XYZ Racing Hollow Front Brake Kit — Mercedes Benz A CLASS W168 A190 (1997-2004)

The A190 was the performance model in Mercedes’ original A-Class range: the 1.9-litre variant, driven through the front wheels, in a body that sits notably tall and transfers weight sharply nose-forward under hard braking. That geometry creates genuine loading at the front axle, and the W168’s standard braking hardware was sized for urban use rather than the sustained deceleration a circuit session or an energetic run on faster roads demands.

XYZ Racing’s front brake kit addresses that gap directly. A matched pair of forged front calipers, two-piece floating discs, and three pad compounds, Street, Sport, and Racing, let you specify the kit around how the A190 is actually driven, and a range of painted caliper colours means the installation can be finished to match the build.

What this brake kit does for your 1997-2004 Mercedes Benz A CLASS W168 A190

The W168’s tall, narrow silhouette makes weight transfer under braking more pronounced than in most contemporary front-wheel-drive platforms of equivalent power, and the A190’s extra capability relative to the base variants means that transfer arrives with less margin than the original stopping hardware was designed to handle. The two-piece floating discs improve heat dissipation over the standard solid factory discs and let the friction ring expand on its alloy bell without coning, pushing fade onset back where repeated stops are involved. The three-compound pad selection lets you run a harder Racing specification on track days and revert to the quiet, low-dust Street compound on the road without changing the hardware, while braided lines firm the pedal throughout.

Painted caliper colour is specified when you order, Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, or Anodized Black at no extra cost, with discs available drilled or slotted at the same price. The colour is not cosmetic indulgence; it is a clear indicator, visible through the alloy, that the front axle has been properly addressed.

About the Hollow Front Brake Kit

This is XYZ Racing’s front-axle braking upgrade for road-going cars where the factory stopping package falls short of what the car can actually do. On a FWD platform like the W168, the front discs carry the majority of braking load on every stop, a duty cycle that exposes the limits of standard components under sustained or spirited use. The caliper is a hollow-body forging as standard, and for circuit work an optional Hollow Racing upgrade deletes the dust cover, is rated to 1000C, and carries a two-year warranty. Three pad compounds are available: Street for everyday low-dust use, Sport for spirited road work, and Racing for circuit sessions. Calipers are supplied in a no-cost choice of Red, Yellow, Gold, Black, or Anodized Black, with a custom Pantone match for £150, premium polished-forged finishes in Titanium, Polished Gold, and Polished Silver, and candy finishes in Teal, Blue, Red, and Orange. Centre bells can be specified two-tone or titanium. The kit is a matched front-axle pair covering both sides of the car.

Fitment for the Mercedes Benz A CLASS W168 A190 (1997-2004)

This kit is confirmed for the Mercedes Benz A Class W168 A190, covering the full 1997 to 2004 production run. The W168 platform ran through to end of production without a fundamental architecture change, so this fitment applies across the A190 from launch year to final build. Confirm your build date falls within the 1997-2004 window before ordering.

What buyers also search for

• Mercedes W168 A190 front brake upgrade for road and track use
• W168 A Class front disc upgrade over standard Mercedes specification
• Mercedes A190 caliper colour options with compound choice to suit intended use
• XYZ Racing front brake kit for Mercedes W168 front-wheel-drive platform
• W168 A Class brake fade solution for sustained or spirited driving

Specify your pad compound, disc style, and caliper colour from the options above.