Best Use of the C63 Transmission?
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
Best Use of the C63 Transmission?
I've been experimenting with various ways to use the C63 transmission, and here are my thoughts so far:
- I rarely use C, but it seems fine for gentler driving, and I assume there's a gas mileage benefit. Should this mode be used until the car warms up?
- S seems best when a lot of stop and start driving is involved, or when M is inconvenient (I don't find M worth the bother at really low speeds). I find S to perform generally pretty well, but it's not always able to guess exactly what I want; sometimes downshifts are delayed too much and sometimes upshifts are unwelcome. Does it have an adaptive program which enables it to learn your driving habits?
- I've come to like and use M a lot, particularly for highway driving when I need to do a lot of passing, and for curvy roads where it provides much better control of the car. I'm finding that to get really punchy acceleration, the car needs to be in a gear where the RPMs are about 3,000 to 4,000. With lower RPMs there's noticeable lag, and I don't usually have a need to push the RPMs much higher. At highway speeds, all of this means that 4th and 5th gear usually work best; I haven't even tried 3rd gear, and 6th and 7th gears are sluggish unless the speeds are really high. On curvy roads, 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears seem to cover all the bases.
- I find it a bit annoying to hunt for the mode selection button, since I don't like to take my eyes off the road, and it's not that easy to find by touch. I'd much prefer to have it on the steering wheel, or it least for the button to be raised. I wonder if a raised aftermarket button could be installed instead.
What do you all think? Have your experiences been similar? Any tips?
- I rarely use C, but it seems fine for gentler driving, and I assume there's a gas mileage benefit. Should this mode be used until the car warms up?
- S seems best when a lot of stop and start driving is involved, or when M is inconvenient (I don't find M worth the bother at really low speeds). I find S to perform generally pretty well, but it's not always able to guess exactly what I want; sometimes downshifts are delayed too much and sometimes upshifts are unwelcome. Does it have an adaptive program which enables it to learn your driving habits?
- I've come to like and use M a lot, particularly for highway driving when I need to do a lot of passing, and for curvy roads where it provides much better control of the car. I'm finding that to get really punchy acceleration, the car needs to be in a gear where the RPMs are about 3,000 to 4,000. With lower RPMs there's noticeable lag, and I don't usually have a need to push the RPMs much higher. At highway speeds, all of this means that 4th and 5th gear usually work best; I haven't even tried 3rd gear, and 6th and 7th gears are sluggish unless the speeds are really high. On curvy roads, 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears seem to cover all the bases.
- I find it a bit annoying to hunt for the mode selection button, since I don't like to take my eyes off the road, and it's not that easy to find by touch. I'd much prefer to have it on the steering wheel, or it least for the button to be raised. I wonder if a raised aftermarket button could be installed instead.
What do you all think? Have your experiences been similar? Any tips?
Last edited by IAA-C63; May 20, 2011 at 10:58 AM.
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AMG
Don't know if its really usefull but I guess its psychological by now.
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From: Orlando
08 C63
Wow, I guess i'm the only one that uses C pretty much all the time. I hardly ever drive the car hard though so that's probably why. I've had the car 3 weeks now and I've used M mode maybe once or twice. And I'm 20y.o. so I think that says a lot about my self control haha 
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2011 P31 C63 2015 CLA45
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2011 P31 C63 2015 CLA45
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C63 AMG Coupe P31
s most the time but ill throw it into m when i feel like playing around
and i amost always drive in sport mode for the traction control. ive also read that putting it into sport mode unleashes a bit more power....not sure if thats true or not but i do it anyway.
and i amost always drive in sport mode for the traction control. ive also read that putting it into sport mode unleashes a bit more power....not sure if thats true or not but i do it anyway.
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C63 AMG
99.9% of the times I use C mode but when I need to race someone I switch to S mode. I hardly hardly shift to M since it is a slugish mode and doesn't really represent a real preformance transmission.
Additionally not having a default mechanism on M mode that allows the car to shift to the next gear in case that you forget to shift up is just an engineering flaw. The S mode seems the best suitable for performance.
Additionally not having a default mechanism on M mode that allows the car to shift to the next gear in case that you forget to shift up is just an engineering flaw. The S mode seems the best suitable for performance.
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AMG GLC63. Audi R8
S mode with ESP in sport most of the time. ESP full on in the wet. Drop into M if I want to play around.
Last edited by DuaneC63; May 21, 2011 at 04:00 AM.
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'11 C63 w/ P31
It would be terrible if it upshifted at redline in m mode. Definitely not a flaw. If you're going around a turn and the car upshifts it will upset the balance of the car and you won't have the control of the car you need.
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Vath ML63 Brabus C63 SL63 CLK63BS C63BS
I can honestly say i have never ever driven the car in C mode. Just no interest in it. M mode 80% of the time and S.
I wish it had an S+ mode.
I wish it had an S+ mode.
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
I completely agree. To me, the biggest single advantage of M is that it won't allow an automatic upshift while driving through a curve. In S, that can happen even if you aren't close to redline.
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
, and the benefit is that they happen when you choose, not when S or C chooses. If you spend more time in M, you may come to like it more. 
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
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AMG GTBS, AMG GTR Pro, AMG GT, C63 AMG, Porsche Panamera 4S, RX-7 FC Turbo II
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
I'm surprised to see the diversity in how people are using the transmission. Primarily C, primarily M, and everything in between. For those who haven't done so, I encouraging experimenting, since you might discover some things you like.
I recently had a long highway drive for business, and the comments in this thread convinced me to give C another chance. For more relaxed driving, it was nice, and I was surprised to see my gas mileage finally get above 21 mpg.
I'm still annoyed about having to hunt for the transmission mode selector button, but I can live with it.
Does everyone agree that RPMs need to be around 4k to get max torque and acceleration?
By the way, I got to drive the Panamera Turbo again yesterday, and the experience reinforced my feeling that the C63 handles better, steers more sharply, sounds better, has better seats, and is generally more fun to drive. My brother-in-law drove both the Panamera and C63 for the first time, and he concurs with me. We have a really nice car!
I recently had a long highway drive for business, and the comments in this thread convinced me to give C another chance. For more relaxed driving, it was nice, and I was surprised to see my gas mileage finally get above 21 mpg.
I'm still annoyed about having to hunt for the transmission mode selector button, but I can live with it.
Does everyone agree that RPMs need to be around 4k to get max torque and acceleration?
By the way, I got to drive the Panamera Turbo again yesterday, and the experience reinforced my feeling that the C63 handles better, steers more sharply, sounds better, has better seats, and is generally more fun to drive. My brother-in-law drove both the Panamera and C63 for the first time, and he concurs with me. We have a really nice car!
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2009 C63 AMG
This thread gave me a few questions.
> Does everyone agree that RPMs need to be around 4k to get max torque and acceleration?
Also wondering this. I had thought the torque-iness of the 6.2L NA engine meant the power was available very low (say even at 2k RPM) but it does sort of 'feel' like the power is arrive more at 4 - 5k RPM.
Also wondering: is it OK to put the C63 in 'S' before it reaches operating temp for the engine? (178 F or w/e the exact number is)... I always leave it in C til then. Obviously I know not to put it in 'M' and rev above 4k RPM's, I guess I am wondering whether it's ok to go UP TO 4k RPM's ('S' mode) under the engine operating temp, or if it's better to stick below 2k RPM's ('C' mode).
> Does everyone agree that RPMs need to be around 4k to get max torque and acceleration?
Also wondering this. I had thought the torque-iness of the 6.2L NA engine meant the power was available very low (say even at 2k RPM) but it does sort of 'feel' like the power is arrive more at 4 - 5k RPM.
Also wondering: is it OK to put the C63 in 'S' before it reaches operating temp for the engine? (178 F or w/e the exact number is)... I always leave it in C til then. Obviously I know not to put it in 'M' and rev above 4k RPM's, I guess I am wondering whether it's ok to go UP TO 4k RPM's ('S' mode) under the engine operating temp, or if it's better to stick below 2k RPM's ('C' mode).
