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Background: I currently do not own an AMG but, I’m seriously looking into them. When I graduated college a few years ago I traded in my S2k for a new (2019) Honda Civic Type R. At the time I absolutely loved the car, and part of me still does. However, its bright red with a giant wing and every crease vent and splitter ever designed. but mostly loud and immature. I’ve looked around and based off my practical budget I could reasonable swing a 2019 C43 AMG with around 15K-20K miles. I’ve driven 2 now a coupe and a sedan and really enjoy the superior build and material quality. The car is way more luxurious than my current and much less immature/ ostentatious. My wife loves it as well though I "Have to" get the sedan. (hoping to convince the other half a coupe is fine) I find the power is a great balance for the car and the transmission is fantastic.
Forward: One thing I have always enjoyed was driving. since 2018 I've done a dozen or, so HPDE track days. A couple with the s2k but most with the Type R. I’ve found the type R to be pretty much factory ready to tackle the track. With proper preparation vie had no issues with beating on it in the corners and winding it out on the straights. It’s been bullet proof reliable. As I can only have one car in my garage the choice is between a M3 and the C43 AMG. I plan to do 3-5 track days a year (Nothing crazy), Split between Road Atlanta and AMP.
Question: Does anyone have experience with the C43 on the track? how does it perform and hold up? I understand that it is by no means a race car and I shouldn’t expect it to be one. I’m more interested in its competence and pedigree. This will be my only car other than my wife’s GX400. I know the AMG its crazy good for the highway commute and it handles great through the mountains. I just need a car That can do the occasional track days with minimal mods (Tires & Brakes)
TLDR: I want a more mature car that is luxurious, Fun, and can do the occasional track day. Thanks All,
I come from a similar situation, an immature (albeit a blast!) Fiat 500 Abarth and into a C450.
While I have never tracked my car, it does regularly take a back-road flogging. I have track experience with the platform in a C63s and the car seems to handle it's weight quite well.
You can do some track driving, but don't expect it to be anywhere near M3 level. The brakes will disappoint first. At the AMG Driving Academy we drove the C43 sedan around the track for comparison, and the first thing that was noticeable were the brakes not coping and it was at Laguna Seca which is not a long track. The cars were driven 3 laps at a time with plenty of cooling down in between, but the brakes were mushy and soft by the time I got to drive it. Wouldn't be my choice for even a casual outing on the track. C63S if you wanna track it occasionally, even better if you get one with the CCBs, but even the standard brakes are two piece composite rotors for better cooling, and you can easily replace them with the Brembo full-floating rotors that are on the C63 Black Series. They are a direct fit and I have them on mine.
Very cool, thanks for posting this. I was amazed that oil temp hung around 240-255F (after conversion from C). Assumed it would have hit red / overheat, but it always dropped a bit.
I have tracked my c43 plenty of times in stock form and heavily modded. Also did AMG driving academy and had the c43 on COTA. In stock form, the c43 can get around the track. it's no miata or s2k. But none of these cars are that agile that are 3800lbs+. You will want to upgrade wheels and tires at minimum to give a better experience with the car. The stock brakes are fine on tracks up to 120 mph. Any tracks that you can go faster than that you will start to notice fade and potentially failure as the tiny rear brakes will start to heat up and the big 4 pot front calipers dont seem to shed heat as well as the c63 brembo setups. . Smoking the rear brakes is very easy on this car on a track. Always make sure to turn T/C all the way off so the torque vectoring braking the car does doesnt burn the rear rotors and pads. This car is very easy to drive without T/C on and its not a huge deal to have it off. I have never had issues with the front brakes until I was tuned on the track. Street driving (spirited) the stock brakes are more than enough. They are 360x36 in the front which is as big as the base c63 and only 10mm smaller than F80 gen M3 front brakes however they are wider than M3 brakes. In theory that should provide better fade resistance and a bit less overall stopping power due to smaller diameter. I am in no way comparing to the Current gen or F80 gen M3 from driving dynamics perspective but it would keep with any older M3 given your budget. If you start to tune and mod the c43 and track it, bigger brakes, wheels, and tires are a must. I upgraded to AMG GTs/C63S brakes on mine. Not cheap but an amazing upgrade. If you leave the car stock, i honestly think the stock brakes are fine given proper cool down which your engine and trans will need since the cooling system on the c43 isnt that great. Its a great overall car to have that does everything well but not the best in any category. Modding and tuning it can help pick up in areas where it lacks to make it an amazing DD.
[QUOTE=Ziggy 2112;8500874]Antecedentes: actualmente no tengo un AMG, pero lo estoy investigando seriamente. Cuando me gradué de la universidad hace algunos años, cambié mi S2k por un nuevo Honda Civic Type R (2019). En ese momento, me encantaba el auto, y una parte de mí todavía lo hace. Sin embargo, es de color rojo brillante con un ala gigante y cada pliegue de ventilación y divisor jamás diseñado. pero sobre todo ruidoso e inmaduro. Miré a mi alrededor y, según mi presupuesto práctico, podría cambiar razonablemente un C43 AMG 2019 con alrededor de 15,000 a 20,000 millas. He conducido 2 ahora, un cupé y un sedán, y realmente disfruto de la construcción superior y la calidad del material. El coche es mucho más lujoso que el actual y mucho menos inmaduro/ostentoso. A mi esposa también le encanta, aunque yo "tengo que" conseguir el sedán.
Delantero: Una cosa que siempre disfruté fue conducir. desde 2018 he hecho una docena o más de HPDE track days. Un par con el s2k pero la mayoría con el Type R. Descubrí que el type R está prácticamente listo de fábrica para enfrentar la pista. Con la preparación adecuada, vie no tuvo problemas para golpearlo en las esquinas y enrollarlo en las rectas. Ha sido a prueba de balas confiable. Como solo puedo tener un coche en mi garaje, la elección es entre un M3 y el C43 AMG. Planeo hacer de 3 a 5 días de pista al año (nada loco), dividido entre Road Atlanta y AMP.
Pregunta: ¿Alguien tiene experiencia con el C43 en la pista? ¿Cómo funciona y se sostiene? Entiendo que de ninguna manera es un auto de carrera y no debería esperar que lo sea. Estoy más interesado en su competencia y pedigrí. Este será mi único auto además del GX400 de mi esposa. Sé que el AMG es increíblemente bueno para el viaje por carretera y se maneja muy bien a través de las montañas. Solo necesito un automóvil que pueda hacer los días de pista ocasionales con modificaciones mínimas (neumáticos y frenos)
TLDR: quiero un automóvil más maduro que sea lujoso, divertido y que pueda hacer el día de pista ocasional. Gracias a todos,[/QUOTE
]I have entered the circuit a couple of times and my c43 is a wagon and I have only put yellow EBCs on it. Metal hoses and good brake fluid and it behaves very well, I also have it with semi-slick wheels
I'd get an M2 Competition, it's a proper driver's car and track machine and it's around the same price. The C43 is heavy and has a lot of body roll, it's slow to change direction and it's not really playful, and if you don't have the performance seats you also don't have enough side and thigh support (or at least I don't).
For those who are interested in the specific differences between the brakes in the C43 vs. C63 vs. C63S:
For C43 track use, is upgrading to the base C63 brakes (B06) sufficient? Will the 6 piston calipers perform better, handle the heat better, even though the disks seem to be the same size and material? It seems they would work in 18" wheels, right? It would be nice to keep 18" wheels for more sidewall for daily driving. 19" with some extra width can go on for track days.
Last edited by GermanCarShow; 04-18-2022 at 12:11 AM.
For C43 track use, is upgrading to the base C63 brakes (B06) sufficient? Will the 6 piston calipers perform better, handle the heat better, even though the disks seem to be the same size and material? It seems they would work in 18" wheels, right? It would be nice to keep 18" wheels for more sidewall for daily driving. 19" with some extra width can go on for track days.
The calipers don't do much for handling the heat other than allowing for larger pads. To handle heat better you need a larger heat sink, aka larger rotor and better cooling. Both the C63 and C63S rotors and for that matter the C43 rotors are internally ventilated, but with the C43 and C63 rotors being single piece there aren't large openings in the center for cooling air to easily enter and cool the rotors from the inside. The C63S rotors are larger, so bigger heat sink, and the 2-piece design also gives it larger openings for cooling air to enter between the hat and the rotor as you can see. On top of that the design keeps the heat away from the hub. Even better are upgraded true float rotors which also allow independent thermal expansion horizontally and vertically and have an even less obstructed path for cooling air to enter from behind. There are true floating Brembo rotors available as an upgrade. I have those on my C63S. They come in 360 mm and 390 mm size. The larger is for the S. The link below is for the 390 mm S rotors. They can be fitted on the C43 and C63 with caliper brackets to move the calipers out and allow for the larger rotors.
Thanks. I have found Brembro kits with 2-piece rotors that web sites say fit the C43, and I've found those same rotor dimensions as well, but they also have a disclaimer about wheel fitment. Finding 19" wheels & tires is my next task, if I'm going to do any events this year. If I get comfortable with the car and the speed, and start out driving my brakes, then maybe Brembos are the way to go. Thanks for the info!
01-27-2022, 10:51 AM
