly.
This is a single-axle kit: a matched pair of front calipers and two-piece floating discs for the left and right corners. Three pad compounds let buyers configure it to match actual use, and the caliper finish is chosen when you order, from painted Red, Yellow, Gold, Black or Anodized Black through to the premium options, making the installation as visible as the owner wants through open-spoke wheels.
What this brake kit does for your 1996-2004 Mercedes Benz SLK 230 R170
Front-engined, rear-wheel-drive cars transfer weight forward under braking, loading the front axle hardest precisely when it needs to do its most demanding work. The R170’s factory front specification handles steady-state road use without drama, but heat management becomes the limiting factor under repeated hard applications, the kind of sustained load that comes from driving the SLK 230 as its 193bhp and linear supercharged torque invite. The hollow-vane disc draws air through the rotor body to shed that heat faster than a solid casting, and the two-piece floating disc on its alloy centre bell trims unsprung and rotating mass so the front end stays composed. The result is stopping performance in proper proportion with the car’s acceleration: a more consistent bite point, less pedal travel under load, and reduced fade during back-to-back braking, with braided stainless lines keeping the pedal firm as temperatures climb.
About the Front Brake Kit
The hollow-vane disc architecture draws air through the disc body to manage temperatures during sustained hard use, meaningfully different from a simple solid disc in its ability to shed heat between braking events rather than store it. The kit mounts directly to the R170’s front strut assembly without requiring wheel offset changes or brake line shortcuts, keeping the installation clean and road-legal. Pad compound is specified when you order: Street is the quiet, low-dust default for year-round road cars; Sport covers mixed use including occasional circuit work with more bite and heat range; Racing is the full track compound for drivers who understand the cold-bite trade-off that comes with it. The forged caliper is hollow-bodied as standard, with painted finishes at no extra cost in Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, or Anodized Black, a Custom Color to any Pantone for £150, polished-forged Titanium, Polished Gold and Polished Silver, and candy finishes in Teal, Blue, Red and Orange. Discs come drilled or slotted at the same price, two-tone centre bells in five anodized colours or titanium, and a Hollow Racing upgrade is available for the track, dropping the dust cover, rated to 1000C with a two-year warranty.
Fitment for the Mercedes Benz SLK 230 R170 (1996-2004)
This front brake kit is listed for the Mercedes Benz SLK 230 on the R170 platform, covering the full production run from 1996 to 2004. The R170 shared architecture with the contemporary W202 C-Class, and buyers should confirm their front hub and caliper carrier specification matches the SLK 230 configuration specifically; the SLK 320 and SLK 32 AMG carried different factory front brake packages and should be treated as separate fitments.
What buyers also search for
- Mercedes Benz SLK 230 R170 front brake upgrade for track day and spirited road driving
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- Mercedes SLK 230 1996-2004 brake kit with coloured caliper finish
- XYZ Racing front brake kit for R170 SLK supercharged variants
- Mercedes SLK R170 front braking upgrade that retains OEM wheel and hub geometry
Choose your pad compound, disc style and caliper finish when you order to configure yours for the R170.
What’s in the kit
Front axle kit — supplied as a complete bolt-on assembly.
- 2×Two-piece floating discs — 330–444 mm: you pick the exact diameter with the "Disc size" option
- 2×Lightweight aluminium centre bells
- 2×Forged aluminium calipers — 6 / 8 / 12-pot
- 2×High-stiffness mounting brackets
- 2×Braided stainless steel brake lines
- 4×High-performance brake pads (1 set)
- 1×Fitting hardware & tools pack
Choosing your spec
Every kit is built to order around the choices you make above. Here is what each option actually changes, so you can spec yours with confidence.
Brake pads — Street, Sport or Racing
Every kit ships with a full set of high-performance pads; the compound is your call.
Street is the right default for fast-road driving — a strong, progressive cold bite with low noise, low dust and long disc life. Sport raises the working temperature and adds bite and fade resistance for hard road use and the occasional track day, while still behaving on a cold morning. Racing is a track compound built for sustained abuse: huge fade resistance and bite once heat is in it, at the cost of more noise and dust when cold. Match the pad to how hard you actually use the brakes — there is no benefit to a race pad that never gets up to temperature.
Caliper grade — Hollow vs Hollow Racing
Hollow is the standard caliper on every kit: a hollow-body forged caliper, lighter than a solid one, fitted with a dust cover and backed by a 5-year oil-leak warranty. For most fast-road and spirited track use it is all the caliper you need.
Hollow Racing is the track-grade upgrade. It runs the same hollow body but without a dust cover (so there is nothing to melt at sustained high temperature), uses a twin-metal piston that isolates heat travelling from the disc to the oil seal, and is rated to 1000°C. Available 286–380mm (front). Warranty is 2 years on oil leaks and 10 years on appearance. Built for professional racing and repeated track days.
Caliper colour & finish
Painted colours (Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, Anodized Black) are included at no cost. Want an exact match to your car? Custom Color (+£150) paints the calipers to any Pantone code you supply (15–20 day lead time).
Polished Forged finishes are the flagship: a forged caliper given a mirror-polished surface treatment that shifts colour with the viewing angle. Beyond the looks, the polished surface dissipates heat better, resists rust and stands up to the weather. Choose Titanium (neochrome, +£350), Polished Gold (+£300) or Polished Silver (+£250). They look their best paired with a titanium centre bell. Care: clean only with a dilute neutral cleaner or water.
Candy colours (+£200) use a deep candy-paint and polishing process for a mirror-reflection, boutique finish — pick Teal, Blue, Red or Orange (shown below right).
Centre bells
The centre bell is the CNC-machined aluminium hat that joins the disc to the hub. The standard anodized centre bell is included. The Two-tone bell (+£200) adds an anodized accent ring — choose Red, Yellow, Orange, Purple or Silver right here at checkout. The Titanium centre bell (+£500) is a forged titanium bell (bolts not included) that finishes off the polished-forged look.
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