rediesel

Disclaimer: I do not recommend attempting the events described. I have a condition brought on by an espically cold and snowy winter combined with an anxiety due to not getting to drive my 507. SO...

Just for fun I drove my C63 507 on stock summer tires around the block on 2-3" of packed snow.

As expected it was almost impossible to give it any gas without spinning. Turns and slight inclines were real challenges (sideways). I only made one lap. Spring can't get here soon enough.

Here are some pics at least.

nycphotography

Um. Turn ESP back on.

m a x i m u s

lol, I can understand why you couldn't wait. are you in NY?

C63-AMG

I've been tempted to take mine out. 21 more days until spring here in New England ;-)

RicanDoc

That sucks. That's why I like SoCal where I can go to the snow and leave it there when I head back to the coast... Nice ride though.

VaclavSV

I drive mine year round here in Canada :P. Most days when theres snow Im driving with ESP off -its too intoxicating! Cant do it when the roads are wet cause I find its too unpredictable so SPORT mode suffices. I never drive with full traction on anymore

SLSBlack

Gorgeous car! Summer tires are sketchy..

Thrilla

Slap on a good set of winter tires and drive it year round. The bonus is justifying a nicer summer wheels for the extra bling.

CarHopper

Not all the time, but sometimes having it off isn't a bad idea with some snowing situations.

alexmtl

I actually found that driving in the winter with summer tires on a RWD car was... NOT fun at all haha.

With winter tires however, it's a whole different story LOTS of fun!

rediesel

Thanks for the support. I've seriously only gotten to drive it ~8 times in 3 months. I'm sure some winter tires would make it grip better and I could screw around in it a little more. I just can't justify subjecting it to the salt, cinders, slush etc given what it does to the cars/trucks I do drive/play with in winter.

In all honesty the weekend before last it had been in the mid 50's and I put 200 spirited miles on it which made me very happy. Some nice dry cool sping days are what I'm hoping for.

VaclavSV

Oh and my Dad has driven his E63S 4M on summers all winter here in Canada without any serious issues! -Talk about a night and day difference between traction with RWD and 4M!

Unlike our cars which have trouble going but stop fine on winter tires. His car gets going just fine but has trouble stopping.

nycphotography

I dunno summer or winter tires, but on my stock P zeros, bald almost with cord showing, I got caught and drove 150 miles home through a nasty ice storm. Not fun, but doable. I can't imagine when I'd ever turn off ESP on a 500 HP RWD car in the snow. Ever.

Not a C63... a 2008 CLK63. Same engine, older electronics. I'd certainly expect my car to be no better than a C63.

Snow w/ new(er) P zeros? no problem.

Are P zeros considered summer, winter or all season tires?

zibby43

You'd be surprised the beating these cars can take in the winter.

These cars undergo extensive winter testing. The salt, snow, ice and slush they can handle, so long as you keep up with cleaning-related maintenance (and so long as you have a proper winter tire setup).

As far as other types of winter dangers go, when I see a salt truck, I just drop back 600-700 feet. Arriving at my destination a couple minutes later is worth not having my paint rocked.

Dogtag114

+1


I love winter driving now, but I white knuckled past one salt truck because I was already late to an important meeting... never again... I have serious chipping on the front bumper in need of major touch ups after first warm day...

sinape62

I almost got stuck in the recent snow-meggadon in Atlanta last most or so... Summer tires on icy roads, not good. I consider myself lucky as SUVs were having traction issues and here I am in a RWD tuned C63. Hundreds of cars were abandoned as you all saw in the news, again I was lucky and was not going to abandon my car so keep her straight and rolling...

Merc63

You guys are crazy to winter drive your cars. Especially guys out east in canada, they salt the **** out of the roads there, it destroys your car.

I had two c63's one winter driven and one not. Night and day difference in the body and under carriage. Winter drove car was a year newer but looked about 5-6 years older.

zibby43

Yeah we have a lot of gravel trucks rumbling around where I live (lots of rock quarries) so I've become content/accustomed with/to just dropping way back (or even pulling over temporarily to let them pass) when I see them.

I tried to pass one quickly a few years ago in a brand new BMW but both my front bumper and windshield were just absolutely peppered with marble-sized rocks. The sounds of thunks and sharp cracks were nothing less than sickening.

I'm not trying to tell you that you're full of it but why is it that after years of driving my cars in the winter, none of them have been "destroyed" . . . ? Also, all of these German sedans endure harsh winters abroad. I'm certain the manufacturers take into account winter driving (slush, salt, chains, road debris, etc.) when designing these cars.

I generally don't keep any car past 3 or 4 years (I lease) and all my cars have looked just as nice (inside and out) at turn-in (if not nicer) as they did at delivery.

I'd love to see your comparison photos. I'd be happy to take some photos of the undercarriages of my winter-driven cars as well.

Roswell

I agree Merc, I store my C63.. Cheaper to get a winter car than to deal with the wear & tear (unless the car is leased, than go have fun in the snow & salt)

zibby43

Haha. Agreed. I take care of my leased car meticulously but I'm not going to let a lease sit around so the next guy gets a great deal (unless he's paying me instead of the dealer after I've already turned it in ).

Roswell

^^ also agree with u zibby, leasing a car & let it sit 4 months while doing payment on it doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, for ppl like Merc & I who purchased the car (and I keep my car for 10 + years).. The salts & electronics is always a bad mixture in the long run.

Roswell

Sorry to OP for being a party pooper, this thread is about having fun in the snow .. Not my garage queen. Lol

On a side note, u seems to use ur car a bit in the winter months.. I would suggest u to buy winter tires cuz that little drive around the block can cost u more than u think. Summer tires below 5C is a disaster to happen. Just my advice.

alexmtl

Agree with Merc, but I'm like Zibby, I lease my car so I'm not gonna pay 1k per month to let it sit in the garage so someone else will enjoy it!

I always wax my car twice in the winter and once in the summer, and while that doesn't prevent every damage winter can bring, it sure does help a lot keeping the car clean.

rediesel

Haha I know driving on summer tires below 40F is bad. I stated I was crazy and had a disclaimer. In all seriousness. I don't need winter tires. This is the only time it has been on snow. The other 6 times I've driven it in the past 3 months have been the exceptionally warm sunny days when it was well above freezing, there was no snow/slush and the roads were mostly dry.

I'll let my E-class have the honor of devouring the snow, and with 225width 16" General ArticMax (Gislaved Nordfrost 3) snow treads it easily handels 10+". Plus in the snow the RWD turbo diesel's throttle can induce oversteer at will and the car starts behaving more like a C63.

When it gets REALLY deep I break out my Ram 1500 Laramie 4X4.

Once it gets warm again in WV I'll pull the 507 out and blast it down the asphalt with such gusto that if one listens closely enough you'll be able hear the roar all the way in Ottowa.

Roswell

Lol, yep I feel ya.. Can't wait for all this snow to melt & cold weather to go away. We had snow here since November. My car is coming out of storage in 2 months.. Seems like a long way. Lol