Best of luck on your venture Vadim!!! You were a great help during my E430 modding days.

 

Sounds like a road trip to me!

 

Take a video camera and some chicks!

 

Are the these available for the C55 today? How much? Have they been tested and ready for sale to customers. I am ready to purchase!

 

they should be ready by the end of this week i suppose. they will let us know once its ready to go!

 

...would anyone happen to know if that includes the rear differential used in the W202s? Both AMG and non-AMG used the same rear pumpkin, w/a 1:3.07 gear ratio. I'm drooling over putting this in my C43/55.

edit: Follow-up question. If it does work in that rear diff, if I were to change my rear differential to say, 1:3.26 ring & pinion gearing or dare I consider the 1:3.45 ratio that was available in W202s from Mexico, would it still work/fit? (deciding if I can take the car as far as I can in NA form )

thanx much.

 

The only way to be 100% sure, is to install one. Untill someone does, there is no 100% quarantee.

 

I’m ready to buy one for my C55 when they are. This is the first car that I have purchased that a limited slip was not standard or offered as an option.

 

The LSD's are in, I ordered mine already. Call Quaife NA with your credit card

Edit: By the way, the diff when bought from Quaife carries a lifetime warranty, even if you use the vehicle in competition.

 

M3 Eater,

Can you post there phone # of where you ordered yours

Thanks in advance

 

??? odd that I'd have to play these games... I'd expect Quaife to know and say one way or the other.

 

Not unusual at all. This batch was made for the C32/E55/300C diff housing as it primary intent. If the C55 shares the 210 or 215 axle is up to the owner to find out, just as it is for the SLK owners. Just cross reference you VIN to find out. The current batch has a much broader market range than a specific unit for SLK or C55 owners. Of course, you can always make your own batch of C55 units and sell them at a profit . My unit has been sitting on the floor of my office for two weeks waiting for a moment to get it installed.

Vadim, what are you doing with your two units? Have you installed them yet?

 

Look forward to the results you guys notice with the new diff. I am sure it will make a tremendous difference.

 

Actually they are made for SRT8 Chrysler models (Charger, 300C). Smaller unit is for V6 models on the same LX platform.

Since they are based on W210 chassis, the diff is suppose to fit 210 mm diffs from MB.

At this time I am 90% sure of fitment. Until one gets installed in C32/55, W210 E55, W211 E55, S55, CL55 or SL55, than I will have the remaining 10%.

 

...I'm getting the sinking suspision I'm going to be SOL...

 

So what exactly do I ask the dealer parts person to look for? I did call and asked based on my VIN what axle my car has but the guy couldn't tell me. He said the he could see different part numbers for chassis variations but that he didn't have size information so he could say weather it was 210, 215, or something else. What is the 210/215 referring to exactly? Is there another way to tell, by part number maybe? Thanks.

 

Ok, so it turns out that the install of the new Quaife LSD for the C32/C55 is not trivial! My car has languished for a couple of days at one of the best shops in the entire SE Michigan region (Auto Europe, Birmingham), while they prepare to do the job. First, the unit that comes from Quaife is just the transfer. It must be installed using your ring set, bearings, seals, etc (of course, since you have it apart you use new bearings and seals). Next, the R&R requires some specialized tools from M-B to do the job correctly, including the tool to spread open the diff casing for replacement of the transfer unit, and no less than 23 (!) different special-order shim sizes, depending on the needs of the install. Of course, no Mercedes dealer has the tools to do the job, because M-B simply likes to replace the entire differential assembly, and many/most of these cars are still under warranty. The local dealerships think we're crazy to want to do this. In fact, because of this "atomic replacement" methodology, there is also no available documentation on the tasks to complete the job. To make matters worse, Alldata does not show the parts inside of the diff casing - I've seen the exploded view and it is shown as one entity.

The techs at my shop (who have >20 years experience with German performance) have been calling around, talking to all of the local experts on the subject, including transmission and differential specialists who recently did a similar install in a Chrysler 300C. They reported horror stories of drivetrain backlash damaging the gear set, possibly because it is very difficult to measure and correctly shim the new unit for output shaft pressure (by the way, I'm no tech so I may be using incorrect terms here - forgive me if I fail to correctly pass on the information as I heard it). They say it's too risky, but if Kleemann can do it, so can others.

So, what this all comes down to is that there is some trepidation about this install, both on the part of the shop doing the work, the trans & diff specialists from around here, and me.

IF YOU HAVE DONE THIS INSTALL, PLEASE PM ME WITH THE NAME/NUMBER OF YOUR SHOP AND TECH. If possible, I'd like to have my people talk with yours to get info. We will also be documenting the entire teardown/rebuild/install, and I'll share what we learn.

 

However take note ... Kleemann no longer sells the LSD to certified Kleemann dealers. They only do the LSD in-house now! (that screws installers who have a sh*t load of their special pinion gears, as Kleemann won't take them back , let alone the loss of business )

 

problems here too
when i became aware that the diffs were completed i rang quaife england to make sure they had one available for me. After this i tried to confirm that the fitment was right for my car and so went to my local mb dealer to ask the techs for advice, i was told that there were 2 different diffs fitted to the c32 and mine was the one with the flange, the best they could do was give me the part number to try and cross reference it.

my other problem is finding somebody with the correct knowledge/resources willing to actually fit it on the car, my local mb dealer won't touch it because its not oem, all the mercedes specialists i've approached won't touch it because ...A. they didn't supply it ,and ...B. too many unknowns about the effects on the rest of the car and any liability they may incurr if things go wrong. i don't know who else to ask.

until i have resolved these issues i am unwilling to go ahead and commit to buying something that could turn out to be a complete waste of money because i'll never get to use it

does anyone thinking of doing this have the same diff as me, and does it make a difference because i thought that kleemannn just made 1 diff to fit both the c32 and c55

 

Imagine that, a MB dealer in Michigan being less than helpful......

 

C55m8o
"Kleemann no longer sells the LSD to certified Kleemann dealers. They only do the LSD in-house now! (that screws installers who have a sh*t load of their special pinion gears, as Kleemann won't take them back , let alone the loss of business )"

Kleemann does not replace the pinion gear or the ring, both of which affect final drive ratios. They only rebuild the guts of the carrier and the installation is quite easy and can be done in an hour or two with the diff assembly out of the car. Please explain what you meant by the above referenced quote.

timberman
Quaife UK must have local shops that do their installations, including various racing shops that install these in race cars. I am sure as well that the UK has speciality driveline/transmission/differential shops that just do these kind of projects. Check around and ask Quaife UK for a reference or two.

As far as fitting your car, we know so far that for the few C32's that are attempting this install right now, the proper Quiafe unit is QDF7V W6356/A and utilizes MB bearing part #0029801702 which have an I/D of 55mm and an outer ring of 102 I/D. With your own VIN, cross reference this bearing part number to your car and see if you come up with the same bearing kit.

The Quaife installation is different and more involved than the Kleemann install which does not touch the bearings and other misc items and requires less allignment. With installation, both cost about the same, but the design approach is much different.

 

I'm think you may be mistaken. While searching for information on my Quaife LSD install, I gave Kleemann a call yesterday. They told me that I could either have the local authorized Kleemann shop install their LSD themselves, or the shop could pull my diff and ship it to them to install the LSD and send it back. One cool thing about this option is that Kleemann does not charge labor to do the job if you ship them your diff. You just pay shipping (from Michigan to Colorado Springs that would be about $150 each way). I found them to be highly knowledgeable and friendly. In fact, once they knew I had the Quaife unit, instead of telling me to buy theirs they referred me to the Kleemann dealer here for my Quaife install! The local shop says they have all of the tools needed, have done similar jobs and numerous Kleemann LSDs. Of course, they are aware that there are key differences in the install, and they are excited to install the first Quaife in a W203 in the Midwest. My car goes to them Monday morning.

I will try to post useful information here when the job is complete.

 

Can the person from EvoSport who told me you can't install LSDs anymore please jump in and provide detail?... The speedshop that did my speedybenz install used to do Kleemann LSDs. Also confirmed what the person @ EvoSport said, that Kleemann will not sell the modified phantom grip LSD anymore to former authorized dealers. Yes, you remind me that they could pull the diff & ship it to them. Not something I considered an option. Though interesting that they won't charge more, however if you add that cost plus the cost of the person who pulled the rear and will ship it and re-install it; cost must be higher then before.

 

That surprises me that Auto Europe doesn't or can't have access to MB specific tools. I was bringing my cars to them back when they had a small shop in Pontiac.

 

Should have gone to Motorwerks in Commerce (haggerty and pontiac trail)

Trust me, the amount of Amg vehicles that pass through that shop w/ all kinds of mods is insane. They have even worked on the SLR

I know they've done the kleemann diffs w/ no issues anyway have your guys give Satish a call www.motorwerksgroup.com