hitokiri89

Hi everyone , my buddy wants to get a 63 but has a family and was wondering how they handle in the snow . I know my 350 sucks on the snow but I didn't put any winter tires on so I was hoping you guys could tell me some of your experiences driving in the winter and possibly what tires you guys throw on for cold weather . Thanks in advance .

kart125

I took delivery of my C63 at the beginning of february and drove her for 2500 km on Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 S... not the best tire out there but the only one available at the end of the season.

Cant say I'm confident about the driveability 365 days/year with the C... It would probably be driveable 360 daays/year here in Montreal. It's good in light snow/slush but I would not take it out in deep stuff. I got stuck in my driveway (slight uphill) in 3 inch snow. The problem is if you spin the tires even slightly, the tires dig down and you are stuck in a "rut" that gets icy quickly. I had to pull the car with my Saab (XWD). Quite a sad thing to see. At least it was dark!!!

It concerns me so much that I'm considering buying the Saab (end of lease in july) as a "rescue car" for the 5 days/year I can't take the C.

One option would be to put studded tires if legal in your region. I have a friend who drives a 335i all year long with studded tires and he never had any problem. He got some "peripheral" "w" shaped studs that can be installed on any tires (does not have to be studdable). It gives good traction at slower speeds and good grip at higher speeds as the tires deforms and the center of the tire touches the road more.

Anyways, it's doable to drive in winter, heck a couple of decades ago every car was RWD without traction control and it was working! We got spoiled with AWD!

hitokiri89

Im trying to get him on the Benz side but he wants awd. I got stuck like 5 time this last winter and I'm only driving a tuned 350 I can't imagine how bad it is with all the torque of the 63 . Thanks for the fast reply though . He got a great deal on a lease for the 63 at 660 a month bit the NY winters are no joke .

Cap_Scarlet

Don't even thing about it - its horrible in the snow - a slight gradient is a nightmare - stop and you are beached.

I have a Suzuki Swift 4x4 for winter!

Blown63

the car is great in the snow! just make sure you have winter tires on it and you will be fine.
i tried it with out winter tires and nearly killed my self but after installing Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 it was fine.

ygtk09

Read this it will help you...

Before this winter which was one heck of a winter i did a bunch of reading. You will find two types of people, some say park your car and don't touch it and others say put on winter tires and your good to go. Well here is the issue. As long as the snow is under your front bumper by about an inch you are good to go. You obviously need to go normal speeds and drive with traction on but you will be good to get from point a to b. I put on dunlops winter sport with 275 in the back, and they did one heck of a job. Don't drive where other cars haven't drove and just use your head and you will be okay.

hitokiri89

Thanks for the tips guys . He was supposed to test drive today but it started raining .

SebringSilver

There must be a dozen threads or more on this forum dedicated to winter driving with the C63 AMG. There's a lot of useful information just waiting to be discovered.

PGHE350

If your going to drive it in the snow get dedicated snow tires and opt for the LSD.

skoobz2001

I took delivery of my '11 P31 (so I have the LSD) in early January. It was a very cold and very snowy and icy winter. I put Michelin X-Ice2's on it. There were two days I didn't drive it to work - and only because I didn't want some other idiot running into me. Is it ideal? No. Is it passable? I'd say 95% of the time.

With dedicated snow/ice tires (NOT all seasons), and a reasonably skillful driver, it should be now problem.

And FWIW, I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada which is one of the coldest, snowiest and northernmost cities of a million plus people on the planet.

valib24

I drive my brother e63 and im fine. He puts on winter tires and they are great. With my c300 4matic, Im all over the place with all season tires. A honda civic si was flying by me in the winter here in ny with snow tires on while my 4matic was struggling to stay straight

stirlingkool

This car has over 400 lb-ft torque to the rear, burns through rear tires between 5-10 K miles, and costs over 70K (in Canada). Does this sound like a good winter FAMILY vehicle? HELLO!!!!!!!!!

If you can afford this car, and especially if you plan on driving your little wee loved ones in the back seat, why do you want to run the risk?

I can drive with my eyes closed for 5 seconds and not get into an accident MOST of the time. You can run a red light MOST of time and not cause an accident. Why would you drive this car in the winter if you can afford a 70K vehicle? Everyone who drives a C63 has other choices for serious winter driving (eg. get a winter vehicle or how about an S4 or RS4).

I love my C63 but you cannot use even 50% of it's power and performace in the winter. I wish some one would have made a post like this when I was researching the C63.............most people posted things like "you will be fine" or "it's good for 360/365 days of the year". Those are hints fellas.

I am hoping that there are some dudes out there who read this and exercise some common sense especially when you got 2 and 3 year old children in the back.

mikeychimay

the same holds for 13 year olds...

SPE3D

Don't...

wankeldude

don't bother. get an AWD for winter.
even with snow tires, if you have any hills it won't go

Jycke

Why not consider the ML 63?

CLK550

I tried a 2007 CLK with new Blizzak snows on it this past winter. After the first major snow storm I put the car up and bought a SUV. The ClK was horrible in snow. Anyone want a new set of Blizzak snows cheap? 225-45-R17

JeffDL

not sure what the problem is here. this winter was one of the worst in Mass history. C63 on 235 performance snows all around was a champ. Of couse it's drivable. It's no different than any other rear wheel drive car tires make all the difference.

stirlingkool

not trying to be argumentative here but I have to disagree with your statement that the C63 is "no different than any other rear wheel drive car ". Very few 4 door, RWD, mid-size sedans have over 450HP and 441 ft-lb torque. That is what makes this car special remember?! In addition, we all know that the C63 is relatively front-heavy and light in the rear. This is a bad combo for slippery conditions. Yes tires can make some difference but only up to a certain point. If you live in areas with erratic, unpredictable winters, then you can "get by" with the C63. Are there much better options........YES

BTW, this is what i use in the winter for my C63

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...3/IMG_1874.jpg

stirlingkool

stirlingkool

so perhaps I can suggest that we all prepare for next years winter by trading in our C63's and getting this instead..........

rage2

For those that think a C63 is not a worthy winter car, or dangerous with kids in it, I bought my C63 as my winter car and drive around with a 3 year old in the back. We had yet another dump last night/this morning, 6-8 inches of slushy snow. For anyone that's driven in winter, they would know that slushy snow is probably the worst for traction.



Made the drive without any problems. And when the main roads dries up, I was able to use 100% of the power, contrary to what some might think.

Muskoka_AMG

The problem isn't snow. The problem is snow on hills. I can get into and out of almost any situation on flat ground, but with some good snow and a slight incline (even as much as a deep sewer grate in a parking lot) and there's trouble.

You just have to be strategic about what roads you take. I complain a lot about it, but realistically, I drove it all last winter and will drive it next winter. Only really had one bad day because I got a little too adventurous.

rage2

Maybe it's because I have the sport package (LSD) that I don't have problems on hills. I live at the top of a massive hill, so I have to drive up one every single day.

edit - Hill doesn't look as steep on google maps...

Sheep

Rage2: I will be moving to the east coast and I have no experience driving on snow, so I am really interested in your winter experience with the C63. Also, what kind of snow tires you have? Were you on studs or chains? Thanks.

Sheep