XYZ Racing Hollow Rear Brake Kit — Mercedes Benz CLK 200 W208 (1996-2003)

The W208 CLK 200 sits its mass over the front axle and was braked for relaxed two-door touring, not for the repeated hard stops a keener owner asks of it today. That bias means the rear brakes spend most of their life lightly loaded, then get caught out when you start trail-braking into a roundabout or holding pace down a long descent. The XYZ Racing Hollow Rear Brake Kit for the Mercedes Benz CLK 200 W208 reworks the back axle so it can take a larger share of the work without overheating.

On a rear-drive coupe built on the W202 floorpan, rear brake behaviour is really a balance question. Get more capacity and better heat management at the back and the whole car settles under braking, which is exactly what this rear brake kit is set up to deliver across the 1996-2003 build run.

What this brake kit does for your 1996-2003 Mercedes Benz CLK 200 W208

The most obvious change is stability when you brake and turn at the same time. With more thermal headroom at the rear, the back end stays planted instead of going light as the standard discs heat-soak, so the CLK tracks straighter into a corner. Pedal feel firms up and holds consistent over a sequence of stops rather than going long. You also get to match the pad to how you drive: Street, Sport and Racing compounds are offered, so a daily W208 and a weekend-driven one need not run the same friction material. Painted caliper finishes run Red, Yellow, Gold, Black and Anodized Black at no extra cost, with a Custom Color in any Pantone available too, so the upgrade reads as deliberate rather than aftermarket-generic.

About the Hollow rear brake kit

The priority here is a lightweight rotating assembly that sheds heat quickly. The kit pairs a two-piece floating disc with a hollow-body forged caliper as standard, the friction ring riding on an alloy bell so it can grow with heat and dissipate it without warping. Cutting mass at the disc reduces unsprung weight at the rear axle, which helps the W208’s multi-link rear stay in contact with the road over broken surfaces. A choice of three pad compounds means the same hardware covers a road car, a fast-road setup and a track-leaning one by swapping friction material rather than components: Street for quiet daily use, Sport for harder road and occasional track, and Racing for circuit heat. Because the rear’s job on this platform is balance and heat tolerance more than outright bite, the design leans on cooling and consistency rather than chasing a headline disc diameter.

Fitment for the Mercedes Benz CLK 200 W208 (1996-2003)

This kit is specified for the rear axle of the W208-chassis CLK 200 across the 1996-2003 model years. It is a rear-only fitment, so confirm whether you are also addressing the front axle to keep brake bias where you want it. Match your pad compound, disc style and caliper colour to the build when you order.

What buyers also search for

• Mercedes CLK 200 W208 rear big brake kit for road and occasional track use
• W208 CLK rear brake upgrade to cut fade on long descents
• CLK 200 brake kit with Street, Sport and Racing pad compound options
• Mercedes Benz CLK 200 rear caliper and disc upgrade with colour choices
• W208 rear brake balance fix for trail-braking stability

Pick your pad compound, disc style and caliper colour from the options above to build your rear brake kit.