Blickling

Breitling65 -still haven't tried them in the wet, but I'll take your word their good. Everyone seems to think so. The dry handling thoug is very good. No complaints

ESTrader - I got it from 3amotor on Ebay. Quite happy with the product. Fitted reasonably well with some work. If you like it pick one up. I love having mine. I want some carbon fibre mirror covers to go with it.

AV1 - I'm really looking forward to giving them a shot down the strip. I'm hoping the better grip with fresh rubber can help my launch and run. I'll try an get another one in before July.

Blickling

Hi All,

I must be doing something right with now over 4000 views. There's even more exciting stuff to come.

I also think I'm going to make a separate thread with an extensive list of websites and things for C350 Coupe Mods as I've certainly found a fair bit of interesting stuff and plenty of people reckon their aren't enough things to do to our cars. I don't think this is necessarily the case. You just have to look a bit harder and do a bit of thinking. I think I'll let someone else do a C250 list as plenty of things don't cross over, given one is a N/A V6 and the other is a 4 cylinder turbo.

As far as my own car is concerned, in the coming week or so I should have my air filter, as well as some suspension and braking mods. I'll try and get pictures if I can. Another run at the drags is also due. I want to beat first session where I managed a 13.9. See how we go...

Eric.i.gonzalez

Well, I think it's settled. I need to get my *** out of the Navy, and start making more money. Haha! I am so far behind the power curve when it comes to modding my car. To be quite honest, I don't make the kind of money that's required to make any significant upgrades. I love reading y'all's (yes, I'm from Texas) posts and following your upgrades. Keep them coming guys. I will just have to live vicariously through y'all until my contract in the Navy is up. Haha!

NAVY= Never Again Volunteer Yourself!

Blickling

Thanks mate, yes get out and get modding if the Navy isn't for you. I'll try and keep it interesting for you until then!

Blickling

Well I haven't had amy more mods to speak of because I'm still waiting on parts to arrive. Everything has a long way to travel when it is coming Down Under.

However, I went to the strip again today for a Sunday run. I managed to improve my 1/4 mile time. Last time my best was 13.9. This time I managed a 13.7. It is starting to get quite competitive. New tyres and exhaust managed to buy me .2 of a second. I was extremely happy. I just wanted to run a 13.8 to beatthe 13.9, but managed to do even better. I'll have to post the slip.

I think running a 13.7 makes it a substantially faster car than the C250. You'd probably have to mod it quite extensively to record a similar pull.

Blickling

Here's my time slip for those interested:

AV1

That is a damn good run time Blickling, certainly quicker than other printed literature I've seen for the current MB C350 variants, even the manufacturers claim is much slower than that and having driven just about all -350 models of MB's on track myself none felt like 13 sec machines, the mods you've done so far have really brought it to life - kudos on the efforts so far

Blickling

Thanks mate,

I really don't understand all the literature and comments out there that says ohh the C350 is slow, the BMW is so much faster etc etc.

Granted, my vehicle isn't stock - but at this stage, this run was achieved with just a tune, an axle back exhaust system and a decent set of still normal tyres. And I might add, I was also only 1500km away from a service. Hardly a completely optimum setup.

The car was still fast before these couple of things. People really don't give this engine and transmission, the respect it deserves IMO.

Now that I've achieved this result, I'm even more eager to better it (with the help of some more mods) and show everyone just how capable this car and this motor is.

AV1

Sounds great, go for it will be of interest to a lot of people to see where it ends up, your modifications are certainly making it potent for an N/A engine

With regards to the future of the MB petrol V6 it's looking rosey as the N/A will give way to a twin turbo unit of slightly smaller displacement (3.0ltr) that engine will be used in future AMG variants as well, would've been awesome if this twin turbo petrol V6 were available for the current C Coupe

DameMD

Glad you are making the jump to mod the c350. I am really curious to see how much more money is spent in this car to get it to performance level of 335i and S4 which are direct competitors.

Look forward to see what a full bolt-on (I/H/E) c350 can do with tune.

JohnnyUte

I'm really curious to see how it turns out for you, too. Great work so far and keep us updated. If you can get to 400 then I'm seriously interested but without a turbo kit, I don't see that happening. I did see some transmission mods available that could help drop some time, too and I'd like to see those results.

JohnnyUte

Where are you stationed? I'm down in Pax River, MD. I'm coming from muscle cars where modding is usually pretty cheap or at least the work is easy, but these are a whole different beast.

Blickling

Me too. When it gets n the dyno I'll let you know the results.

As far as costs go, so far I've really only done Renntech strut brace, tune and exhaust. Tyres don't really count as you always have to buy new tyres. Spent about $3000 AUD and about another $500 AUD on cosmetics.

I'll probably drop another $2500-$3000 AUD shortly though, primarily to improve handling but hopefully improve the time a bit too.

Hardly, massive expenditure really. Plently of people spend this much on a new set of nice rims and not much more.

Blickling

Ok,

It has been a little while so I better do an update. I haven't had much to tell as my parts have only come in and I haven't been able to get the car back into the shop.

However in the cars current spec with just the tune and the Meisterschaft exhaust I managed to get what I thought were pretty reasonable numbers. I was expecting around 160 rwKW - nothing special as everyone seems to grossly misjudge what their car puts out at the wheels. I have no idea what the drivetrain loss would be like....some people say 10%, others 15%, others 30%...

Anyway, my car put out just shy of 185 rwKW or about 250hp on what I think they call a hub dyno, where they unbolt the rear wheels. Someone can probably corect me on this.

One of my first thoughts was, for those people who think the F30 328i is a comparison for the C350 Coupe because if its amazing 0-60 miles/0-100km time - I have more power than your car at the wheels...enough said.

Interestingly enough if you look in the side bar the car was only revved to 6000rpm too and the power wasn't exactly dropping off. The car infact only upchanges just a wisker shy of 7000rpm. My guess is if it could have been revved another 500rpm before the inevitable power drop off it may have squeezed an extra few KWs. The torque curve was interestingly quite flat as well. It is amazing how many NMs it initially produces at the wheels at the 3000 approx rpm point.

In other news, I've seen an A45 in red. I thought I'd share a bit with those who follow my thread. Also a CLA, but I won't go too much into that other than it looks great in Mountain Grey. I typically don't like red Mercedes at all. In normal cars they look terrible. This week however seeing that A45 and then a C63 Coupe in a performance pack with the carbon fibre pack as well, it looks **** hot!

The seats in the A45 AMG are something else, you can electrically adjust all the bolstering and stuff just like in a C63 sedan. They are amazing. The engine sounds pretty good too in the sports mode. Apparently some German thought the A45 with performance exhaust (standard in OZ) was too loud, hence why they offer a quieter one overseas. I was expecting ballistic noise, but it was quieter than a C63, but that was partly due to it not being a V8 as well - you just don't here as much mechanical stuff working and pistons and things moving around.

If you have any questions let me know. I'll keep the updates coming!

AV1

Awesome effort Blickling in including the addition of the A45 in your post there above, I already own other 2.0ltr petrol turbo powered vehicles so am an instant fan of this new model, great to see the performance exhaust is standard it not only sounds better but also looks better with quad look finish similar to the V8 black series tips, I've got my heart set on one in future to compliment my C Coupe with this AMG model

Continuing great results on your C350, power ATW sounds and looks correct, typically there's approx. a 20-25% power loss with a RWD and standard auto trans equipped vehicle, you would have about 5% or so more ATW if it were a manual or dual clutch type auto trans.

Speaking again of the A45, there's a dyno run of one of those in the CLA45 sub forum section and it put out around 240kw ATW - bloody awesome for a little 2.0ltr 4 pot and little wonder it's a 12sec 1/4 machine straight out of the box, really shows what can be achieved these days with modern forced induction set ups

I wonder how far your going to take the mods on your C350, are you considering the new W/C205 which will feature the new twin turbo V6 petrol engine choice ? all you need do there as is typical with forced induction engines is a software update for mega power and performance

Blickling

Hi All,

My apologies for the very delayed update.

A few exciting things have happened to the car in recent days.

The most interesting and fun of all has to be the Eibach Front & Rear Anti-Roll Kit. My stock sway bars have been replaced by Eibach ones.

The car now corners far more flat and with far less roll than before, even without the Sport damper setting on. When you combine this with the front strut brace, the handling has overall substantially improved. It is way more fun in the corners.

It handles better than a C63 now (I drive them an awful lot), particularly a sedan or wagon based on the lesser weight at the front end with the smaller motor and the upgraded suspension components. It feels like a whole lot of understeer has been removed. You can drive around a corner way faster and the car doesn't feel like it is leaning or pushing wide.

The brake lines have also been upgraded as well so they are now stainless steel lines and not rubber ones. The pedal now feels far more C63 ish than before. The softness and travel have been reduced which I like quite a lot.

Finally, I had the air filter changed to a K&N air filter. The filter does make the car seem a bit more responsive. It probably doesn’t do a heap for the horsepower but it is nice and I’m sure the better airflow helps.

Overall I’m quite satisfied with the car at the moment. 2 suspension mods, 1 brake mod, 3 performance mods, some pretty good tyres and some cosmetic mods IMO have made the car a far more fun car to drive and look a bit better too.

There are still a couple more things I could potentially do, but for now, the car is setup pretty well. Good power, good exhaust (anything more on this motor would make it too much) and good handling upgrades.

I’ve included a couple of pictures. You really can’t see much as the Benz coverings seem to cover up the sway bars, but it’s more about the feel and the handling, than what you can see. You can however just see the red when you look through the wheels. It's pretty awesome!

AV1

That's some more good upgrades and mods there Blickling, surprising to hear metal brake lines have improved the braking in the manner you describe the sway bars seem like a worthwhile mod I'll have to look into that one myself as it might prove a good upgrade for my CDI as one aspect I've noticed is the much lighter feel and lesser dipping of the front end with the petrol IL4 engined C Classes compared to the much heavier IL4 diesel donk, I'm fairly happy with the way it corners and handles but wouldn't mind stepping it up

I too have access to alot of AMG's and have a friend with a C63 sedan to which I compare my coupe to and it offers an excellent comparison base to other variants that's for sure

Where did you source your Eibach hardware from ?? I've used their suspension components on lots of my other cars and never had a problem and always had excellent results got my gear from an Eibach direct supplier located in Sydney.

190Benz

Great updates! You know how to upgrade a car! I also noticed that my car tends to understeer more then my W203 on a track. The swaybar upgrade you did was on my list for the future, but good to know that the Eibach swaybar does the job.

Blickling

Hi AV1 - I've PM'd you some details.

The C Coupe, any of them in stock form handle great, but there is always room for improvement. The strut brace dialled out some of the roll and the sway bars have improved it dramatically again.

190Benz - The best way to explain it to you I suppose is a story - I drove a road last night that is really tight and I've driven before. A mate of mine has a little Toyota with not a heap of power, but heavily moddified suspension with braces, sway bars, lowered springs etc etc. Previously I could not keep up at all, fearing death trying to keep up with this little light car.

Last night I had no problem sticking with it, I could turn in better, I didn't feel like the car was pushing wide and struggling on the real tight bends and hair pins. The mid corner speed was better and I could get on the power quicker because the car was better turned in.

The feed back I got was, your car looked like it was sitting way better on the road through the bends than previously. It feels a lot more like driving a Boxter, Cayman, SLK 55 I guess I'd compare it too, but not sitting as low and a bigger wheel base. I haven't driven a 911 or an M3 with any sort of decent drive so I can't really compare to those. It reminded me a bit of driving the current SL63 which active suspension to actively reduce the roll in the corners, but without having to handle such a big car.

That's all sort of guess work though - what I can tell you is that you will notice the difference and you will like it. It also makes the car a lot nicer to drive in the soft damping setting. You can leave the ride really comfortable and not feel like you're falling over in the daily commute if you take a 90 degree turn with a little bit of speed.

If anyone has any questions ask away. It is really shaping into an ideal car for me.

AV1

^^^ Sounds good Blickling, love the way you mention ride quality is not affected in the normal suspension setting, that was actually on my mind regarding installation of better anti sway bars I love the ride quality in standard mode and wouldn't want it to deteriorate with any chassis upgrades.

You've given me more confidence now to go for an anti sway bars upgrade like you've done to yours

Blickling

Hi all,

Haven't posted in a while. Thought it'd be good to jump back on the forums. There is a fair bit of stuff in my thread actually so I hope it helps people.

Just ordered a couple more toys for the car so I'll try and talk about it and post pics in the coming weeks. Hope the wait isn't too long.

Really loving driving my car at the moment and just wanted to make sure I was sharing it with the world.

AV1

Hey Blickling good to see your still in the loop, I've been absent from the forums for a while as well - good to be back

As yourself still totally loving my C Coupe, look forward to seeing the results of the work that your doing to yours.

Blickling

Thanks mate!

I'm not taking a huge plunge and doing anything too crazy. The long and short of it is I got some chassis braces that should hopefully stiffen the car up a little and help with the handling and the roll etc. They're pretty inexpensive too - I couldn't believe the find! Hopefully they're helpful.

The install is happening next week. I'll do a bit of a review and pics and things towards the end of next week.

grizzly111

I actually think the C coupe handles very well for its size.

Body roll is less than my 135i, its smooth over mid corner bumps and I feel it is more fun around certain bends. Maybe its because my C has new tires.

I also compared it to my Z4 35is. The C coupe compares well but obviously the Z4 gives more feedback and has more grip. The steering in the Z is a LOT more solid feeling. In fact it feels that the C coupe is slightly overassisted, but having said that I think the level assistance in the Benz suits the car.

I have owned a modded Lotus elise and turbo Miata before and the C coupe strangley reminds me of the fun handling that I experienced in the Miata when it was stock but not as engaging of course.

All in all the C in sports mode really surprised me when I pushed it in regards to handling and stability. It is quite neutral.

AV1

That's a good comparo grizzly111 I've also had plenty of experience driving a 135i and definitely prefer my C Coupe over the BMW handling and all round ride wise for the moment I'm happy to leave mine as is without messing with the AMG package optioned OEM chassis

With our C Coupes (and even the sedan variants) they are all a little different in the handling department depending which engine is sitting up front the most responsive and agile are the 4 cylinder petrols, the diesels and the V6 and V8 petrols are noticeably heavier over the front wheels but it's only really noticeable when you push them hard, not so much in normal driving conditions.