I am looking to pull the trigger on a 2016-2018 C63 (non-S most likely, dont want the Carbon brakes) or M3. I need a car that will take 2 rear facing car seats, and know the BMW will do it, and I hope the C63 will too (though I haven't checked).

I currently drive a MK7 GTI (Daily Driver) and a C5 Z06 track car but am probably going to sell both and get a combo car since the GTI is too small and the Vette hardly gets driven anymore with kids. I know the ins-and outs of track car setup, but am wondering if there is anything beyond the basic brake pads/fluid/tires? I have all kinds of brake and oil coolers added to my vette, and am wondering what on these cars tends to get exposed on track?

I would prefer the MB over the BMW, but wonder if the M3 is closer to what I'm looking for. Any insight would be great!

 

I would consider at S. Carbon brakes were not standard, so you should be good. More power = better. I have the convertible and have no doubt rear facing seats would fit. We have two boosters in the back and our 8-year-old twins fit without a problem, behind me and I'm 6'1".

I owned an E46 M3, so a little dated, and considered a new M4, but the C63s is just so damn cool. It's my second AMG, as I also have an E55 wagon.

Oh, I don't do track days, but my C63s is my drag car and I have a ton of fun killing Mustangs and Camaros.

 

As already stated, and ceramic brakes are an option on the S. The regular brakes have red calipers, and the ceramic brakes are gold-ish.

As for having rear-facing cars seats, I have a '15 sedan as my daily driver. I have 2 kids and have had the entire range of car seats in the back (infant seat to booster seat). A rear-facing car seat will fit, but it'll be tight if you put it behind the driver's seat and you are anything above average height. I've always just put the bigger of the two seats behind the passenger and never had a problem.

 

My 2 cents - Save the money you would spend on the S version because let me tell you I spent two weeks with the S and bought the non S. Saved a bunch of money and ended up tuning my non S. It’s all marketing hype for the S.

 

That's kind of my line of thinking. I'm likely going to make track changes that might negate the advantages of the S.

 

though it is a load of nonsense that the s is just marketing hype, it isn't as I've driven both at the limit. On the pre facelift, the s gets you :
a. the E diff which does make a difference when your foot is too heavy on the pedal vs a mechanical diff which is good still but not quite at the level of the e diff. really the difference would only be seen on track.
b. bigger brakes and better stopping power
c. better interior trim and nappa leather seats
d. better rims as standard
e. guaranteed more power and torque with no warranty issues. The s is slightly faster from a rolling start and will be faster on a drag strip. some tunes might not affect your warranty ?
f. a race mode that allows crazier sound from the exhaust than sport plus. the sport handling mode that comes with race mode can be achieved by pressing the esp button to set traction to sport in the non s.
g. the s has dynamic engine mounts which do affect handling slightly especially on the track.

that said, in most daily driving situations, it is hard to tell the difference. If your objective is to mod the car heavily with tunes etc then the non-s will do. I always say, whatever you get , make sure it has the performance exhaust !

 

performance exhaust another waist of the old mighty dollar. Cut the secondary cats and you have an exhaust that trumps the performance exhaust. $250 to have this done.

 

I need to pass 92 decibels at Laguna Seca (but not any of the other tracks I go to) and having to reverse the Cat-delete every couple years for smog checks in CA is annoying (I've done this on other vehicles).
I assume the performance exhaust is bi modal? Can this be defeated via a setting on the car or a fuse if needed?

 

What if I have ASR box for controlling valve and do resonator delete? Would it be louder? Will the asr still have function to make it quieter?
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Definitely trumps it, until you have an issue somewhere and an unreasonable dealership decides to pick a fight regarding repair under warranty that you have to go through the hassle of beating them into submission over. With a fully stock car, you can take it in anytime and force them to look at it with within the warranty period, but i can see why some would go with the sec cat delete as it will be around 20% louder (at a guess), with lovely overruns. Same goes for a tune, in the US, i've heard some tunes dont affect your warranty. We dont have any such tunes in the UK that i'm aware of.

 

Race mode from the S with manual mode opens up slightly bit more aggressive power band, per Tobias in one of his many Head-of-AMG interviews.

The e-diff should seal the deal for you if you're tracking the car; it's faster and quicker to adapt to changing conditions than the mechanical diff. Bigger brakes means, regardless if you want the CCB option or not, exactly what is important for a track car.

You are a prime candidate for the S; don't skimp. Tracking your car isn't cheap already, why cheap out on the vehicle itself?

 

As a track junkie, I do not think you are going to be happy with the C63 as a track car, especially coming from the Vette. My buddy has an M3 and we talk about this all the time. The C63 is clearly a better daily driver than the M3. The M3, especially with the competition package, is a rough ride that can punish you on a daily basis. It is always in steerable track car mode. The C is a street car with high performance that can be used on the track. Why do I think you will be unhappy? The car is heavy... super heavy. 400-600 pounds heavier than an M3. That means you are going to destroy consumables at an alarming rate. The car already eats brakes even when driven reasonably on the street.

Another reason? Lack of support. While choices have improved, wheel and tire options are limited and expensive. Look at other posts regarding brakes and rotors... very limited choices. When I did my rear pads and rotors a month ago, I called a few of my local race shops up and none of them had alternative pads available that were worth considering. If you had the BMW you'd have tons of choices from companies such as PFC, Pagid, CarboTech, Hawk, and Ferodo in a variety of different pad materials.

I have only seen a C on track all season once in a lower run group. If you are fast and have experience, which it sounds like you do, then I think you are just going to be spending tons and tons of money running this car on track. Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE my C... as a DD. People want me to track it and I just think it doesn't make sense... 160 on the straight... burn through pads to slow down, get the car planted, wait. wait.. wait.. get on gas and hope do not spin. Throttle control/inputs on this car are also somewhat inconsistent so I see that as an issue being really smooth on track too...

If you don't want to have so much money invested in the Vette sitting around, why not get a momentum car like a Miata for cheap and have some careless fun and get the C as a DD. Otherwise, M3 all the day. My buddy is waiting for an M2C to arrive as his kids are out of the rear facing carseat mode.

 

This is exactly the thing that has me hesitating on a C63 and now I am seeing the lack of options for consumables. As much as I love the interior (and I REALLY love the interior), the weight was my biggest concern. As it is, I go through brake rotors every other track day, but on a C5 Z06 (just under 3100 lbs) they are about $50/each and pads are really cheap too - a huge reason I bought that car over an E46 in the first place. I had a G8 GXP with coilovers a while back and that was killing me on brakes and tires. I once threw a set of brand new Dunlops away after a single day.

Maybe I should keep the Corvette and hold out with the GTI as long as I can, then grab a C63 or C43 to DD a couple years down the line when my kids are less likely to thrash it? Otherwise it looks like I'll end up with the M3.