My Quad Exhaust
 

Hi guys,

Just sharing in case anyone has been thinking about going quad with the CKS Performance exhaust.

I was not sure about the quad look at first but then it really grew on me. If you don't like the quad look, please refrain from commenting on this thread.

The following are pics and a vid of the CKS Performance quad exhaust designed for the C180/C250 on my 2012 C180 Coupe (the 1.8l version not the 1.6l).

The main reason for going CKS in my case was the sound. I was after something that was pretty quiet and after doing a fair bit of research I found this to be the quietest quad setup. I also decided to go with the heat shields on the right side of the car.

Here is my verdict:

Build quality: 8 - Pretty decent build quality. the pipes appeared mandrel bent and the entire system is stainless steel.
Sound: 9 - Absolutely no drone. Sounds deep without being loud. nice purr at idle
Fit: 8 - Pretty good fit.
Customer Service: 10 - They provided excellent customer service
Shipping: 10 - The package arrived from UK to NZ in about 6 working days. That's pretty impressive for a heavy item.
Value for money: 9 - I've heard and seen the Meisterschaft and MEC Design exhausts and this is at par.



Here is the exhaust with the diffuser unfitted:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...e/IMG_0171.jpg


Installed:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8.../IMG_01931.jpg

Y-Pipe (Welded):

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...e/IMG_0197.jpg

Left Muffler:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8.../IMG_02001.jpg


Right Muffler + heat shields installed:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8.../IMG_01991.jpg


And here is the Vid. The first round of revs is climbing up slowly to 4000 RPM, then I'm revving to about 5000 each time.

http://youtu.be/8RkO6Pfm3_g


Everything has been welded rather than securing the pieces with an exhaust clamp. The CKS guys told me this is the new setup and it works better - I agree. Installation was a breeze. The package included a genuine C63 Diffuser and genuine brackets.


Hope someone finds this info helpful.

Really a helpful post! Thanks for taking the time to provide such detailed photos. The unit looks well made (and great on the car). I've been considering the CKS, and wondered how it compared in build quality and sound to the Meistershaft. I haven't seen or heard any of the different models, so your bottom line comparing CKS to Meistershaft.......? I'm considering it for my 350.

Meisterschaft was similar in terms of build quality. The muffler boxes on the Meisterschaft system are much larger in comparison to the CKS and therefore it is much louder.

It will depend on how loud you want it. I've seen a Meisterschaft on a C180 here in NZ and it was LOUD! Haven't seen one on a C350 in person but there are some vids floating around on youtube I believe.

~ i like how quiet it actually is... looks nice!

the welds aren't very clean but i guess it's under the car. cost?

Yes the welds aren't as tidy as I would have liked them to be. It was fitted at the Mercedes Dealership here due to warranty worries. The fact that it doesn't replace the factory resonator means the factory warranty remains unaffected. The same is not the case with true "bolt-on" systems which either delete the resonator or replace the factory one with a resonator that is included as part of it - I'm sure there is no solid reasoning behind it but I thought I'd comply with it anyway.

Here is a link to it - http://www.cksperformance.com/index....ducts_id=18965

Cost is roughly the same as MEC design and Meisterschaft (+- $100'ish).

The most important bit for me was the fact that Chet at CKS Performance answered each and every email I sent. Some were long and I asked lots of questions. Most suppliers would have not bothered providing detailed answers but these guys did. Top service in my opinion.

~ did you have it delivered to you in the states? if so, do you mind if i ask the total price delivered with us dollar conversion?

I live in New Zealand :-)
The cost to get it delivered was about GBP 130.

You should make another video after +-400km. An exhaust needs to be driven in. The wool in the dampeners settles.

Yep, you're right. This vid was done after about 300km but I will do another one a little later.

Nice install, looks great.

The welds on a Meisterschaft definitely are a lot better than the CKS. From what I can tell in the pictures, the finish is a lot better as well on the Meisterschaft and the CKS are using crushed bends, not mandrel bends.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...aftmuffler.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...tifulwelds.jpg

The meisterschaft looks nice!
I was referring to the welds made by my dealer when installing the exhaust (between the two pipes) which look very untidy and can be seen in the pics above.

I'm pretty happy with the quality of the CKS exhaust itself.
I was going to go Meisterschaft but it was louder and the two suppliers I found refused to ship to New Zealand.

:) double post.

~ serious quality looking pieces!!!

i do like the muted sound of the cks though!

For those who want to compare how quiet this is versus other custom setups:

That is my setup, removed 100% of the factory exhaust and placed in a single magnapack, a y-pipe and then straight piped to the Quad exhasut tips.

FYI, the warranty on your entire vehicle is not voided if you remove the resonator. Anything Cat-Back is fine, all it does is void the warranty on your cat back exhaust (which you just removed).

Sorry to bump an older post but was the passenger side heatshield included with the quad setup? If not, where did you purchase them from?

It wasn't included in the purchase. I got it from my local MB dealer and cost me about $200 USD all up.

Part numbers for the three heat shields that make up the passenger side (in my case the driver side since I'm in New Zealand) are:


A2046800222
A2046828471
A2046824671

Hope that helps.

Help with diffuser
 

Hello im having issues with my diffuser and can not get it to fit the brackets. I would greatly appreciate it if you could show me how you have yours fit into place maybe as well as show me where you bought your diffuser and brackets if you had to buy anything. Much help needed and appreciated

Diffuser and brackets are original AMG parts supplied by CKS performance in UK. They were fitted by the dealer so I'm not sure if I can be of much help with your issue unfortunately.