zibby43

Hello all,

I am trading out of my '13 F30 M Sport 335i (RWD) in order to pick up a new '13 Iridium Silver C63 AMG Sedan.

For years I have wanted to pull the trigger on the C63. Prior to now, I just could not make the numbers work.

Here is the car that will be departing the garage:











As you can see, I am no stranger to tuning/modding.

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself and if anyone has any recommendations as far as mods/upgrades, winter wheels/tires setups, etc., I would be very,very grateful.

I will try to do as much research as possible here on the board to answer any specific questions I have. This board has been a great resource thus far. Very knowledgeable and friendly members here.

Many thanks in advance.

Hoping to have the car (i.e., the C63) by sometime next week.

m a x i m u s

nice 335. looking forward to seeing the c63!

ddcha

Very nice F30 M-Sport. I actually had one on order last year, but cancelled it for a used C63. Been reading about a lot of transmission and steering issues with the F30, also the rust problems in the seat base?. great looking car though.

zibby43

Thank you! I added the following OEM BMW M Performance parts to it: Power Kit (tune + cold air intake); Exhaust; Brakes (Brembo); Front Lip; Rear Carbon Fiber Spoiler; etc. The lineup of upgrades that BMW has made available for the new F30 335i is quite incredible. There is an upgraded suspension available but the standard M Sport setup always performed adequately for me. In the fall BMW will offer an LSD for the M Sport 335i.

It is pretty quick and handles well at the track. I have been very impressed with the brakes thus far.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the C63.

zibby43

Thank you, sir! I am unaware of any transmission issues but the M Sport 335i F30s have had electric cooling fan problems. My first F30 M Sport 335i was Estoril Blue. BMW bought the car back and ordered my current car because they were never able to fix the fan.

And you are absolutely correct about the steering. The earliest F30 335i models had a very boosted steering feel. BMW has released several software upgrades since the '12 models first rolled out. The steering on my '13 is noticeably heavier, as compared to my prior "lemon."

m a x i m u s

I've been tempted to add an e90 m3 to my garage as of late...

OlegKouz

Replacing the amber side-markers and an ECU tune are the most common mods, both of which I recommend.

Enjoy! Be sure to post pictures of the new beast.

Zeee_Q

Well you might miss the quick transmission and handling of the BMW but the fun you will have in your C63 will more than make up for any short comings.

For the C63, get the tune first. There are several reputable companies on this forum. Charcoal air filter delete if you want. AMG door lock pins that sit flush also look good. Change out the amber reflectors like someone mentioned earlier. I personally like the big fin carbon fiber diffusers on these cars but adding a front lip you might be prone to scraping since the car is already pretty low. Have some fun with your first set of tires and then switch them out to some proper Michelin PSS. Long-tube headers if you want your car to be louder.

Vise_

Funny cause I looked at the F30 335i M-Sport (Estoril Blue, fully loaded) as an option vs the C63 when my E90 M3 was written off earlier this year. The interesting thing was the difference in price between the two cars (after discount) was not significant... say less than 10% difference between the two. Credit some aggressive discounting by my MB dealer and not so much by my BMW dealer.

In the end it was a no brainer for me... and the difference between the two cars is waaaay more than just 10%.

noodleman

^^^ BMW rapes Canadians in pricing.

zibby43

There are some smoking deals on E92 M3s right now.

Thanks for the suggestions. And I certainly will.

I'm familiar with Kleemann and RENNtech. I'll have to do some research on any alternative tunes.

zibby43

The eight-speed sport automatic transmission (manufactured by ZF) in the 335i is absolutely brilliant.

I'd imagine the MCT would match its brilliance though?

And thank you very much for the additional mod suggestions. Sounds like the painted reflectors and a tune are must have upgrades.

It has been a while since I have lit up the rear tires of a C63.

I'm assuming that the C63 soundly trumps the F30 335i in the following categories: braking, steering, acceleration, and handling feel?

I got a smoking deal on my 335i. The C63 deal I managed is equally as smoking. Took years to get that C63 deal the way I wanted it to look.

Zeee_Q

Can't speak much about the MCT since I have an 09 C63, but some have complained about the transmission being jerky.

C63 brakes feel much better. I think they are Brembo calipers. Acceleration is no comparison. The C63 has more torque and horsepower than the 335i and stock vs stock, the C63 will walk on the 335i. The steering is lighter and less effort in the AMG so it's great around town but doesn't have the feel of the original hydraulic BMW steering. Not sure how much BMW has improved on the newer electric steering software yet but last I remember, it was quite dead.

zibby43

Yikes I hadn't read that about the MCT.

I upgraded to Brembo brakes on my 335i. 4-piston fixed calipers up front with 2-piston fixed calipers in the rear. Drilled and slotted rotors on all four corners.

For the C63, the brakes consist of 6-piston fixed calipers up front with 4-piston fixed calipers in the rear, correct?

With the tune and exhaust I have on the 335i, I can hit 60 from a stop in 4.4 seconds (fairly consistently, too). I anticipate easily besting that with the C63.

Regarding the steering feel, the steering on the F30 (electric) is not nearly as heavy as the old hydraulic system on the E90. That being said, the steering still is communicative.

Zeee_Q

Yep the C63 has 6-pistons upfront and 4-pistons in the rear. Not sure about whether they are fixed or floating.

The 335i with all the right mods are definitely quick especially with the older N54 engine. The turbos also spool up pretty quickly compared with other turbo cars but they do die out near the top end whereas the C63 with the tune will pull harder and harder towards redline.

The C63 hooks up pretty well from a dig as long as you don't just floor it right away. I usually just go a little more than half way down on the gas to get it going before flooring it otherwise it'll just keep spinning the rear tires.

Diabolis

Seeing as no one has chimed in yet about snows, 18" wheels (8.5" wide) all around w/ 235 snow tires is what the dealer put on mine. They are the old-style front C63 rims. It is just fine as a daily driver even in the snow (mine does have the LSD which helps when starting).

Enjoy the car!

Merc63

Driving a c63 in winter is nuts... Well in Edmonton it is. Vancouver not so much.

papashango

I am going to be driving mine in winter in Edmonton and Calgary. That will be an interesting experience! i still need to get some winter tires and rims though.

zibby43

Thanks for the confirmation! And I appreciate the launch tips as well.

Thank you.

Appreciate the winter tire setup info. What brand and model of winter tire do you use?

I have some winter wheels and tires for my 335i that I could sell in order to come up with some cash for a set for the C63.

Diabolis

The snows that the dealer installed are Pirelli Sottozero IIs. Surprisingly good in the snow (loose or packed) but also very good and predictable handling-wise at highway speeds on cleared roads on dry or wet pavement.

Regarding some of the other points you and others have brought up, last year I was at a BMW club track event with a guy in a 2012 335i M-Sport, which I also got to take around for a few laps (I rode shotgun with him for three sessions). In the steering department, I found the feel of the 335i simply atrocious, so it's not even in the same ballpark as the C63 which has a nice weight and direct feel at any speed. As far as handling goes, you can't hide the weight of the motor of the C63 though, so the 335i M-Sport wins there. I liked the 335 as much as my old E36 M3 - it was very tossable and precise.

By the time I got to drive his car the brake pedal felt pretty mushy, although this could be due to him somewhat overcooking the brakes. No issues with the brakes on my C63 though (w/ the composite front rotors) -- pedal modulation is excellent and no fade whatsoever during repeated high-speed braking.

As for the MCT, contrary to what someone else here said, from a performance perspective it is the best *automatic* transmission in any car I've ever driven or been in. Anything putting out close to 500 hp with a single clutch that changes gears in 0.1 seconds under full load is going to be a *little* jerky compared to a torque-converter slushbox. It is certainly not jerkier than an M3 DCT. Having said that, the C63 MCT is NOT a DCT - it's an automatic with a clutch - but it's pretty damn close and you still get the comfort of an auto when you just want to cruise around in comfort mode. Performance-wise the MCT is way ahead of the pre-facelift C63 TC slushbox, and jerkiness in everyday driving is not an issue. The MCT does have one disadvantage though - on *some* cars it has a tendency to overheat the oil if you're pushing it around the track in S+ or M and constantly shifting at redline. Didn't happen on mine when I took it out to the track for the first time last weekend, but it has been reported to happen on others.

zibby43

I very much enjoyed reading that. Thanks for taking the time to post that writeup. Very informative! Mollified a few of my concerns as well.

In other news, I finally received the confirmation that the car should be on this Thursday.

Diabolis

Always a pleasure to talk about cars. Have had 4 Bimmers over the years (E30 M3, E36 M3, E34 M5, E34 M540i) and am a certifiable track junkie (still usually go out w/ the BMW club) so I actually drive my cars the way they were meant to be driven. On the track the C63 is not the surgical scalpel that the BMWs are in terms of ultimate handling and precision, but as a daily driver IMHO it wins hands-down in all areas. Enjoy your new Benz!

BenDiem

OP,

As a Bimmer and AMG fanatic, I'd be interested in a relatively thorough comparo btw your 335i and your new AMG...

Tks/Cheers/B

zibby43

Well . . . after much anticipation . . . it's finally here!



I take delivery here in about 3 hours.

ed4

Congrats!

Your car hanging off the back of that carrier looks frightening