Another successful C63 Weistec Supercharger build –
10-16-2015, 12:07 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Another successful C63 Weistec Supercharger build –
Hello fellow Mercedes-Benz and C63’s enthusiasts! 
Be warned, this is a long write-up, so be prepared to put aside a couple minutes to go through all of it, lol.
A little less than a year ago, I became the happy and proud owner of a '13 C63 AMG sedan. I was so excited by this car and its performance, that I wanted to extract as much of its power as possible.
I first decided on a tune, a x-pipe and resonator + secondary cats delete, as well as high flow air filters.
After solving initial issues with two different tuning solutions, it felt okay (the purpose here is not to review/debate those solutions), but not how I wanted it to feel -supercar like.
And thus started to grow inside my head an idea that eventually became an obsession... Even though the car in its stock form is already a strong bull, I really wanted something more devilish and intimidating.
And the mod bug being a powerful addiction, I decided to go BIG. And within the MB community, BIG leads to Weistec Engineering. 
That is how I started contemplating a Weistec supercharger kit for the C63. And since you might as well go big or go home, on top of the fact you always wish for more, with modding experience, you realize that it really matters to do it right the first time.
So I did a looooooot of reading on mbworld (and a little on other forums
), observed and learned from build threads and… I asked many questions to the Weistec gurus, to early birds compressor experienced members and forum sponsors.
I have to address LOADS of thanks to all the guys who took time to write back to me about their experience and answer my numerous questions.
Once I made up my mind, I grabbed my ***** and decided I’d go for it.
You only live once, and life is short.
So the endeavour started with establishing a budget and finding enough cash to start!
After that, I drove to my local Weistec Engineering authorized dealer, Ottostadt Motorwerks in Gatineau (Québec), which is only a few minutes away from Ottawa, and put them in the know.
Needless to say David and his crew were excited about the whole project and thus we moved forward with ordering everything.
By the way, remember when I was saying how important it is to do it right the first time? Yeah, well I not only decided to go the supercharger route, I decided to go stage II straight on! Stage II meaning long tube headers, a smaller pulley, more boost, and more intimidating power.
Everything was ordered through Weistec. Actually, the list goes like this:
The build itself went pretty well, aside from a few shipping delays and a couple minor supporting parts missing. It was a rather long build in my case because there was quite a lot of work involved with the installation of the differential, the valve body and TCM upgrade on top of the headers and supercharger kit.
The quality and engineering of Weistec parts are second to none. There were very small fitting adjustments that had to be made, mostly because my car is a Canadian car which appears to be slightly different from US cars in some ways behind the bumper.
So after what appeared to me as an eternity, I finally was able to pick-up the car and hear it start from the first time. And man, how worth the wait it was! How very impressive and mean the car now sounds!
Even with the High Flow Cats options, the C63 sounds like a furiously crazy angry grizzly bear! David, when describing to me for the first time over the phone how loud the car sounded, told me ''Think of it as somewhat of an F1 car''… (
)
I shall say that the resonator was deleted from my previous setup and not reinstalled, which certainly makes a difference as to sound level.
I have to admit I was wary of how the car was going to sound, but after driving it both on the road and on the track, I believe I truly love it this way!
Cold starts?! … Hum, well, they’re gorgeous and… loud. How much louder is hard to illustrate realistically. It’s way louder than stock and compared to a modified setup. However, stock cold starts were likely already fairly louder than your neighbor’s car, so all in all I wouldn’t call it THAT awful. But if you take off home pedal to the metal, well, it’ll definitely be another story…!!
I’ll get back to you guys with a couple videos soon, since I am not sure this is a widely spread exhaust setup.
Something I really like is the car’s driveability and its overall stealth look and behaviour. The car remains extremely enjoyable when cruising around town or on the highway. There are absolutely no downsides there.
As far as sound goes, driving in a civil manner won’t catch unwanted attention more than the C63 did before. You wouldn’t even notice the supercharger, except for the whine and fans.
On the other hand, open her up and you will be unleashing hell. I had the opportunity to try it at the track recently and… Oh My God, it screams.
Downshifts?
At some point on the track, I was literally inches from the pit wall, front windows opened. I braked hard before turning in and the car downshifted from 4th to 3rd in Sport+ mode. To put things in perspective, at this point I told myself it might have been a decent idea to wear ear plugs haha!!
You truly realize how much torque and power the car now possess when you go on a track. Go a little too early on the gas when exiting a corner and you’ll feel right away how intimidating the car is, especially if your tires don't have much grip. It was my first time at the track with the car, and my track experience is very limited. It was a lapping event, so maybe not the best event to really push the car either. Anyway, I easily imagine drivers with more experience are able to enjoy playing with the car's oversteering ''potential'' in such circumstances. Chris Harris certainly would!
Here are many shots of the event for those of you who’d like to have a look. You can see the C63 at the 10:30 AM and 1 PM sessions. Here is the link:
http://www.1moresnap.ca/#!/index/C0000eUFHbvQV93A
On a side note, the engine generates a LOT of heat, which is something to look after on the track, other than that it just loves to go around corners and push you way back in your seat. Tremendous amounts of torque. I am so glad I invested in the Wavetrac LSD, it makes a world of difference.
Track experience (the best test bench) has proved that a couple minor adjustments needed to be made to the rear o2 sensor cables that were suffering too much heat, which resulted in a CEL. This was an easy one to overcome. I also experienced one single weird issue related to the transmission. It first happened driving on the highway, then again at the track another time. Right after a gear change (upshift), I heard a loud mechanical noise, similar to something moving with resistance and difficulty. It sounded like a kind of ‘clunk’ sound. The dashboard indicating the gear the car’s in stopped showing what gear and drive mode I was in. When smoothly coming to a stop, the gears downshifted very harshly, making the car buck and jerk, almost like it was going to stall every time, which it eventually did in the end.
Needless to say it was scary, and it does not seem to be a very common issue.
Long story short, I was afraid I had fried the tranny or broken something, but it appeared the TCM connector was badly connected because of a used and damaged seal inside the connector, which was pushing it away from its connection. We had to replace the connector, and hopefully this won’t happen again.
Others might chime in, but another small drawback of this whole installation is that I lost the moonroof auto-tilt function. I am curious if this has happened to someone else. Upon opening it works fine and flawlessly, but when closing (either tilt or fully) it jerks and closes step by step while having to pull down on the switch consistantly. I tried every reset procedures and none of them made a difference. Not a huge deal, but it still bugs me.
A quick word on tires… don’t expect your rears to last very long if you play with the car. Mines were close to be done before the track event, and I can tell you grippy tires are a must have and would have made a huge difference. The C63 eats through tires in a stock form already, so be prepared to change them often with this kind of power. I am likely going to replace my rears with Michelin PSS in 265-30-19, as these are rather wide.
I really would like to stress the fact that it is extremely important you pick a shop and product manufacturer that you can trust and rely upon. Weistec Engineering and its local dealer and recommended installer, David Gélinas’ Ottostadt Motorwerks shop, have been tremendously patient and understanding with me. I have received outstanding customer service in the form of quick answers, regular build updates, attention to little details and quality work. I highly recommend David’s shop for anything you may have to do on your Mercedes-Benz in the Ottawa – Gatineau – National Capital Region. They are Weistec partners and authorized dealers for very obvious reasons.
Congrats if you’ve read thus far, I know there has been many builds like this, some of which are even way bigger and way more complex and inclusive than mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed my review and the sharing of my experience!
As a bonus...
https://vimeo.com/139660058
UPDATE: I plan on upgrading to a lighter set of Volk Racing G25 or ZE40’s wrapped with Toyo R888’s, as well as improve the suspension with a set of KW V3 DDC coilovers. Tal from ACG is hooking me up with these. Let me know what you guys think of these upgrades, I think they would make a ton of difference both on the street and at the track!
Cheers from Canada!
Be warned, this is a long write-up, so be prepared to put aside a couple minutes to go through all of it, lol.
A little less than a year ago, I became the happy and proud owner of a '13 C63 AMG sedan. I was so excited by this car and its performance, that I wanted to extract as much of its power as possible.
I first decided on a tune, a x-pipe and resonator + secondary cats delete, as well as high flow air filters.
After solving initial issues with two different tuning solutions, it felt okay (the purpose here is not to review/debate those solutions), but not how I wanted it to feel -supercar like.
And thus started to grow inside my head an idea that eventually became an obsession... Even though the car in its stock form is already a strong bull, I really wanted something more devilish and intimidating.
And the mod bug being a powerful addiction, I decided to go BIG. And within the MB community, BIG leads to Weistec Engineering. That is how I started contemplating a Weistec supercharger kit for the C63. And since you might as well go big or go home, on top of the fact you always wish for more, with modding experience, you realize that it really matters to do it right the first time.
So I did a looooooot of reading on mbworld (and a little on other forums
), observed and learned from build threads and… I asked many questions to the Weistec gurus, to early birds compressor experienced members and forum sponsors. I have to address LOADS of thanks to all the guys who took time to write back to me about their experience and answer my numerous questions.
Once I made up my mind, I grabbed my ***** and decided I’d go for it.
You only live once, and life is short. So the endeavour started with establishing a budget and finding enough cash to start!
After that, I drove to my local Weistec Engineering authorized dealer, Ottostadt Motorwerks in Gatineau (Québec), which is only a few minutes away from Ottawa, and put them in the know.
Needless to say David and his crew were excited about the whole project and thus we moved forward with ordering everything.
By the way, remember when I was saying how important it is to do it right the first time? Yeah, well I not only decided to go the supercharger route, I decided to go stage II straight on! Stage II meaning long tube headers, a smaller pulley, more boost, and more intimidating power.
Everything was ordered through Weistec. Actually, the list goes like this:
- Weistec Engineering M156 Stage 2 Supercharger System
- Weistec Engineering Stage 2 Supercharger System ECU Reflash
- Weistec C63 Exhaust System (Headers – Midpipes – x-pipe) with High Flow Cats Option
- Weistec Engineering 722.9 Valve Body and TCU Upgrade
- Wavetrac Limited Slip Differencial
- ROW Air Box Set
- Weistec Air Filter Set
- Racing Spark Plug Set
- Oil/Air Separator System
- Weistec Trunk Ice Tank system
The build itself went pretty well, aside from a few shipping delays and a couple minor supporting parts missing. It was a rather long build in my case because there was quite a lot of work involved with the installation of the differential, the valve body and TCM upgrade on top of the headers and supercharger kit.
The quality and engineering of Weistec parts are second to none. There were very small fitting adjustments that had to be made, mostly because my car is a Canadian car which appears to be slightly different from US cars in some ways behind the bumper.
So after what appeared to me as an eternity, I finally was able to pick-up the car and hear it start from the first time. And man, how worth the wait it was! How very impressive and mean the car now sounds!
Even with the High Flow Cats options, the C63 sounds like a furiously crazy angry grizzly bear! David, when describing to me for the first time over the phone how loud the car sounded, told me ''Think of it as somewhat of an F1 car''… (
)I shall say that the resonator was deleted from my previous setup and not reinstalled, which certainly makes a difference as to sound level.
I have to admit I was wary of how the car was going to sound, but after driving it both on the road and on the track, I believe I truly love it this way!
Cold starts?! … Hum, well, they’re gorgeous and… loud. How much louder is hard to illustrate realistically. It’s way louder than stock and compared to a modified setup. However, stock cold starts were likely already fairly louder than your neighbor’s car, so all in all I wouldn’t call it THAT awful. But if you take off home pedal to the metal, well, it’ll definitely be another story…!!
I’ll get back to you guys with a couple videos soon, since I am not sure this is a widely spread exhaust setup.
Something I really like is the car’s driveability and its overall stealth look and behaviour. The car remains extremely enjoyable when cruising around town or on the highway. There are absolutely no downsides there.
As far as sound goes, driving in a civil manner won’t catch unwanted attention more than the C63 did before. You wouldn’t even notice the supercharger, except for the whine and fans.
On the other hand, open her up and you will be unleashing hell. I had the opportunity to try it at the track recently and… Oh My God, it screams.
Downshifts?
At some point on the track, I was literally inches from the pit wall, front windows opened. I braked hard before turning in and the car downshifted from 4th to 3rd in Sport+ mode. To put things in perspective, at this point I told myself it might have been a decent idea to wear ear plugs haha!!You truly realize how much torque and power the car now possess when you go on a track. Go a little too early on the gas when exiting a corner and you’ll feel right away how intimidating the car is, especially if your tires don't have much grip. It was my first time at the track with the car, and my track experience is very limited. It was a lapping event, so maybe not the best event to really push the car either. Anyway, I easily imagine drivers with more experience are able to enjoy playing with the car's oversteering ''potential'' in such circumstances. Chris Harris certainly would!
Here are many shots of the event for those of you who’d like to have a look. You can see the C63 at the 10:30 AM and 1 PM sessions. Here is the link:
http://www.1moresnap.ca/#!/index/C0000eUFHbvQV93A
On a side note, the engine generates a LOT of heat, which is something to look after on the track, other than that it just loves to go around corners and push you way back in your seat. Tremendous amounts of torque. I am so glad I invested in the Wavetrac LSD, it makes a world of difference.
Track experience (the best test bench) has proved that a couple minor adjustments needed to be made to the rear o2 sensor cables that were suffering too much heat, which resulted in a CEL. This was an easy one to overcome. I also experienced one single weird issue related to the transmission. It first happened driving on the highway, then again at the track another time. Right after a gear change (upshift), I heard a loud mechanical noise, similar to something moving with resistance and difficulty. It sounded like a kind of ‘clunk’ sound. The dashboard indicating the gear the car’s in stopped showing what gear and drive mode I was in. When smoothly coming to a stop, the gears downshifted very harshly, making the car buck and jerk, almost like it was going to stall every time, which it eventually did in the end.
Needless to say it was scary, and it does not seem to be a very common issue.
Long story short, I was afraid I had fried the tranny or broken something, but it appeared the TCM connector was badly connected because of a used and damaged seal inside the connector, which was pushing it away from its connection. We had to replace the connector, and hopefully this won’t happen again.
Others might chime in, but another small drawback of this whole installation is that I lost the moonroof auto-tilt function. I am curious if this has happened to someone else. Upon opening it works fine and flawlessly, but when closing (either tilt or fully) it jerks and closes step by step while having to pull down on the switch consistantly. I tried every reset procedures and none of them made a difference. Not a huge deal, but it still bugs me.
A quick word on tires… don’t expect your rears to last very long if you play with the car. Mines were close to be done before the track event, and I can tell you grippy tires are a must have and would have made a huge difference. The C63 eats through tires in a stock form already, so be prepared to change them often with this kind of power. I am likely going to replace my rears with Michelin PSS in 265-30-19, as these are rather wide.
I really would like to stress the fact that it is extremely important you pick a shop and product manufacturer that you can trust and rely upon. Weistec Engineering and its local dealer and recommended installer, David Gélinas’ Ottostadt Motorwerks shop, have been tremendously patient and understanding with me. I have received outstanding customer service in the form of quick answers, regular build updates, attention to little details and quality work. I highly recommend David’s shop for anything you may have to do on your Mercedes-Benz in the Ottawa – Gatineau – National Capital Region. They are Weistec partners and authorized dealers for very obvious reasons.
Congrats if you’ve read thus far, I know there has been many builds like this, some of which are even way bigger and way more complex and inclusive than mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed my review and the sharing of my experience!
As a bonus...
https://vimeo.com/139660058
UPDATE: I plan on upgrading to a lighter set of Volk Racing G25 or ZE40’s wrapped with Toyo R888’s, as well as improve the suspension with a set of KW V3 DDC coilovers. Tal from ACG is hooking me up with these. Let me know what you guys think of these upgrades, I think they would make a ton of difference both on the street and at the track!
Cheers from Canada!
10-16-2015, 12:12 PM
#2
Banned
Amazing build! We are buttoning up a Stage 2 right now as well, I'm glad to hear you're all smiles with your set up so far!
Looking forward to making it even better in the near future
Looking forward to making it even better in the near future
10-16-2015, 01:04 PM
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Hello fellow Mercedes-Benz and C63’s enthusiasts!
Be warned, this is a long write-up, so be prepared to put aside a couple minutes to go through all of it, lol.
A little less than a year ago, I became the happy and proud owner of a '13 C63 AMG sedan. I was so excited by this car and its performance, that I wanted to extract as much of its power as possible.
I first decided on a tune, a x-pipe and resonator + secondary cats delete, as well as high flow air filters.
After solving initial issues with two different tuning solutions, it felt okay (the purpose here is not to review/debate those solutions), but not how I wanted it to feel -supercar like.
And thus started to grow inside my head an idea that eventually became an obsession... Even though the car in its stock form is already a strong bull, I really wanted something more devilish and intimidating. And the mod bug being a powerful addiction, I decided to go BIG. And within the MB community, BIG leads to Weistec Engineering.
That is how I started contemplating a Weistec supercharger kit for the C63. And since you might as well go big or go home, on top of the fact you always wish for more, with modding experience, you realize that it really matters to do it right the first time.
So I did a looooooot of reading on mbworld (and a little on other forums), observed and learned from build threads and… I asked many questions to the Weistec gurus, to early birds compressor experienced members and forum sponsors.
I have to address LOADS of thanks to all the guys who took time to write back to me about their experience and answer my numerous questions.
Once I made up my mind, I grabbed my ***** and decided I’d go for it. You only live once, and life is short.
So the endeavour started with establishing a budget and finding enough cash to start!
After that, I drove to my local Weistec Engineering authorized dealer, Ottostadt Motorwerks in Gatineau (Québec), which is only a few minutes away from Ottawa, and put them in the know.
Needless to say David and his crew were excited about the whole project and thus we moved forward with ordering everything.
By the way, remember when I was saying how important it is to do it right the first time? Yeah, well I not only decided to go the supercharger route, I decided to go stage II straight on! Stage II meaning long tube headers, a smaller pulley, more boost, and more intimidating power.
Everything was ordered through Weistec. Actually, the list goes like this:
The build itself went pretty well, aside from a few shipping delays and a couple minor supporting parts missing. It was a rather long build in my case because there was quite a lot of work involved with the installation of the differential, the valve body and TCM upgrade on top of the headers and supercharger kit.
The quality and engineering of Weistec parts are second to none. There were very small fitting adjustments that had to be made, mostly because my car is a Canadian car which appears to be slightly different from US cars in some ways behind the bumper.
So after what appeared to me as an eternity, I finally was able to pick-up the car and hear it start from the first time. And man, how worth the wait it was! How very impressive and mean the car now sounds!
Even with the High Flow Cats options, the C63 sounds like a furiously crazy angry grizzly bear! David, when describing to me for the first time over the phone how loud the car sounded, told me ''Think of it as somewhat of an F1 car''… ()
I shall say that the resonator was deleted from my previous setup and not reinstalled, which certainly makes a difference as to sound level.
I have to admit I was wary of how the car was going to sound, but after driving it both on the road and on the track, I believe I truly love it this way!
Cold starts?! … Hum, well, they’re gorgeous and… loud. How much louder is hard to illustrate realistically. It’s way louder than stock and compared to a modified setup. However, stock cold starts were likely already fairly louder than your neighbor’s car, so all in all I wouldn’t call it THAT awful. But if you take off home pedal to the metal, well, it’ll definitely be another story…!!
I’ll get back to you guys with a couple videos soon, since I am not sure this is a widely spread exhaust setup.
Something I really like is the car’s driveability and its overall stealth look and behaviour. The car remains extremely enjoyable when cruising around town or on the highway. There are absolutely no downsides there.
As far as sound goes, driving in a civil manner won’t catch unwanted attention more than the C63 did before. You wouldn’t even notice the supercharger, except for the whine and fans.
On the other hand, open her up and you will be unleashing hell. I had the opportunity to try it at the track recently and… Oh My God, it screams.
Downshifts? At some point on the track, I was literally inches from the pit wall, front windows opened. I braked hard before turning in and the car downshifted from 4th to 3rd in Sport+ mode. To put things in perspective, at this point I told myself it might have been a decent idea to wear ear plugs haha!!
You truly realize how much torque and power the car now possess when you go on a track. Go a little too early on the gas when exiting a corner and you’ll feel right away how intimidating the car is, especially if your tires don't have much grip. It was my first time at the track with the car, and my track experience is very limited. It was a lapping event, so maybe not the best event to really push the car either. Anyway, I easily imagine drivers with more experience are able to enjoy playing with the car's oversteering ''potential'' in such circumstances. Chris Harris certainly would!
Here are many shots of the event for those of you who’d like to have a look. You can see the C63 at the 10:30 AM and 1 PM sessions. Here is the link:
http://www.1moresnap.ca/#!/index/C0000eUFHbvQV93A
On a side note, the engine generates a LOT of heat, which is something to look after on the track, other than that it just loves to go around corners and push you way back in your seat. Tremendous amounts of torque. I am so glad I invested in the Wavetrac LSD, it makes a world of difference.
Track experience (the best test bench) has proved that a couple minor adjustments needed to be made to the rear o2 sensor cables that were suffering too much heat, which resulted in a CEL. This was an easy one to overcome. I also experienced one single weird issue related to the transmission. It first happened driving on the highway, then again at the track another time. Right after a gear change (upshift), I heard a loud mechanical noise, similar to something moving with resistance and difficulty. It sounded like a kind of ‘clunk’ sound. The dashboard indicating the gear the car’s in stopped showing what gear and drive mode I was in. When smoothly coming to a stop, the gears downshifted very harshly, making the car buck and jerk, almost like it was going to stall every time, which it eventually did in the end.
Needless to say it was scary, and it does not seem to be a very common issue.
Long story short, I was afraid I had fried the tranny or broken something, but it appeared the TCM connector was badly connected because of a used and damaged seal inside the connector, which was pushing it away from its connection. We had to replace the connector, and hopefully this won’t happen again.
Others might chime in, but another small drawback of this whole installation is that I lost the moonroof auto-tilt function. I am curious if this has happened to someone else. Upon opening it works fine and flawlessly, but when closing (either tilt or fully) it jerks and closes step by step while having to pull down on the switch consistantly. I tried every reset procedures and none of them made a difference. Not a huge deal, but it still bugs me.
A quick word on tires… don’t expect your rears to last very long if you play with the car. Mines were close to be done before the track event, and I can tell you grippy tires are a must have and would have made a huge difference. The C63 eats through tires in a stock form already, so be prepared to change them often with this kind of power. I am likely going to replace my rears with Michelin PSS in 265-30-19, as these are rather wide.
I really would like to stress the fact that it is extremely important you pick a shop and product manufacturer that you can trust and rely upon. Weistec Engineering and its local dealer and recommended installer, David Gélinas’ Ottostadt Motorwerks shop, have been tremendously patient and understanding with me. I have received outstanding customer service in the form of quick answers, regular build updates, attention to little details and quality work. I highly recommend David’s shop for anything you may have to do on your Mercedes-Benz in the Ottawa – Gatineau – National Capital Region. They are Weistec partners and authorized dealers for very obvious reasons.
Congrats if you’ve read thus far, I know there has been many builds like this, some of which are even way bigger and way more complex and inclusive than mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed my review and the sharing of my experience!
As a bonus...
https://vimeo.com/139660058
UPDATE: I plan on upgrading to a lighter set of Volk Racing G25 or ZE40’s wrapped with Toyo R888’s, as well as improve the suspension with a set of KW V3 DDC coilovers. Tal from ACG is hooking me up with these. Let me know what you guys think of these upgrades, I think they would make a ton of difference both on the street and at the track!
Cheers from Canada!
Be warned, this is a long write-up, so be prepared to put aside a couple minutes to go through all of it, lol.
A little less than a year ago, I became the happy and proud owner of a '13 C63 AMG sedan. I was so excited by this car and its performance, that I wanted to extract as much of its power as possible.
I first decided on a tune, a x-pipe and resonator + secondary cats delete, as well as high flow air filters.
After solving initial issues with two different tuning solutions, it felt okay (the purpose here is not to review/debate those solutions), but not how I wanted it to feel -supercar like.
And thus started to grow inside my head an idea that eventually became an obsession... Even though the car in its stock form is already a strong bull, I really wanted something more devilish and intimidating.
And the mod bug being a powerful addiction, I decided to go BIG. And within the MB community, BIG leads to Weistec Engineering. That is how I started contemplating a Weistec supercharger kit for the C63. And since you might as well go big or go home, on top of the fact you always wish for more, with modding experience, you realize that it really matters to do it right the first time.
So I did a looooooot of reading on mbworld (and a little on other forums
), observed and learned from build threads and… I asked many questions to the Weistec gurus, to early birds compressor experienced members and forum sponsors. I have to address LOADS of thanks to all the guys who took time to write back to me about their experience and answer my numerous questions.
Once I made up my mind, I grabbed my ***** and decided I’d go for it.
You only live once, and life is short. So the endeavour started with establishing a budget and finding enough cash to start!
After that, I drove to my local Weistec Engineering authorized dealer, Ottostadt Motorwerks in Gatineau (Québec), which is only a few minutes away from Ottawa, and put them in the know.
Needless to say David and his crew were excited about the whole project and thus we moved forward with ordering everything.
By the way, remember when I was saying how important it is to do it right the first time? Yeah, well I not only decided to go the supercharger route, I decided to go stage II straight on! Stage II meaning long tube headers, a smaller pulley, more boost, and more intimidating power.
Everything was ordered through Weistec. Actually, the list goes like this:
- Weistec Engineering M156 Stage 2 Supercharger System
- Weistec Engineering Stage 2 Supercharger System ECU Reflash
- Weistec C63 Exhaust System (Headers – Midpipes – x-pipe) with High Flow Cats Option
- Weistec Engineering 722.9 Valve Body and TCU Upgrade
- Wavetrac Limited Slip Differencial
- ROW Air Box Set
- Weistec Air Filter Set
- Racing Spark Plug Set
- Oil/Air Separator System
- Weistec Trunk Ice Tank system
The build itself went pretty well, aside from a few shipping delays and a couple minor supporting parts missing. It was a rather long build in my case because there was quite a lot of work involved with the installation of the differential, the valve body and TCM upgrade on top of the headers and supercharger kit.
The quality and engineering of Weistec parts are second to none. There were very small fitting adjustments that had to be made, mostly because my car is a Canadian car which appears to be slightly different from US cars in some ways behind the bumper.
So after what appeared to me as an eternity, I finally was able to pick-up the car and hear it start from the first time. And man, how worth the wait it was! How very impressive and mean the car now sounds!
Even with the High Flow Cats options, the C63 sounds like a furiously crazy angry grizzly bear! David, when describing to me for the first time over the phone how loud the car sounded, told me ''Think of it as somewhat of an F1 car''… (
)I shall say that the resonator was deleted from my previous setup and not reinstalled, which certainly makes a difference as to sound level.
I have to admit I was wary of how the car was going to sound, but after driving it both on the road and on the track, I believe I truly love it this way!
Cold starts?! … Hum, well, they’re gorgeous and… loud. How much louder is hard to illustrate realistically. It’s way louder than stock and compared to a modified setup. However, stock cold starts were likely already fairly louder than your neighbor’s car, so all in all I wouldn’t call it THAT awful. But if you take off home pedal to the metal, well, it’ll definitely be another story…!!
I’ll get back to you guys with a couple videos soon, since I am not sure this is a widely spread exhaust setup.
Something I really like is the car’s driveability and its overall stealth look and behaviour. The car remains extremely enjoyable when cruising around town or on the highway. There are absolutely no downsides there.
As far as sound goes, driving in a civil manner won’t catch unwanted attention more than the C63 did before. You wouldn’t even notice the supercharger, except for the whine and fans.
On the other hand, open her up and you will be unleashing hell. I had the opportunity to try it at the track recently and… Oh My God, it screams.
Downshifts?
At some point on the track, I was literally inches from the pit wall, front windows opened. I braked hard before turning in and the car downshifted from 4th to 3rd in Sport+ mode. To put things in perspective, at this point I told myself it might have been a decent idea to wear ear plugs haha!!You truly realize how much torque and power the car now possess when you go on a track. Go a little too early on the gas when exiting a corner and you’ll feel right away how intimidating the car is, especially if your tires don't have much grip. It was my first time at the track with the car, and my track experience is very limited. It was a lapping event, so maybe not the best event to really push the car either. Anyway, I easily imagine drivers with more experience are able to enjoy playing with the car's oversteering ''potential'' in such circumstances. Chris Harris certainly would!
Here are many shots of the event for those of you who’d like to have a look. You can see the C63 at the 10:30 AM and 1 PM sessions. Here is the link:
http://www.1moresnap.ca/#!/index/C0000eUFHbvQV93A
On a side note, the engine generates a LOT of heat, which is something to look after on the track, other than that it just loves to go around corners and push you way back in your seat. Tremendous amounts of torque. I am so glad I invested in the Wavetrac LSD, it makes a world of difference.
Track experience (the best test bench) has proved that a couple minor adjustments needed to be made to the rear o2 sensor cables that were suffering too much heat, which resulted in a CEL. This was an easy one to overcome. I also experienced one single weird issue related to the transmission. It first happened driving on the highway, then again at the track another time. Right after a gear change (upshift), I heard a loud mechanical noise, similar to something moving with resistance and difficulty. It sounded like a kind of ‘clunk’ sound. The dashboard indicating the gear the car’s in stopped showing what gear and drive mode I was in. When smoothly coming to a stop, the gears downshifted very harshly, making the car buck and jerk, almost like it was going to stall every time, which it eventually did in the end.
Needless to say it was scary, and it does not seem to be a very common issue.
Long story short, I was afraid I had fried the tranny or broken something, but it appeared the TCM connector was badly connected because of a used and damaged seal inside the connector, which was pushing it away from its connection. We had to replace the connector, and hopefully this won’t happen again.
Others might chime in, but another small drawback of this whole installation is that I lost the moonroof auto-tilt function. I am curious if this has happened to someone else. Upon opening it works fine and flawlessly, but when closing (either tilt or fully) it jerks and closes step by step while having to pull down on the switch consistantly. I tried every reset procedures and none of them made a difference. Not a huge deal, but it still bugs me.
A quick word on tires… don’t expect your rears to last very long if you play with the car. Mines were close to be done before the track event, and I can tell you grippy tires are a must have and would have made a huge difference. The C63 eats through tires in a stock form already, so be prepared to change them often with this kind of power. I am likely going to replace my rears with Michelin PSS in 265-30-19, as these are rather wide.
I really would like to stress the fact that it is extremely important you pick a shop and product manufacturer that you can trust and rely upon. Weistec Engineering and its local dealer and recommended installer, David Gélinas’ Ottostadt Motorwerks shop, have been tremendously patient and understanding with me. I have received outstanding customer service in the form of quick answers, regular build updates, attention to little details and quality work. I highly recommend David’s shop for anything you may have to do on your Mercedes-Benz in the Ottawa – Gatineau – National Capital Region. They are Weistec partners and authorized dealers for very obvious reasons.
Congrats if you’ve read thus far, I know there has been many builds like this, some of which are even way bigger and way more complex and inclusive than mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed my review and the sharing of my experience!
As a bonus...
https://vimeo.com/139660058
UPDATE: I plan on upgrading to a lighter set of Volk Racing G25 or ZE40’s wrapped with Toyo R888’s, as well as improve the suspension with a set of KW V3 DDC coilovers. Tal from ACG is hooking me up with these. Let me know what you guys think of these upgrades, I think they would make a ton of difference both on the street and at the track!
Cheers from Canada!
10-16-2015, 11:39 PM
#7
MBWorld Fanatic!
Nice write-up on the SC, it was fun to read ur story.. Ur car must be a monster now.
Are u rebuilding ur tranny? I read few ppl had their tranny crapped on them with stage 2 & 3. It's an expensive addiction but all worth it. Lol
Are u rebuilding ur tranny? I read few ppl had their tranny crapped on them with stage 2 & 3. It's an expensive addiction but all worth it. Lol
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10-17-2015, 01:57 AM
#8
Niceeeee readddddd enjoy
10-18-2015, 11:02 PM
#11
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C63 AMG 6.3L IPE
I wanna say thanks to LCAD for the lengthy but enthusiastic contribution.
I'm a newbie and I'm looking down the barrel of pulling the trigger on a Weistec Supercharger for my 2012 w204
Your post is just what I want to hear...
I just hope I can afford it when I get the quote $$$$$$
I'm a newbie and I'm looking down the barrel of pulling the trigger on a Weistec Supercharger for my 2012 w204
Your post is just what I want to hear...
I just hope I can afford it when I get the quote $$$$$$
10-19-2015, 02:05 PM
#12
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Thread Starter
10-19-2015, 02:08 PM
#13
Member
Thread Starter
It's a blast to drive now, I really enjoy it! The shop truly loved working on this with Weistec's quality parts and well thought engineering.
10-19-2015, 02:14 PM
#14
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10-19-2015, 02:19 PM
#15
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I haven't fully rebuilt the tranny. I ''only'' upgraded the valve body and TCU from the original MCT (which is said to be improved/stronger than the 1st gen transmission). I really like the faster shifting response BTW!
We'll go for a ride at some point
Last edited by L.C.A.D.; 10-19-2015 at 02:30 PM.
10-19-2015, 02:26 PM
#19
Member
Thread Starter
I wanna say thanks to LCAD for the lengthy but enthusiastic contribution.
I'm a newbie and I'm looking down the barrel of pulling the trigger on a Weistec Supercharger for my 2012 w204
Your post is just what I want to hear...
I just hope I can afford it when I get the quote $$$$$$
I'm a newbie and I'm looking down the barrel of pulling the trigger on a Weistec Supercharger for my 2012 w204
Your post is just what I want to hear...
I just hope I can afford it when I get the quote $$$$$$
10-19-2015, 03:49 PM
#20
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C63 amg Custom 67 Camaro GLK 350 4matic 2017 AMG GTS
Great write up. Always wear ear plugs on ovals, and stay away from the Toyo R888’s. They work great on lighter cars but have sidewall issues on heavier cars like yours and mine. Go to the PSS2's or the Pirelli Trofeo or Trofeo R. A much better tire for a car of your weight.
10-20-2015, 10:17 AM
#21
Member
Thread Starter
Great write up. Always wear ear plugs on ovals, and stay away from the Toyo R888’s. They work great on lighter cars but have sidewall issues on heavier cars like yours and mine. Go to the PSS2's or the Pirelli Trofeo or Trofeo R. A much better tire for a car of your weight.
10-20-2015, 12:04 PM
#22
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C63 amg Custom 67 Camaro GLK 350 4matic 2017 AMG GTS
No worries. The Trofeo R is a very good tire but soft at 60TW but is maybe the best stick tire for a car hovering at 4000 pounds. You won't get a lot of miles out of it, but Ohhhhh boy, you will get way more smiles out of it. Plus I forgot to add that the 888 is a very LOUD tire. The PS2 is I think a 160-180 TW tire, not as sticky but is the very best tire at that compound you will find. The lower the numbers the sticker the tire. TW= Tread wear.
