DaGS1800

I finally got to drive my friends 08' C63 AMG (Red with Black int), in comparison to my 09' C63 (White with Black int). This is only my OPINION so please no one take offence to this post, this car is absolutely stunning with or without the PP package. Anyways... I have been seeing a bunch of posts asking about the difference so I thought I would post my 2 cents. I thought the suspension would be very different but that is not the case. You do not lose any ride quality at all with PP suspension, in my opinion I would not want the car without it, my friend agreed that he was happy at first for not having it after posted reviews that he read online but did not feel that way after driving mine. When you are in comfort mode it is a nice smooth ride, but once you put it in sport or manual mode the car has absolutely ZERO lean into a turn, I am absolutely stunned how flat this car stays going in and out of a turn at high speeds. The only positive thing I can say about not having the PP suspension is the quieter ride while hitting bumps, cracks, potholes, etc. The Steering wheel is an absolutely huge difference in my opinion; I highly recommend this to others as an upgrade if they do not have this package. The all leather wheel does look and feel a little fake, the alcantara wheel looks and feels much better. And of course the limited slip is also a must in my opinion, which is what my buddy was most disappointed about. However he has no regrets, and I must say the Red is a beautiful color. These are just my opinions, I also passed on my 09' that came in 3 months ago with only half of the PP package so that right there pretty much sums up why I feel the way I do, I find these elements of the car essential due to the nature of the car itself. Some others will obviously have different opinions, however the car with or without this package is amazing, and the package is simply a preference just a like a color.

Again, I do not mean to insult, disappoint or put anyone else’s C63 down in anyway.

P.S. I F'ing love this car!!!!!

king360

Hi, first of all, thank you for writing this up. I'm sure many members(potential C63 buyers) on this forum would find this kind of information very helpful.

Secondly, regarding the limited slip diff., would you elaborate more on this? How does it feel with and without the LSD on normal road course?

Lastly, quote "When you are in comfort mode it is a nice smooth ride, but once you put it in sport or manual mode the car has absolutely ZERO lean into a turn."

I thought the Comfort, Sport and manual modes are settings for the transmission only. C63 does not have an active suspension system. Do you mean that your car (the one with the PP suspension) has better body-roll controlled than the non PP car while still maintain a rather nice smooth ride?

Thanks in advance.

AMG Dictator

You are correct, the C/S/M is for the transmission only. I has no effect on the handling of the car at all.

The C63 does not have an adjustable suspension.

The PP is stiffer but it really depends on what your point of reference is. If you are used to a Porsche GT3 then it is softer than that. If you are used to a Lexus, it is WAY stiffer than that.

bigbodybeeenz

Unfortunately the modes are transmission only and have ZERO effect on the suspension. I appreciate you taking the effort to write this up, but your statements regarding the suspension show that you have no idea what you're talking about

shap07s550

So did one of cars have the upgraded suspension and you are mistakingly thinking it is LSD? This whole PP thing still confuses me - even after reading all the PP posts over the last few months. I see one guy wrote they put different parts in his C63 to upgrade him to the proper full PP package - and he listed the parts, another guy in Louisiana wrote he has the "full" package with the upgraded brakes, steering wheel etc, someone else wrote yesterday that cars in his area(Cali) all have the full PP like the guy in Louisiana, others wrote recently that there is nothing but the LSD and delimiter available right now, but amg's site shows "track-calibrated suspension system" is part of the $3990 Performance Package and I have the salesman I am buying mine from, and about to be built, saying his ordering system only shows delimiter and LSD for $3990...I am very confused but WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE TRUTH IS!! Anyone have the answers?

Sincity

I was also confused at that statement and glad you guys cleared it up. It would have been a great feature to have an adjustble suspension from the cockpit ala M3.

FishtailnZ

Are you SURE your '09 has the full PP option? Your confusion over what S/C/M actually does aside, sounds to me like you didn't get the suspension bits afterall.

clktoc63

My understanding having gone through the painful process:
1.) '08's do not have and you could not order a performance package.
2.) Starting in MY2009, you could order the C63 with the PP.
3.) The initial batch of 2009 C63's produced, coded to have a PP, only came with 2 of the PP components due to a coding error at the factory; the LSD and speed delimiter.
4.) It was then up to the owner to decide based on his/her situation what to do. Some declined the car, some opted to accept the car as is ("PP lite", "partial PP", etc.), and others like me negotiated that the upgrade be installed as a retrofit.

* The problem was corrected reasonably quickly, so all cars being built after a certain time (Mid Sept I believe) should have the full PP.

Hope it helps.

shap07s550

Yes it does. BUT, since the email of my order that was just sent to me only explicitly lists LSD and Delimiter:

030 030 AMG Performance Package: AMG Limited $3,990
P30 : Performance Package
251 : Delimitation of top speed to 174 mph
471 : Limited Slip Differential Lock

...I have to be skeptical until I get my salesman to confirm exactly what I am getting, which I am waiting on. Wouldn't it say alacantra and upgraded brakes and suspension if I was getting it??

DaGS1800

I apologize for the way I stated this in my earlier post, however I do know exactly what I am talking about and I was not implying that the suspension was different in this mode, just the acceleration through the turns. I understand why this was misinterpreted due to the way that I phrased this, however I DO know that there is no suspension adjustment while changing from C-S-M modes. And I am absolutely positive I have the full PP package, I even waited for this one after receiving the half *** version of the PP package...

"Secondly, regarding the limited slip diff., would you elaborate more on this? How does it feel with and without the LSD on normal road course?"

I do not know exactly what to say to describe the difference, and I don’t want to say the same stuff like "its just stiffer..." because that doesn’t really say much. However, I can tell you that launching from a stop without the limited slip is very difficult, and while down shifting from 3rd to 2nd for example while punching the gas will result in the car limiting the throttle due to wheel spin without the LSD, where with the LSD you will have a much stronger response while punching the throttle... Hope this helps...

peet

Sorry to call BS - but in a straight line on a surface that has the same mu factor - the LSD has no effect on launching. Just as the c/s/m switch has no control over the suspension. The only way you'd be able to tell if you had an LSD and what it did is if you drove it like you stole it in major curves and even then you'd have to be intimate with both cars to tell the difference or be a regular test pilot for AMG.

Blownbenz

Did you just say the LSD has no affect on launching a car from a stop? I dont want to be rude but do you have any clue what you are talking about? The difference is night and day. The ability to launch harder due to more traction is the main reason why you get a lsd. It has twice the traction

AMG Dictator

Actually in this case peet is more correct than you are. In our stock AMG cars, due to all of the electronic crazyness from ESP, our cars actually mimic a LSD very well in straight line performance.

This is why your E55 is not a one wheel wonder leaving a traffic light. Now if you pay really close attention on your E55, you will notice that the right real will wear just a bit quicker than the left but most people won't notice this. ESP does still struggle at some times keeping the rear balanced and a LSD certainly will help this.

For us, the true relevance of a LSD comes with getting bite while pushing out of a turn on a race track or tight roads.

If your double traction comment was correct then all LSD cars would be significantly quicker 0-60 than non equipped cars and this is not the case.

Some of the top E55's on drag radials with a standard diff are running in the 1.7 60' range at the drag strip. This really shows the stock performance of these differentials without LSD.

Once we talk about tuned cars and big HP all of this goes out the window but I would agree that other than the random clunk around a turn, not much to notice in normal driving.

Blownbenz

I see your point and yes the esp does an allright job at making believe its a LSD. But its no where near the feel of a real lsd. The E55 is my first benz and ive had about 10 Mcars before that. I love the E55 but my biggest complaint is the lack of an LSD. The M5s and M3s all come with them and it makes a huge difference. It just makes it a totally diferent car on the track and on the street under hard acceleration. Im actually looking into an after market LSD for the E55.

Strafe1

I agree. My C55 had SIGNIFICANT right rear tire wear compared to the left. Even on turns through large intersections, the mechanical diff makes a noticeably HUGE difference to me.