Saaboteur's C55
05-12-2014, 10:57 AM
#201
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255s - I think if I really get bothered with it, I'll just have to eliminate the spacer - but that's going to require hubcentric rings and new or cut down bolts. Boo.
05-14-2014, 03:25 PM
#202
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1999 E320 4matic Wagon, 2005 C55 AMG - sold, 1998 VW Jetta TDI - sold, 2006 C230 Sport - Totaled :(
Hey when you say you ground something down on the inside, what exactly did you do? I'm thinking I'm going to try something like that to see what I can do to get the rubbing to stop.
05-14-2014, 10:15 PM
#204
Junior Member
What is your wheel offset with spacer?
I have 285/30 on 18x9.5 on rear with et40 and no rubbing (I just grinding rear joint fenders/bumper) For fit test: I remove spring and I lift the suspension with a jack. Also I'm on C63 rear spring and they are 25-35% stiffer than stock c55 spring and 10mm lower.
255 = my front tire
I have 285/30 on 18x9.5 on rear with et40 and no rubbing (I just grinding rear joint fenders/bumper) For fit test: I remove spring and I lift the suspension with a jack. Also I'm on C63 rear spring and they are 25-35% stiffer than stock c55 spring and 10mm lower.
255 = my front tire
05-15-2014, 10:46 AM
#205
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255s front - wowza! 
Offsets - unfortunately, the wheels aren't stamped, likely because they were made to order, and they are three piece, so things can vary with whatever's ordered. From my previous measurements, I believe they are 30mm front and 34mm rear. But now with 5mm spacers all around, I should be at 25mm front and 29mm rear.
Good idea about removing the spring for test fitting, doing that never even occurred to me. And I never knew C63 springs could fit - do you know if they fit up front too? I know that part numbers for the front suspension arms all change up to 204 part numbers now, which leads me to believe that the cars are really similar underneath.
With a 29mm offset at the back, there is plenty of room to move the wheel/tire back towards the chassis, so removing the spacer should work. If you're at 40mm at the back, I certainly should be able to do the same with a much narrower rear tire. What size and offset are you running up front?
For the grinding, I've been using a small burr tool in my no-name Dremel type rotary tool, and just grinding away the plastic on the inside of the bumper lip. I also used an angle grinder to cut away a bit of the metal bumper tab too.
No more performance mods for this car - I'm quite happy with the way it is at the moment. Currently saving for a 911 - so I reason that every 'performance' dollar I put into the C55 means another dollar keeping me away the 997 I want!
Offsets - unfortunately, the wheels aren't stamped, likely because they were made to order, and they are three piece, so things can vary with whatever's ordered. From my previous measurements, I believe they are 30mm front and 34mm rear. But now with 5mm spacers all around, I should be at 25mm front and 29mm rear.
Good idea about removing the spring for test fitting, doing that never even occurred to me. And I never knew C63 springs could fit - do you know if they fit up front too? I know that part numbers for the front suspension arms all change up to 204 part numbers now, which leads me to believe that the cars are really similar underneath.
With a 29mm offset at the back, there is plenty of room to move the wheel/tire back towards the chassis, so removing the spacer should work. If you're at 40mm at the back, I certainly should be able to do the same with a much narrower rear tire. What size and offset are you running up front?
For the grinding, I've been using a small burr tool in my no-name Dremel type rotary tool, and just grinding away the plastic on the inside of the bumper lip. I also used an angle grinder to cut away a bit of the metal bumper tab too.
No more performance mods for this car - I'm quite happy with the way it is at the moment. Currently saving for a 911 - so I reason that every 'performance' dollar I put into the C55 means another dollar keeping me away the 997 I want!
05-15-2014, 12:07 PM
#206
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1999 E320 4matic Wagon, 2005 C55 AMG - sold, 1998 VW Jetta TDI - sold, 2006 C230 Sport - Totaled :(
I guess I'll have to jack the car up and see what I can do in terms of grinding. That may be my only option at this point to get the rubbing to finally go away!!
dps_tdi how in the hell can you fit a 285 back there??? Maybe it's because your wheels sit in a lot farther.
I'm at 35mm in the rear, but with this wheel style I could definitely go with a lower offset.
dps_tdi how in the hell can you fit a 285 back there??? Maybe it's because your wheels sit in a lot farther.
I'm at 35mm in the rear, but with this wheel style I could definitely go with a lower offset.
05-15-2014, 09:40 PM
#207
Junior Member
I just put the c63 rear spring, the front spring don't fit and they are very soft compare to the stock c55 spring (around 30%). I think the C63 suspension are tuned with big front swaybar. I think 27-28mm front and 20mm rear.
255 up front with -3.5 camber you can't imagine the turn in. lol!!
911 is my dream car, c55 is very fast too!
My track wheels are square set-up in 255/40r17 ET30 not rub without fender mod.
The majority of my gain for 285 is to the inner of fender. My 285's go out around 10mm that my 255's and oem wheel.
255 up front with -3.5 camber
you can't imagine the turn in. lol!!911 is my dream car, c55 is very fast too!
I guess I'll have to jack the car up and see what I can do in terms of grinding. That may be my only option at this point to get the rubbing to finally go away!!
dps_tdi how in the hell can you fit a 285 back there??? Maybe it's because your wheels sit in a lot farther.
I'm at 35mm in the rear, but with this wheel style I could definitely go with a lower offset.
dps_tdi how in the hell can you fit a 285 back there??? Maybe it's because your wheels sit in a lot farther.
I'm at 35mm in the rear, but with this wheel style I could definitely go with a lower offset.
The majority of my gain for 285 is to the inner of fender. My 285's go out around 10mm that my 255's and oem wheel.
05-23-2014, 02:54 PM
#208
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that c63 spring may help with my rub on bumps... I dont get it in the turn anymore since mine rubs on the inside of the well. I grinded down the junction between the bumper and the rear fender part which is pretty obvious where it rubs since the paint is gone there. But ya I run 265/30 in the back. Its just weird that I don't rub on the passenger side. I just want to have passengers and no rub driving down the highway! lol
05-23-2014, 03:01 PM
#209
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does the rear spring fit the same way as the c55...ie the top of the spring is angled and the bottom is flat to fit in the housing
05-27-2014, 11:35 AM
#210
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Another lengthy freeway drive yesterday, and fingers crossed the rubbing issues are now resolved for good. A couple weekends ago, I spent some more time hacking away underneath the car. Well, not really hacking, but a lot more grinding, mostly at the bumper tab. I suppose I need to drive around a bumpier area, but I did hit a few 'good' ones.
06-30-2014, 01:40 PM
#213
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My lovely wife bought me some Weathertech mats for the front and rear for my birthday. Weathertechs everywhere now! I don't particularly need them for the C55 as it's a summer car only, but they are much easier to clean out than actual carpet mats. Ever since getting them for my Audi winter beater and on our year round driven Land Rover, I've sworn by them.
07-04-2014, 12:05 PM
#214
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My lovely wife bought me some Weathertech mats for the front and rear for my birthday. Weathertechs everywhere now! I don't particularly need them for the C55 as it's a summer car only, but they are much easier to clean out than actual carpet mats. Ever since getting them for my Audi winter beater and on our year round driven Land Rover, I've sworn by them.
07-09-2014, 04:10 PM
#215
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C55 AMG, E55 AMG
My lovely wife bought me some Weathertech mats for the front and rear for my birthday. Weathertechs everywhere now! I don't particularly need them for the C55 as it's a summer car only, but they are much easier to clean out than actual carpet mats. Ever since getting them for my Audi winter beater and on our year round driven Land Rover, I've sworn by them.
09-08-2014, 01:41 PM
#216
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Spent a couple hours over the past few days blacking out the chrome bits on my stock grille. I wrapped with a stain black. Unfortunately, it was dark before I could get a half decent photo last night, and then this morning we got snow!!! Boo.
Next I would like to use the same wrap for the rest of the chrome trim on the car, but that will take a bit of time.
I like the look! And going back to the CLK grille takes just a few minutes. More labour intensive to wrap than spraying with Plasti-Dip for sure though.
Next I would like to use the same wrap for the rest of the chrome trim on the car, but that will take a bit of time.
I like the look! And going back to the CLK grille takes just a few minutes. More labour intensive to wrap than spraying with Plasti-Dip for sure though.
09-08-2014, 02:05 PM
#217
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C55 AMG
I love the blacked our grill so much more. Side question... i'm going to start looking into winter tires here in the north east US we are suppose to get a lot of snow this year. What would you recommend for the C55?
09-08-2014, 05:37 PM
#218
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Lol, I'd recommend you buy a beater AWD car!
Even with winter tires, I had little traction with the C55 in snowy conditions. My basic 02 A4 Avant, mildly tuned, would run rings around my C55 in poor weather. Its traction is outstanding due to the AWD, even though it has less than half the displacement and substantially less power and torque. Of course, having less power and torque probably really helps in poor weather though.
I don't have much in the way of specific winter tire recommendations though, but I will say what I think. I believe Benz recommends non staggered for winter tires. I say poo to that and just go with staggered. I do actually have winter tires for the C55, which I use in the 'shoulder season', but just 225s and 245s, and in 17s. For the majority of my driving, I don't notice the 'benefit' one is supposed to derive from non-staggered winter tires on RWD. Rather, in clear conditions (but still during the winter), I do notice the lack of precision in steering and handling - albeit a lot of that comes with the winter tire compounds, but I'm sure some of that could be due to non-staggered set up (these comments are derived from previous experience in my C43, and that's I why I went with staggered for the C55).
I was pretty happy with a set of Contis I bought years ago for winter duty on my C43. I got a flat in one and replaced just a pair with Falken Eurowinter.
The other specific recommendation other than going with non-staggered is to use a tire that is most suitable for your general driving conditions. If you are expecting some snow but not mountains of it, and live in an urban area where they plow relatively frequently, then you would probably want something that's suitable for winter use but biased to clear or wet pavement (as opposed to a studded tire for deep snow, and going with substantially narrower widths). Michelin makes something nice in this range, if I remember right it's the Pilot Alpin. Don't get confused though, (around here at least) Michelin offers a cheaper version. The Conti I mentioned earlier had those characteristics.
Also, keep in mind that winter performance is hugely different from rain performance. And by 'performance' in this sentence I don't mean 0-60 and rah-rah power and all that, I just mean actually doing its job. Winter for me means substantially below freezing, and even if the pavement is clear, a summer compound is not suitable for that kind of temperature. I might get a dusting of snow and a tire that works in wet weather (but not a winter compound with high silica content and lots of siping) would throw me into the scene of the accident really quickly.
I'd just surf over to tirerack and check out their reviews, as the manufacturers always put out something new. Oh, and my stagger vs. non-stagger comments only apply to RWD. On my Audi I have non-stagger. I don't understand the VAG guys who run staggered tires on FWD or AWD cars.
Even with winter tires, I had little traction with the C55 in snowy conditions. My basic 02 A4 Avant, mildly tuned, would run rings around my C55 in poor weather. Its traction is outstanding due to the AWD, even though it has less than half the displacement and substantially less power and torque. Of course, having less power and torque probably really helps in poor weather though.
I don't have much in the way of specific winter tire recommendations though, but I will say what I think. I believe Benz recommends non staggered for winter tires. I say poo to that and just go with staggered. I do actually have winter tires for the C55, which I use in the 'shoulder season', but just 225s and 245s, and in 17s. For the majority of my driving, I don't notice the 'benefit' one is supposed to derive from non-staggered winter tires on RWD. Rather, in clear conditions (but still during the winter), I do notice the lack of precision in steering and handling - albeit a lot of that comes with the winter tire compounds, but I'm sure some of that could be due to non-staggered set up (these comments are derived from previous experience in my C43, and that's I why I went with staggered for the C55).
I was pretty happy with a set of Contis I bought years ago for winter duty on my C43. I got a flat in one and replaced just a pair with Falken Eurowinter.
The other specific recommendation other than going with non-staggered is to use a tire that is most suitable for your general driving conditions. If you are expecting some snow but not mountains of it, and live in an urban area where they plow relatively frequently, then you would probably want something that's suitable for winter use but biased to clear or wet pavement (as opposed to a studded tire for deep snow, and going with substantially narrower widths). Michelin makes something nice in this range, if I remember right it's the Pilot Alpin. Don't get confused though, (around here at least) Michelin offers a cheaper version. The Conti I mentioned earlier had those characteristics.
Also, keep in mind that winter performance is hugely different from rain performance. And by 'performance' in this sentence I don't mean 0-60 and rah-rah power and all that, I just mean actually doing its job. Winter for me means substantially below freezing, and even if the pavement is clear, a summer compound is not suitable for that kind of temperature. I might get a dusting of snow and a tire that works in wet weather (but not a winter compound with high silica content and lots of siping) would throw me into the scene of the accident really quickly.
I'd just surf over to tirerack and check out their reviews, as the manufacturers always put out something new. Oh, and my stagger vs. non-stagger comments only apply to RWD. On my Audi I have non-stagger. I don't understand the VAG guys who run staggered tires on FWD or AWD cars.
Last edited by Saaboteur; 09-08-2014 at 05:46 PM.
09-09-2014, 11:07 AM
#219
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C55 AMG
Lol, I'd recommend you buy a beater AWD car!
Even with winter tires, I had little traction with the C55 in snowy conditions. My basic 02 A4 Avant, mildly tuned, would run rings around my C55 in poor weather. Its traction is outstanding due to the AWD, even though it has less than half the displacement and substantially less power and torque. Of course, having less power and torque probably really helps in poor weather though.
I don't have much in the way of specific winter tire recommendations though, but I will say what I think. I believe Benz recommends non staggered for winter tires. I say poo to that and just go with staggered. I do actually have winter tires for the C55, which I use in the 'shoulder season', but just 225s and 245s, and in 17s. For the majority of my driving, I don't notice the 'benefit' one is supposed to derive from non-staggered winter tires on RWD. Rather, in clear conditions (but still during the winter), I do notice the lack of precision in steering and handling - albeit a lot of that comes with the winter tire compounds, but I'm sure some of that could be due to non-staggered set up (these comments are derived from previous experience in my C43, and that's I why I went with staggered for the C55).
I was pretty happy with a set of Contis I bought years ago for winter duty on my C43. I got a flat in one and replaced just a pair with Falken Eurowinter.
The other specific recommendation other than going with non-staggered is to use a tire that is most suitable for your general driving conditions. If you are expecting some snow but not mountains of it, and live in an urban area where they plow relatively frequently, then you would probably want something that's suitable for winter use but biased to clear or wet pavement (as opposed to a studded tire for deep snow, and going with substantially narrower widths). Michelin makes something nice in this range, if I remember right it's the Pilot Alpin. Don't get confused though, (around here at least) Michelin offers a cheaper version. The Conti I mentioned earlier had those characteristics.
Also, keep in mind that winter performance is hugely different from rain performance. And by 'performance' in this sentence I don't mean 0-60 and rah-rah power and all that, I just mean actually doing its job. Winter for me means substantially below freezing, and even if the pavement is clear, a summer compound is not suitable for that kind of temperature. I might get a dusting of snow and a tire that works in wet weather (but not a winter compound with high silica content and lots of siping) would throw me into the scene of the accident really quickly.
I'd just surf over to tirerack and check out their reviews, as the manufacturers always put out something new. Oh, and my stagger vs. non-stagger comments only apply to RWD. On my Audi I have non-stagger. I don't understand the VAG guys who run staggered tires on FWD or AWD cars.
Even with winter tires, I had little traction with the C55 in snowy conditions. My basic 02 A4 Avant, mildly tuned, would run rings around my C55 in poor weather. Its traction is outstanding due to the AWD, even though it has less than half the displacement and substantially less power and torque. Of course, having less power and torque probably really helps in poor weather though.
I don't have much in the way of specific winter tire recommendations though, but I will say what I think. I believe Benz recommends non staggered for winter tires. I say poo to that and just go with staggered. I do actually have winter tires for the C55, which I use in the 'shoulder season', but just 225s and 245s, and in 17s. For the majority of my driving, I don't notice the 'benefit' one is supposed to derive from non-staggered winter tires on RWD. Rather, in clear conditions (but still during the winter), I do notice the lack of precision in steering and handling - albeit a lot of that comes with the winter tire compounds, but I'm sure some of that could be due to non-staggered set up (these comments are derived from previous experience in my C43, and that's I why I went with staggered for the C55).
I was pretty happy with a set of Contis I bought years ago for winter duty on my C43. I got a flat in one and replaced just a pair with Falken Eurowinter.
The other specific recommendation other than going with non-staggered is to use a tire that is most suitable for your general driving conditions. If you are expecting some snow but not mountains of it, and live in an urban area where they plow relatively frequently, then you would probably want something that's suitable for winter use but biased to clear or wet pavement (as opposed to a studded tire for deep snow, and going with substantially narrower widths). Michelin makes something nice in this range, if I remember right it's the Pilot Alpin. Don't get confused though, (around here at least) Michelin offers a cheaper version. The Conti I mentioned earlier had those characteristics.
Also, keep in mind that winter performance is hugely different from rain performance. And by 'performance' in this sentence I don't mean 0-60 and rah-rah power and all that, I just mean actually doing its job. Winter for me means substantially below freezing, and even if the pavement is clear, a summer compound is not suitable for that kind of temperature. I might get a dusting of snow and a tire that works in wet weather (but not a winter compound with high silica content and lots of siping) would throw me into the scene of the accident really quickly.
I'd just surf over to tirerack and check out their reviews, as the manufacturers always put out something new. Oh, and my stagger vs. non-stagger comments only apply to RWD. On my Audi I have non-stagger. I don't understand the VAG guys who run staggered tires on FWD or AWD cars.
I had a 335i xdrive with blizzaks LM60's which made that car a tank in the snow, i will probably stick with them again for this car. I guess i wanted to see how you guys are doing with the C55 in these conditions.
My approach was to put the winter tires on the stock wheels and get nicer summer wheels next summer.
09-11-2014, 10:39 AM
#221
Super Member
My wife would kill me if I tell her i need another car since i just bought this one last year as my DD. My situation is probably much different than most. I work from home and does not really need to drive if it is snowing out. I'd just like to be somewhat prepared if i do need to be out there and it starts snowing, or at least not have my performance summer tires on during the winter.
I had a 335i xdrive with blizzaks LM60's which made that car a tank in the snow, i will probably stick with them again for this car. I guess i wanted to see how you guys are doing with the C55 in these conditions.
My approach was to put the winter tires on the stock wheels and get nicer summer wheels next summer.
I had a 335i xdrive with blizzaks LM60's which made that car a tank in the snow, i will probably stick with them again for this car. I guess i wanted to see how you guys are doing with the C55 in these conditions.
My approach was to put the winter tires on the stock wheels and get nicer summer wheels next summer.
Blizzaks are great, but are too soft and wear about 2-3x as fast as Nokians will with little to no benefits. I used to swear by Blizzaks, but 10-15K miles/set is not enough, IMO. Nokians can go close to 30K w/ no real fall-off in performance.
09-12-2014, 08:30 AM
#222
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Get some 225/45 Nokians on some cheap 7.5" wide wheels. My C55 was a beast through one of Ohio's worst winters in recent record last year. I had no problem sending the non-cargal wife out in any weather in it either.
Blizzaks are great, but are too soft and wear about 2-3x as fast as Nokians will with little to no benefits. I used to swear by Blizzaks, but 10-15K miles/set is not enough, IMO. Nokians can go close to 30K w/ no real fall-off in performance.
Blizzaks are great, but are too soft and wear about 2-3x as fast as Nokians will with little to no benefits. I used to swear by Blizzaks, but 10-15K miles/set is not enough, IMO. Nokians can go close to 30K w/ no real fall-off in performance.
09-15-2014, 05:45 PM
#223
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New stablemate for my C55 (and A4, and the LR3):
It's a 2006 911 Carrera 4S. If you know Porsches, the 997 generation is all about the options, and this car has some very nice ones - chief being the X51 Powerkit, with modified heads, X51 specific headers, different intake plenum, larger throttle body, third radiator and Porsche Sport Exhaust. VERY happy with this car! Purchased through Weissach Performance in Vancouver, picked it up there last Friday, drove it home the rest of Friday and into Saturday across ~1,200km of the very lovely BC interior and the Rockies in Alberta. I thought that I owned nice cars before, but then I got my 911.
It's a 2006 911 Carrera 4S. If you know Porsches, the 997 generation is all about the options, and this car has some very nice ones - chief being the X51 Powerkit, with modified heads, X51 specific headers, different intake plenum, larger throttle body, third radiator and Porsche Sport Exhaust. VERY happy with this car! Purchased through Weissach Performance in Vancouver, picked it up there last Friday, drove it home the rest of Friday and into Saturday across ~1,200km of the very lovely BC interior and the Rockies in Alberta. I thought that I owned nice cars before, but then I got my 911.
Last edited by Saaboteur; 09-15-2014 at 05:48 PM.
09-15-2014, 05:58 PM
#225
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Thank you!! It is an awesome car. I am glad I heeded my friend's advice - did not go down the C63 path, but the 911 route. I still love C63s, and I hope to own one one day, but there is a big difference between a thoroughbred sports car and a C-Class with a massive engine.
