Hurricanes

Hello Everyone,

First post however, I have been a long time lurker. I've always lusted after the C63 for years but never bought one. My last three cars were the B7 Audi RS4, E92 BMW M3, and currently the B8 Audi RS5. On my way home from work today I stopped off at a Mercedes dealer to investigate a Polar White C63 507 Edition with black wheels. It was located outside near the entrance. I almost crashed into the salesroom as I stared at the car. I worked out a deal for $3500 off MSRP and have a solid offer on the RS5 trade. I have one reservation and that is winter driving. I plan on running dedicated winters but I live in area where there is a good amount of snow. Keep in mind I have winter driven the RS4, the M3, and RS5. All of which were fine. Granted the Audi's are beasts in the snow. I have searched Google and this site for hours about winter driving and I still can't get an answer as the responses are either "No problem" or "Park it and buy a beater". Anyone in the New England area that had the winter we had who could chime in? I really want this call before they disappear and would appreciate any help I could get. Thanks!

AMG6.3

My c63 is my all year car as well. With proper snow tires the C63 and the rear wheel drive goes very well in the snow. I was very surprised.

I live in the Northeast Boston MA we had over 100 inches of snow this winter.

My previous car for winter was G37xS all wheel drive and had a vette for summer.

I switched to AMG with no regrets.

Sidv22

I live in CA so can't comment on the snow aspect. however, the $3500 does not sound like a great deal to me. however good these cars are, the depreciation is crazy especially if you compare with the RS models which hold their value very well. I would keep the RS5 trade negotiation separate and work on getting a much more significant figure off the MSRP.
Also, the RS5 is a better car to be inside. not talking about drive quality but the overall tech seems to be better. for eg, the B&O in the Audi is heads and shoulders above the Harmon kardon in the C63.

chrisridebike8

The C63 has a much better sound system...it's a 6.2L naturally aspirated V8 Tunnels are amazeballs!

tdotjag

Take the 507 and don't look back. IMHO, the 507 will put a smile on your face everyday. I daily drive mine in Toronto and throughout winters as well. She handles very well in the snow and ice, with winters of course, as long as you respect the power.
The power is ridiculous, the fun factor is way higher than any Audi (except the R8), and of course the sound...the blip went dropping from 5th to 4th still puts a smile on my face 3 years later.

sinape62

I really like how you described almost running over the salesman...head turner for sure!

Thrilla

Another vote for the 507. I daily drive mine through Michigan winters. Get a set of dedicated winter tires and you should be fine.
As an added bonus, everytime you put the summer tires back on, it feels like a totally different beast.

dchl21

invest in a nice new set of snow tires and you are good.

VaclavSV

I live in Toronto and have winter driven a C63 since 2011. On the 507 you will be fine in the snow as long as you run dedicated winter tires like Blizzaks, Sottozeros etc. If you want the best possible performance in the snow with the C63 run a square 235 set up with dedicated winter wheels (Ideally 18s). Remember in deep snow turning the traction completely off is your best friend.

darkus

When driven safely and with correct equipment (good snow tires) the C63 will be fine.

BUT it will simply not compare to your RS5 in winter driving. It also is a car that needs attention and skill if driving aggressively with corners, etc.. The RS5 is quite the opposite, it basically corrects all your errors.

So please keep this in mind, these traits make the C63 infinitly more fun then the RS5, but also more prone to major errors. Take this into account with what kind of driver you are, etc..

Have driven the RS5 alot and own a C63. Two very very different beasts. I prefer the C63 because I might/am slower in real world driving (have to be more cautious) but I pretty much have giant **** faced grin every time I drive

rentzington

i'll be the voice of dissent a little here and say if I lived in a hard winter environment and already had an RS5 i'd lean towards just keeping it. It's geared more to winter driving there is no questioning that.

If you drove an m3 in winter you wont have much problem with a 507 as long as youve got good tires.

g-f

First I literally LOLed when I read your post.

New England winter is not winter. A couple feet of snow at best, -10C when its really cold. That's nothing.

I live in a frozen hell 5 months a year (Quebec city) where we have 4+meters of white *****e and -30C for a good part of winter. I never once got stuck or unable to go anywhere. But you need some stuff...

What you need is, a LSD and great winter tires and you are set. Not okayish winter tires, the good stuff, Nokian is what I get and never look back. Mine are studded if your laws allow it just get these, if not, normal Nokian are still very good. Studded Nokians are so good, my driveway is full of scratches for when I back off in the driveway last winter and got a bit too happy with the throttle... LSD and studded tires is best.

BUT, you need to be comfortable with a little tail out. The car is very predictable to drive, and with TC on, the car will barely step out, but it will step out a little. If you are the type of driver that is afraid of a touch of oversteer, I'd say forget about it (the tail will also come out easily during summer with a heavy right foot). But if you're not afraid of a little oversteer you'll enjoy winter driving. In fact, I drove the car in either sport or TC completely off for most of the winter. The car is really predictable (but I absolutely don't mind the tail going out/wide).

AWD is boring to drive. I had a STi, a Legacy GT and a 911 Turbo. The feeling of these cars will never be that of a proper RWD. NE winters are about 4 months long, which mean you are stuck with an unessary AWD system for 8mo a year!

So if I were you I'd do the trade and just make sure you have great tires as I think the 507 comes standard with a LSD.

thesaintusa

The C63 with an LSD and winter tires will be just fine in the winter.

We don't get as much snow out West in Canada as Quebec/NE USA but the winter is long and the temps are cold. The C63 did just fine.

When the snow got deep I just took the Subaru or Jeep.

Hurricanes

Thanks for the help! In negotiations this week for a purchase.

Hurricanes

Thanks for the help. I took your advice and was able to negotiate a 9% discount off MSRP (2015 C63 507 New). Then worked the trade on a 2013 RS5 with 22,000 miles for 58K.

Car is being delivered to the dealer Friday. If the car passes my inspection then I may be pulling the trigger.

Hurricanes

Ha! Great quote.

Hurricanes

Couldn't agree more!

Hurricanes

Thanks for the help!

Hurricanes

Thank you.

Hurricanes

I appreciate the advice on the square set up. I used it on the M3 in the past and it worked fine. Thanks again.

Hurricanes

I completely agree with your assessment. I love the look of the Audi but it doesn't have the fun factor I want. 0 ****faced grin for me when I drive the RS5. I can't wait to get it back.

Hurricanes

Thanks for the help and honesty. I did drive my M3 in the winter with a square set-up and was comfortable. I'm hoping I will find the same comfort in the snow with the C63. I optioned the LSD and plan on using dedicated winter wheels and tires.

Hurricanes

This is the quote that sold it for me. I always buy winter tire and wheel set-ups and have never had a problem. I plan on doing the same with the 507 (I optioned the LSD). I winter drover my M3 and it would step out as well but was controllable.

Although AWD is fantastic in the snow when equipped with snow tires it is so boring in the fall, spring, and summer. I like the way the RS5 looks but I do not enjoy driving it. Great car just not for me. Car is being delivered to the dealer Friday for me to inspect. Hopefully my next thread is a delivery post.

Thanks again for the help!

zibby43

+1

I go a bit narrower. I use a square 225-section setup.

Have used Bridgestone Blizzak LM32s (performance winter) and Dunlop Winter Maxx tires (studless snow/ice). Both sets were outstanding. The Blizzaks felt a bit better in cold, dry conditions. The Winter Maxx tires handled deep snow and ice with ease.

Winter driving a C63 will be blissfully uneventful with either of these setups.

Diabolis

Having had both an RS4 (manual) and a C63, the quattro is definitley a lot more manageable and fun in the snow. Mind you, it won't stop or turn any better than the C63, but it will get you moving on hills where the C63 has some trouble. Having said that, I drive my C63 year-round and with proper snow tires there are no issues whatsoever on 360 out of 365 days a year. During the remaining five days you'll probably want to stay at home no matter what car you drive as the real danger is always from some guy in an SUV with all-seasons. Yes, I also have a GLK and do prefer it if we get two feet of snow in an hour, but otherwise the C63 is just fine. It's not as good as the RS4 in the white stuff, but that is the only time the Audi outshines it. And, if you do find an empty parking lot after a snow storm, the C63 can in fact be more fun.