law87

hi guys, I read that a lot of people claiming the C63 have a harsh ride, while I realized this is hard to describe, but can anyone do a comparison? is it harsh like a honda civic?

Benznoob11

even in comfort its pretty rough. The susp is set up for aggressive track use more than street use for sure. I have a gen 1 cts-v with the firmest of 3 factory options and the c63 is still much stiffer

law87

Wow that's not good...I was sure to pick this car up when I get back to the main land but now I'm unsure

Benznoob11

What seats did you go with? If you don't have the race seats it will help a bit. Also my car came with run flat tires and I will soon switch to non run flats on my next set of pilot super sports. That will soften the ride alot. Its definitely always going to have a pretty stiff ride though.

screw991le

My E63 drives nice. Even in sport mode 1. Sport mode #2 now is a different story, you can lose a filling, lol

Benznoob11

The e63 has a much softer susp than the c63. Its definitely a more executive cruiser than the c class

Thebiglubinsky

Are you referring to the C63s or the C63? I'm thinking the S is going to have a stiffer ride but can't find much info comparing the two.

Mr. J

There are lots of options for aftermarket coil over suspension mods. This is a relatively inexpensive mod even for the highest quality components. Maybe reach out to one of the vendors here and see if they can provide adjustable coil-overs that will tame the C63 a little in comfort mode while still allowing you to tighten it up in Sport/Sport+.

StrikeTeam

My previous car was a MINI Countryman. Loved the car, awesome handling. My c63s in Sport plus mode feels like a 1980s Sedan de ville compared to the MINI! And that's driving in the crumbling streets of New York.

The MINI often bounced down the road.

I think its all relative. Take it for a test drive and decide for yourself.

Apex Ace

Compared to my ZO6, Carrera S and F-150.... harsh is last word I would use to describe my C63s.
-Dave

law87

honestly this is an expensive car already, I preffer to not spend any money on it after purchasing it, plus I dont want to void the warranty, I will be buying extended warranty as I plan to keep the car for a long time.


that is so interesting. I wonder if the people that says the car is harsh or rough came from a previous lexus or E class mercedes.

law87

I own an acura rsx in my early years, but now I'm getting old and I dont want a broken back after a 2-3 hours drive.

I currently own a 2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan V8 and just love the V8 and the ride quality is super comfortable. I'm willing to sacrafice some comfort but not to the point where it will ride like a honda civic or acura rsx.

AMG_Eric

i have a e92M3 Track car on JRZ suspension and i think it rides smoother then my C63s in comfort mode.

All bets are off in Sport+. Almost need a kidney belt. Long drives in the race inspired seats are a non-starter.

vaelin

The CLA45 I had before was a much harsher ride. Prior to that, I had a Lexus IS, and I'd say in Comfort mode, my C63S is comparable. Sport+ or Race, it's fairly jarring. But those modes weren't meant for potholed streets.

law87

ISF? IS350? I drove the 350 before, cant really remember the detail though.

PunjabiM3

My C63S in comfort mode rides stiffer than my R8 V10 in sport mode. Also, it is the only car I have ever owned that makes a loud thunk sound when going over a road reflector when changing lanes. Aside from the IMHO poor ride quality for the street, the car is a blast to drive.

vaelin

IS350.

larvid

If stiff ride is a concern, stay away from the C63. It is a stiff ride. Driving the car in NYC is a bit of a challenge, as it can be close to bone jarringly stiff even in C mode. I have a mini cooper S, which is really stiff, and defines bone jarring ride, and that ride was unexpected to be so stiff. The C63, with its track capabilities, to me was expected to be stiff. I do not mind it when the overall package is considered. The car is so awesome, that you learn to live with the tight suspension, and of course the stiff suspension is awesome when you want to play. The definition of the best suspension, in my opinion is on my Porsche Boxster. Handling is 10/10 and Porsche has mastered the tight, perfect suspension without the bone jarring effect.

yellows2k

i own a w204 c63 estate, my brother has a b8 rs4. the c63 has a much harder and harsher ride than the audi. the audi even in dynamic settings is softer than the c63 in comfort.
its just the way amg have setup their cars, its always referred to as a modern day muscle car, so the setup is just that little bit more aggressive than the other competitors.
as a guide, ive always had japanese performance cars, s2000, wrx, evo9, etc. and the c63 is as harsh as all of those. the nvh is quieter, just the suspension seems on par

law87

I own an S2000 too, I thought that was harsh then i installed some Bilstein coilovers and its more comfortable, I forget how it ride stock.

what a shame.

Rams

Sorry for the bump, was just doing some research to see if it was just me who thought the car rode slightly more aggressive and stiff just riding around town in C mode. Good to hear this is just the norm as I was semi alarmed at first upon going through downtown Dallas for the first time today and had to go over a few uneven asphalt roads that i didnt really notice being bad in my truck so it was quite the "oh **** moment". But this thread confirms all is well. Whew!
Oh and Can confirm for anyone in the future who wants to know, this rides harder in comfort mode than any other sports sedan or anything else I've owned for that matter. It doesn't bother me much though, it has continental tires on it (new) so off to research if that is potentially the cause of the seemingly loud road noise from them and also the reason for the ride quality.

PunjabiM3

Yes this car rides MUCH harder than any other vehicle I have ever owned. I always am in comfort mode, and IMHO they should have made the ride quite a bit softer in comfort mode. This car rides much stiffer than the e92 M3 I had years ago, and even more so than both of the Porsche 997's I owned in the past. It is even noticeably stiffer than my Audi R8 V10. Honestly the poor ride is by far my biggest gripe with this car, enough so that I am thinking about trading it in and getting something more comfortable. It would be one thing if the ride was just a tad bit firmer than other cars I have owned, but it is noticeably more so. This rough ride causes some bits of the interior to rattle when going over rough roads, poor expansion joints in the concrete, etc. When going over a railroad track on the way to my son's school, even at 20MPH the entire car makes sort of a "CA'THUNK" sound. It also makes this noise somewhat to a lesser degree when going over the small lane reflectors in the road. It seems that car companies are so obsessed with numbers that they sacrifice NVH and compliance in the suspension to chase these numbers. If I were driving a Subaru STI or a cheaper performance sedan than these would perhaps be acceptable. But IMHO, at least for me, the lack of suspension compliance and the associated NVH are unacceptable on a $85k luxury sports sedan. Part of me thinks it is perhaps from the Dunlop tires my car came with, so for now I have ordered Continental DW tires in 255F and 275R to see if they will help out as I know they have fairly soft sidewalls compared to other max performance tires. Hopefully they will help out, but if not then it may be time to just unload my C63S and get something else such as a M5, CTS-V, or a GS-F. The C63S is a blast to drive, but for a daily family sedan the comfort just needs to be better. Will report back once I have the DW mounted.

OrientBlue3

I 100% agree. This is coming from someone who previously owned a W204 C63 and a W212 CLS63 (lowered and on 20" wheels). I thought for sure it would ride like my W204 or at least better than my W212 after all my mods but I was totally wrong. It rides extremely hard, even in Comfort. I'm looking at picking up some KW V3's to be able to get a bit of a drop but also soften the dampening some. On the highway the car is great, just regular roads (maybe my city is worse than others) it's a whole other story, especially in the back seat if you ever have any guest in your car.

nl88

will the kwv3 be able to soften the ride ?

GEARS5

I wonder if these complaints on the ride pertain only to the C63 as opposed to the C43? I thought they were the same suspension, but I find my C43 to be comfortable in all 3 settings (actually I prefer S+ since it is tighter without being harsh)... I'm riding on the stock 18" All-Seasons so that could have something to do with it.

My past BMW's on stock Summer runflats were always harsh until I switched out to non-runflat All Seasons. On 4 separate cars, I always took the OEMs off immediately, kept them until the end of the lease, and them put them back on before turning back in.

The best riding/handling car I owned was my 981 Boxster S... somehow Porsche figured out how to make their cars compliant without compromising handling.