Paculdo

any suggestion for a kit for better alignment for front tires? thanks

aussie e55

google kmac for front & rear susp. kits

CPD SLK

KMAC is supposed to be the best, but it is pricey.....you could always try the OEM bolt kit first and see if that works (lot cheaper)...even Renntech's stuff is cheaper than KMAC (that is saying a lot since RENNTECH **** is $$$$$)

roadtalontsi

well for starters it's a c63 it is going to eat tires. Even stock they run around -2 degrees of camber. Naturally any performance / sports car will wear tires slightly more on the inside. However by the time the inside is bald the rest of the tire should be at the wear bars meaning it needs replaced anyways. Unless you're trying to slam it on bags or hella flush b.s. the factory bolt kits will be fine. The key to good tire wear is a good alignment with good tires. Either without the other is useless. There is a reason the factory recommends particular tires. Note these do not include yokohama,falken,firestone,bfg etc... These tires cant hold up to the weight or suspension geometry.

Mort

K-MAC is not more expensive than Renntech. K-MAC is $480 per axle plus ~$70 for shipping. http://www.k-mac.com/pages/newprods/...ercedes_05.htm front and rear http://www.k-mac.com/pages/newprods/...ercedes_04.htm

Renntech is $1250 for the front axle alone. http://www.renntechmercedes.com/www/node/414

The Renntech tool alone for the rear bushings is $200. http://www.renntechmercedes.com/www/node/1180

I could not find a rear camber kit listed by Renntech.

khmergod

Glad I checked in after being gone for a while. I might need something from this thread. I'm starting to get vehicle instability after 65+mph in the rain. Car is starting to wobble when I go through water. I'm due for 3rd year service later in the month. Hoping my bearings and such or fine and if not hopefully it's under warranty lol.

Mort

That sounds more like tire wear to me than a suspension issue. As tires wear they are less able to disperse the water as they travel through it. As a result they ride on a thin layer of water and lose traction becoming squirmy. If worn enough they will actually ride on a layer of water and can hydroplane causing a complete loss of traction and might result in the car going off the road. If you are on summer tires you might be losing traction due to the colder temperatures as well as poor traction in the wet. If the roads in your area have ruts worn into them, from car and truck traffic, that can result in standing water in the ruts that can cause a car to lose traction and become squirmy even with tires in good condition. Some tires are better in the wet than others as well.

Good idea to check the condition of your tires.

Paculdo

what about the kit that the dealership recommends? i can't recall the exact amount (in the invoice) but its less than $300 installed. i just got the car back and the SA recommended that all 4 tires needs to be replaced.

front tires (hankook) 'original' tires from when i got the car some 11k miles back (CPO)
rear tires (michelin pilot ss) had about 7k miles on them

front tires had the inside very very worn hence dealer said i would need the kit to correct this
rears were mostly even 'wear' on them so those were ok - i'm also going to claim for the 30k warranty from michelin (wish me luck on this)

anyways, car is wobbly as khmergod have described. i thought something is wrong with the suspension - by they way, the car is lowered with KW v3 coil overs - but it seems the worn tires are the culprit.

Paculdo

OT: my service advisor at MB SL (Derek Hightower) is no longer there.. the new SA assigned to me is a complete tool.. looking for a new dealership to go to.. would probably check out MB North

K-Mac

Ex-factory there is only front and rear Toe adjustment for virtually all Mercedes 1968 to current models (and same with Chrysler Crossfire and 300C etc).

We saw the need and were the very first company to manufacture precisely adjustable front Camber and Caster bushing kits with twice the adjustment range of the basic one setting offset bolts.

Then for the rear, K-MAC Camber adjuster kits, which have the advantage (unlike upper adjustable arms/DIY kits) of not moving the top of the tire outwards when adjusting to resolve premature inner edge wear - which is an important factor to prevent tires scuffing outer fenders if wide profile tires/rims fitted.

Another advantage with K-MAC rear kits - unlike spherical bearings used in these upper arm kits, there is no harsh metal to metal contact and 20 years of the proven design - there’s certainly no squeaks.

Also all K-MAC rear Camber adjusters include extra Toe adjustment which is essential to compensate accurately for the new Camber facility!

The K-MAC patented design front kits replace the 4 main suspension bushes - the unique 2 axis/self aligning design also doubles the load bearing area thereby increasing wear life and also steering and braking response.

Similar design is used for the 4 main rear K-MAC bushings.

Result is precise single wrench front and rear (ongoing) adjustment to return vehicle to factory specs to improve traction, compensate for steering pull, costly inner edge tire wear through altering height, fitting wide profile tires, load carrying, curb-knock damage and/or the advantage of being able to alter specs, improve lap times on track days and with genuine K-MAC you also do not need to purchase special fitting tools.

Product confidence with K-MAC is further assured by our total, ongoing commitment to motor racing – all out 10/10ths competition testing keeps K-MAC products always at the forefront re cutting edge technology, proven strength and durability.

khmergod

Thanks for the tip everyone. Checked rears and they are getting thin. My third set with ~5k miles on them. They are wearing out faster the longer I own the car.

Paculdo

are you using michelin pilot ss? they have a 30k warranty have you tried to call them? at least get something back? i'll go to discount tire this saturday where i purchased mine some 8 months back and see what michelin says.

khmergod

They prorated me when I replaced my second set which were from them. I'll see if they will prorata the prorata. Lol

PkB2014

PSS warranty is only 15k for rear tires on C63.

"6 Years / 30,000 Miles - Half mileage for rear if different size than front"

I think most people know this already, but just wanted to give a heads up just in case.

khmergod

Not sure, but when they prorated the 3rd pair to replace the second pair, it had less than 6k miles on it. They told me to pay $100 for both with install/etc for new tires. I said k.

roadtalontsi

this is old news now and not important but technically they cant sell a cpo car with hankook tires as they are not factory/oem spec. As for the alignment - just bring it and tell them to give it as little negative camber as possible without compromising the way it drives. You dont just go slapping bolts in at random. You can always ask for a different sa, or speak to a manager and tell them what a tool they are haha.