Blickling

Interesting that you both don't really rate the 135i. I've always liked that car. Drove an e92 m3 for a good 3 hours not long ago, good fun but compared to my c350 I felt like it rolled a bit more and didn't have as good grip. Admittedly I don't think the tyres (they were a Michelin pilot sport - nothing fancy like the 2 or 3 or SS) just the regular and a bit worn which may have had an effect. Also drove a boxter s (like 09) and wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. Fun though.

I chase handling pretty extensively because I always think - I wonder if it could be a little better. Or- you know I'd like to be doing another 10kms quicker through this corner than the other car. All good fun.

I guess the biggest think about the Mercedes - particularly now that I've changed a few things is it gives you great confidence. You have to be driving stupidly fast, or doing something wrong for the car to feel unsettled. Drove a stock C Class with the AMG pack basically back to back on one of my regular commutes and it was definitely not as stable and comforting to drive. Also a bit slippier in the wet interestingly enough. Got the back out a bit more or a dodgy corner with crappy bumps more than I expected. All down to the road surface. A standard car feels like its tyres are less in contact with the road through the corners.

Anyway. Good to have contributions on my thread again. Thanks guys!

AV1

I see where your coming from Blickling and I'm not underrating a 135i, it was for its time and still remains a great drive but my C Coupe feels like a better overall drive than the Beemer

It sits and runs flatter, has much better grip even under hard acceleration(and that's comparing to my CDI now with 600nm torque vs only 400nm for the 135i) and for me the steering on the C is better as well, the 135i's I've driven were all quite new with new tyres.

I rate the steering of the C as good or comparible to any of the non M E92 coupes I've driven, it's sharper and better than previous generation Mercs that's for sure.

Interesting comparison you've made between the E92 M3 with your C350, tyres aside those chassis mods you've done certainly seem to have made a very noticeable difference to be better than the M3 in those regards you mention, wish you were located near by I'd love to ride shotgun for a comparo to really see if it'd be worth doing similar upgrades to mine

Blickling

You're welcome anytime!

I guess with the M3, not being a guru on these things, these were my impressions

Suspension - the M3 admittedly didn't have the dynamic dampers - just completely standard suspension. I think if it had the better dampers it would have been way better. Ive been in an m3 with KW coilovers and that was unreal!. The eibach bars on my car I believe are thicker than the m3s (and a lot of cars) so my car felt less rolly

The chassis and body though and the light weight and perfect weight distribution felt really good - better than the C Class. It is like the car pivots around the driver - but the tyres and suspension weren't letting the car do everything it could do. That and the extra power made it easier to get to the limits.

An m3 with good tyres and slightly better suspension (over bone stock) would be pretty untouchable.

Blickling

And the modding continues...

It has gotten to the point where the list of things possible on this car is slowly dwindling. I do have some ideas and things saved up, some of them possible and some of them probably not so possible - or easy to do without complications.

Anyway you can thank CKS Performance for this next update - primarily because I did a bit of fishing around for more things and I found on their website that they'd updated it with a bunch of ultra racing strut braces and chassis bars.

I did some looking around and must say I was extremely skeptical - particularly given that they weren't German products and the pricing is very, very good.

There also weren't too many reviews of them on Euro cars - but given the pricing I figured, why not? Take a punt on them. I also wasn't sure how good the fitment would be - in general and being a coupe rather than a sedan.

I've attached pictures of how they came when they arrived. Between placing my order and arrival it was less than a week. The expediency of this company was excellent. I guess there is an advantage in that respect to not buying from Europe!

Blickling

I got a good mate of mine to install them at his tuning shop. It took him no more than 1/2 an hour having a hoist and there was no trouble fitting them.

The difference in thickness and strength between the standard chassis bars (if you can call them bars, they're more like thin metal plates) and the Ultra Racing ones is quite noticeable. You can tell improvements have been made.

I also chose to paint mine black. One because it is a bit more subtle under the car and two, I saw on another forum that the normal white finish can be a bit susceptible to rust so I used some rust resistant paint.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13535236

So install all went fine, I'll cover drive in a separate post.

AV1

Nice addition Blickling, seeing how you added your own personal touch making the product better shows your attention to detail is just great

I do like the way that hardware fitted in nicely replacing the original item.

grizzly111

Just figured out one of the major reasons why I feel the handling on my coupe is so good - ContiSport Contact 5 tires...one of the best tires around (no pun intended)!

Blickling

Thanks AV1. Always enjoy your input.

I didn't think they'd actually make much difference if I'm honest, but the car does feel stiffer and you can sort of feel it through the steering wheel (how that works I don't know ) but it feels good to drive. Less mid corner floppiness to the car.

grizzly111 - don't necessarily agree there - they're ok - but not my first choice. They make me a little nervous. If you're enjoying them that's good though.

AV1

Interesting on the tyres guys, I recently swapped over to the OEM C63 18" rims on my coupe and clad them in Pirrelli PZeros and they're no where near as good as the original Contis on grip

Any other recommendations on a suitable tyre for maximum grip as well as low noise running characterstics ?? I hear the top end Michelins are meant to be good ??

TIA

Blickling

The Pirelli is an older tyre now and reasonably noisy.

I would look at the following for street tyres:

Michelin Pilot SS (although they don't do a 255 you'd have to get a 265 which would fit on the C63 rims. They're actually 1/2 an inch wider at the back.

Bridgestone Potenza S001 which I'm running (I haven't driven a Mercedes with these tyres but other cars and I'd say these are pretty similar to the MP SS. Maybe not quite as good but for the power we're running you can't tell.

Also the Pilot Sport 3s are pretty good and come in the right sizes.

Also Dunlop Sport Maxx GT or RT (OEM tyre for the A45 & CLA 45) are good. Driven an SL350 and 500 with the GTs and they are good.

There's a fair bit of choice. Also the yokohama Advan Sports are good.

Those are all high end street tyres. You could go semi slick if you're very keen.

AV1

Thank you Blickling for all the above info and advice

You are correct the OEM C63 rear rims are 1/2" wider and the fronts have a slightly different offset (4mm) but still work perfectly with the stock OEM tyre sizes, will certainly look into increasing the width of the rears to 265's in an attempt to further help traction.

I'll have to look into one of those choices outlined above soon as the rear Pirellis are quickly wearing out as did the previous contis.

Thanks again

Blickling

Me again people,

I've made some further updates to my car. I'm happy to post pics and provide some reviews for those interested.

Must say I've been in a bit of a break in period with the latest things so I haven't had much of an opportunity to drive the car hard and get a great deal of enjoyment out of the improvements. That and we've been plagued by wet weather a lot lately.

Basically my pads and rotors were on the way out so I've upgraded all of them.

I've also made some more chassis/suspension upgrades with a little bit more bracing.

It is astounding how much you can change and upgrade these cars if you really try...

AV1

^^^ Yes please Blickling on the pics and reviews of the brakes

The OEM's do seem to wear out quickly on Mb's so I too may be looking at an upgrade in future.

Edit: forgot to mention do you also have an upgrade for the 7G tronic trans software wise ? it's something I'm currently looking into as it would seem a good remap of the trans changing/enhancing the way it operates and responds would be of just as much benefit to these cars as an engine remap.

capt_paul

I just ordered the same braces from UltraRacing as well. Found them on ebay, new, shipping from Malaysia

Blickling

AV1 - interesting you bring up transmission tunes. These are really becoming big right now. There are tunes out for our transmissions. Early reports are good. I should have the opportunity to experience for myself in the near future... I'm very keen.

Capt Paul - which ones did you order

I'll cover chassis this evening.

I've added the 2 front chassis braces and the 2 rear chassis braces from Ultra Racing....

The car seems to have further dialed out the understeer and become more neutral.

capt_paul

I purchased the middle lower bar, rear lower bar, and the front lower bar

Blickling

Sweet when you have them installed please show me some pics!

Curious to hear your feedback

capt_paul

I am thinking about keeping the braces white.

Blickling

Went for Stoptech Front & Rear Drilled Rotors and Front & Rear Street Pads

From a just random practical perspective it is extremely noticeable the lack of brake dust. These pics were taken after about 400 or 500 kms of driving in non rainy conditions (which helps) and they still look fine. Big plus!

As far as braking, drove a favourite tight, tough road of mine that I typically see ABS on 2 or 3 times and didn't see it once. There seems to be a larger gap between braking and going to ABS now. It is more progressive. I really like it. The lack of roll and traction advantages of the chassis braces may have also contributed to this though as the abs is more prone to coming on when the car is unsettled.

After a good blast, the brakes still felt great. You can still tell that the don't have a million pistons like cars with serious, serious brakes, but for what I do and the speed I drive which is also speed limit conscious and not about constant all out speed, they do the job great.

How much better brake lines would make, I'm not sure, but if anyone does install lines and be keen to hear their feedback.

Some more parts just arrived. I'll have another update soon. They are a reasonably mild update, but should hopefully integrate well with some existing parts.

greasykid

Have 2013 C250 Coupe. Have removed oem Conti's and put on Conti Extreme Contact DWS.Better grip -particularly in the wet or snow and quiet. This is the second car that I have used this tire. Good wearing also. Had PZero Nero before on SLK's. Got very noisy before 10k miles. Good traction tho.

Blickling

Hi All,

I hope you're all well. Hopefully I'll have more to contribute soon in the next little while...

I have however changed my tyres and love them. I've gone for these...

http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/04/...r-time-attack/

Have a read. Excellent rubber!

AV1

Thanks for the tyre recommendations guys


greasykid, your right about the PZeros mine are starting to get noticeably noisier now than when new and strangely they grip more now that they're worn in than when they were new.


I'll look into one of the 2 above suggestions for my next set, hopefully I'll get better longevity from those, my CDI is chewing up rear tyres quite quickly.

Blickling

Yeah the diesels and the AMG rip the rears up with all that torque! the Pirelli in my experience seems to be the nosiest just in general and during cornering. Wish Michelin did a 255/35 18 in this country!

greasykid

Have 2013 Polar White C250 COUPE w/AMG silver wheels. Like the look of your black spoke wheels--would be good contrast on my car. Which wheels are those? Stock? Might be interested in making a change on my car.

Blickling

The standard twin 5 spoke AMG with a silver edge around it like the typical black benz wheels looks unreal. I'd be doing that if I were you. the 7 spoke also looks good in black. I saw someone get their 5 spoke AMGs painted in a matte black (like the multispoke 63 wheels) with the silver lip and it was just unreal.

Also means you don't have to change your tyres. Just my 2 cents