NeverSettle

ok all, I am a recent owner of my first MB. 2012 C63 coupe with DP.
Ive been reading up a lot on the overall comments about them and of course, i joined this board right away.
I did a lot of mod's to my last car (G37) and enjoyed it very much. I would say I have a little better than average knowledge about cars in general, but I'm no Mechanic...
So - I had a few questions that I hope Im not the only one that will benefit from. One of the reasons I love this car is because there's not much that Needs "modding" IMO (at least until the warranty expires) - but I do have some General Knowledge questions...

1. If I want to buy after market Wheels, but Keep a staggered tire set up - what is the Best size for running 19" wheels that are basically Bolt on - keeping the same or similar flush profile as the stock set up (maybe a tiny bit out) that requires No spacers and No clearance issues.

2. How can I tell if my car came with a LSD?

3. I see that these cares are designated W204 - Why, and what's that all about.

4. what (if any) are the standard "simple" mods that are currently done by drivers. (Better Sway bars, cold air intake, pipe wrapping, etc)

5. What (if any) are the common "Problem Areas" that should be checked or looked into (i.e.: Alignment always goes out after tire swaps)

Thanks ahead for any all responses.

NeverSettle
Atlanta GA
Black C63 AMG Coupe Development Package

CarHopper

1. https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...el-thread.html
Most common is a 19x10 in the rear with a +50/+52 offset. Thats the wheel that matters. Also, run a 265 tire. You might be able to get away with a 275 (been done many times) but if you DD this car just do a 265 and save yourself the headaches.

2. Bring your VIN to a dealer and get a printout of the options. It's option code 471.

3. It's just the way Mercedes labels it. No real reason behind it.

4. ROW airboxes, secondary cat / res delete, and a tune (eurocharged probably is most common). If you want to lower the car and dont go to the track then go with H&R springs. When I say track I mean unless you take your car to a circuit course more than once a month then just stay with springs. If you have the money laying around and don't care the kwv3.

5. Because you're 2012+ there aren't any common issues. Just stay on top of maintenance and you'll be fine. If you hear tapping from the engine on cold start, normal. The interior creaks all the time too depending on the roads you drive on.


*** Expect people to come here and bash away on this post. This info has been covered quite frequently so if you catch one of us who have been here a long time in a salty mood anticipate a rant. If you come from a forum (which I assume you did if you had a modded g37) then you'll understand why. Trying to get a FAQ stick assembled here. Seriously though, just go to google and type your questions in and end it with mbworld. You'll get tons of results on ALL of the things you brought up.

NeverSettle

Thanks, Purple heart.
I did look for Stickies.. and the Wheel thread discussed a Lot of different set-ups, but not much in way of "This is stock set up - if you want 19's use this set up" kinda thing.

and yeah - trolls dont bother me... i dont know and I Want to know.. i read a Lot but will tend to Always Verify ANY information I find before dumping cash into a project - but i get your point.

thanks for the straight up answers - and now I can search Specifics based on your responses.

CarHopper

OEM specs:

18x8 or 19x8 = +45mm Front
18x9 or 19x9 = +54mm Rear

Aftermarket

Good setup would be 19x9 +40 F and 19x10 +50 R

Here is a thread for ADVs. They're my old wheels just being sold again. You can see front fitment well. The rears here, however, are 10.5'' wide +52. At that size my 275 PSS tire was actually stretched which made it so it didn't rub. But I also never have anyone in the car.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ree-piece.html

INS1GNIA

PurpleHeartAMG nailed it. Most of the old time members and even myself get touchy/tired due to the posts like "gimme info on this, this, this, this, this". Very specific questions or detailed ones though, even if basic tend to get better results. Like yours NeverSettle, very well described and laid out, nothing needy about it. Welcome, hope you enjoy your amazing ride and post pics!!

looney100

I don't know why you'd put such a thin tire on such a wide wheel. Why go with a die wheel if not to enable a wide tire. You could fit 275s on a 9" wide wheel. I just moved to a 10" rim so that I could put 295s on my E63.

ENV²

Fantastic post. Cleared up my tapping engine being normal. Even though it was cleared up by a few AMG techs and guys here.

sam i am

This. I did all of the above and then some within the 1st two weeks of ownership, makes a world of difference.

CarHopper

Neat. But your e63 is completely different than the c63. Look at the pic below and tell me a 295 would fit without rubbing. The 275 was stretched (but not offensively like the stance game) in order to ensure I did not rub. Sure, I could've fit a 305 tire but I'd have no fenders and crazy poke. Also, depending on the brand, a 275 on a 9'' wheel can feel "mushy." I'm all about the fat tire look, but a 295 on a 9'' wheel IMO is too fat on a DD that plans on taking turns and not just slamming your way down a 1/4 mile.



Pic for reference:


And another:

CarHopper

Don't get me wrong, persistent tapping is no good. However, people will cold start these cars, hear that tapping, and be convinced they're 5 minutes away from shelling out $20k on a motor.

If that tapping is consistent, happening even after a long drive and the car is warmed up, on multiple occasions, then it may be time to get it in a tear it down a bit to throw in some SLS buckets and the other hardware associated with the lifters. At the very least check your oil and the milage/age of it. However, this is like the headbolt thing... Everyone panics over little things, which I understand, but it isn't something to lose sleep over.

zcct04

Reality check - Alignment always goes out after lowering the car, but tire swaps have no impact on alignment.

Many have complained about the creaks. On one hand, if that's our biggest "problem area" we're pretty damn lucky. On the other hand, it's common, and really embarrassing on a car like this. I've got a solid dealership nearby and I finally got frustrated enough to complain. They worked magic on it, and it was covered as warranty work. Squeaks and snaps are completely gone. I'm much happier!

looney100

I suppose if you want a fat tire look, and can't clear anything bigger you don't have much choice, but for most people, I suspect a thinner wheel would be more suitable as it would be lighter and cheaper.
I went with 10" wide so that I could use a Michelin PSS next time around - and the 295 width requires a 10" wheel. I also like the look of a fat contact patch, so the extra cm works for me. That's a wide as you can get without potential clearance issues in the E63. 305 is pushing it.
At 10.5" that wheel would be wider than spec for a 275 tire. Aren't you worried about potential issues?

CarHopper

The wheel owner before me, myself, and the owner after me had 0 issues. Also, you aren't fitting a 295 on a c63. We don't have the same setups as e63's do. I understand what you're saying... I could just downsize wheel wide and go with a wider tire. Again, not happening on this car. Very RARELY do you see someone even run a 285.

The stretch on the 275 was very minor. Not going to do anything bad.

zcct04

PurpleHeart AMG - very good response to the OP. I hope he feels that his questions were answered.

Re wheel size, I had the same question looney did, so let me try to ask it differently. It's not about tire size at all, it's just about wheel size. Why would you mount a 10.5 when a 9.5 would have been wide enough, would have weighed less and would have been cheaper?

NeverSettle

OP here:

Thanks for not Mruderizing me for my first post. It was very informative - thanks PurpleHeart

I did have 1 question that wasnt answered - but that was user error, and one follow up...

the W 204 question should have been asked as: Which Year models fall into Which "W" denotation. i.e.: W204 = 2008 - 2014 , W205 = 2015 - ?? exc.. Its mostly to understand the "Other" references to the cars. The board separates them in that classification, and I want to make sure Im trollin the right places (lol) quick follow up - I also have the Development package.. is that only referred to the P31 package Pre 2012? is there a standard nomenclature for that?

and the new question, and somewhat on topic is - i found some wheels i Really love, but I think I can only get them in 19x9.5's. Will these work as a square setup with little to no issues (assuming they have the right offset) and if so, should I run 265/35's on all 4 - or is it better to use different sized rubber on a square set up?
I dont want to lose handling too much...

any advice to the square set up would be greatly appreciated. If not - ill keep hunting for the Elusive AMG 16 spoke wheels that seem to be harder to find than a damn Unicorn...

NS!

CarHopper

I understand what you're saying.

So, the 10.5 had a bigger lip than a 9.5 would. So, there was a large rear stepdown lip that the 9.5 wouldn't have. Also, If I put a 275 on a 9.5 then the sidewalls would be more square causing the car to rub because the car was lowered. However, using the wider wheel made it so the tire was stretched a little, causing the sidewalls to not be square, making it so the tires wouldn't rub.

This was all about fitting a wide lip on this specific setup. If I buy a set of wheels for this c63 they'll probably be 1 piece and 10'' wide with a 265.

Here, this is a pic of the previous owners car. Look at how big that rear lip is...

SaphGreyC63

Hey NeverSettle,

First off congratulations on the new ride! Second off, yes, that's the correct way to post questions that you want answered without having to go through a million threads.

One of the other simple mods that they forgot to mention and is an absolute must is....ORANGE REFLECTORS. Get rid of them! Most of us go one of two ways. 1) Get it paint matched to your car. 2) Buy smoked ones or clear ones or LED ones off of ebay with a white LED bulb and switch them out.

Another simple mod that I also think is necessary is to change the plastic locking pins to some nice aluminum ones that say AMG on top and also sit flush when the car is locked.

I do have a question for you. Since you came from a modded G37, I actually just purchaed a 2010 G37 for my wife to beat on till she graduates from her PA program. I already switched out all the interior and exterior lights to white LEDs and wrapped the chrome trim. When I was changing out the fog lights, I noticed the chrome surround on the driver's side fog light was completely broken. Any idea on where I can find a suitable replacement? I asked in the G37 forums about a week ago, no response. To be honest, those forums suck compared to this one. Here you get responses back same day, its a good community with alot of knowledge. No one seems to want to help on the G37 forums as much even though there are probably many more of them compared to the C63 owners. So also huge shoutout for the helpfulness of this forum!

95gsrturbo

W204 is the chassis. If you csme from the Honda world its like DC2 or DC5 integra / RSX

W204 is for 2008 -2015 chassis
W205 is for the 2016 + chassis

The W205 may have been available in 2015 with the new chassis.

Also if you see "FL" , "PRE-FL" or facelift it's stands for facelift
The 2012+ got a "facelift" with new bumpers and headlights (board correct me but I believe fenders and hood are the same)

2012 also was the first year of the coupe.

The AMG development package adds the extra 30hp, red brake calipers, titanium colored intake manifold and Alcantara steering wheel which MB calls MB-TEX Dinamica and sometimes seats (some people opted for leather in either red or white)

Wheels.... I am totally stupid. ... defer to PurpleHeart. .

Congrats on the new buy.
Just got mine last week. Still getting 9 miles to the gallon..... mostly bc I sit and Rev to 5000 rpm in the driveway :-D

SaphGreyC63

I wish I could say your mileage will increase as the newness and excitement wears off with time but it really doesnt. On the flip side, I don't think I've lost the excitement of driving my car even after 3 years already. Still puts me in a good mood and slaps a smile on my face everytime I drive it.

NeverSettle

Edited to prevent WOT:
thanks for the tips - the orange is just Sore Thumb to me... Gotta change those - wants sure how.. the more you know....

as for the other car - feel free to PM me if you want - i have a 2008 Coupe - and i havent had Any issues witht he chrome - BUT i did get a Lot of help on the boards.
http://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-sedan-348/

that's the only board Id recommend..

the issue, honestly, is that they stopped making the G37, so... maybe its gone more Quiet?

Their classifieds are pretty good and current - and I am Always finding someone parting out a wreck on CraigsList.

Im also selling mine, so let me know if the Chrome Fog light bothers you enough to just buy a new car (hehehe)

Cheers - and thanks for the support...

SaphGreyC63

Yeah, thats the forum I am on, slow on replying.....Thanks for the tips, I'll check out the classifieds.

looney100

Interesting... I never considered the impact n the tire diameter that the wider wheel would have. I suppose worrying about clearance is just another challenge with lowering th Evan.

CarHopper

^ Especially on this car. With the offsets and suspension the car comes with our options are more limited.

looney100

+1 on the offset. Trying to find a 10" rim that would fit the rear of the E63 was a pain! Stock offset on the 9.5" rear is 52mm. Virtually every wheel I found had only a 35mm offset. Manufacturers would claim that it would fit, but they'd assume a 275 width tire, and I wanted to go bigger, not smaller.

INS1GNIA

Haha .