Stevestil

what modes do you guys drive on a daily basis? i find myself driving around in S around town and on the highway s+ or race. curious on what others do

allgoldmac

Individual.
Engine in race.
Transmission in manual.
Suspension in comfort.

Stevestil

i find race and sport+ to not be so ideal especially in NYC traffic lol

superswiss

Around town I keep it in C with exhaust open and ECO Start/Stop off. For the highway and spirited driving I use I*. I have it setup like S+, but with the suspension in Comfort and transmission in M. I have the transmission and suspension modes mapped to the steering wheel buttons, so depending on the road and how spirited I'm driving, I toggle the suspension between Comfort and S+ and I can quickly go between M and D, depending on the situation. On top of that when I want an extra bit of fun I put ESP in Sport Handling mode. I used to have AMG DYNAMICS set to Master in I*, which becomes active with ESP in Sport Handling mode, but the safety net is a bit too low for public roads that way, so I'm keeping it at Pro now. Master is better only used on the track or other safe environment.

MDrex

S+ in my 2018 C63 pretty much all the time. If the roads are slick I'll leave it in C, but turn off the start-stop.

Stevestil

thanks, Swiss! wish you didn't live so far away man. i always appreciate your thorough replies on whatever thread i start. would have loved to do a run with our cars and snap some pics.

FearlessFarris

We got our first taste of ice and snow a couple days ago, so I've been driving in Slippery Mode lately. Together with a good set of snow tires, it makes a HUGE difference.

When road conditions are good, I'll drive in Comfort until my engine temps reach "white" and then I'll shift into Individual Mode. Engine in S+, Transmission in Auto, Suspension in Comfort.

I rarely use manual mode, simply because the car is so much better at shifting than I am. (I'm skeptical of anyone who personally claims otherwise.) Every now and then, for a lark, I'll start playing with the paddles, but I can enjoy doing that while still in Automatic Transmission Mode.

Finally, no matter what, ECO start/stop OFF is the first button I push after the starter.

Jimmy_c63s

Around town:

COMFORT
EXHAUST on Loud

For driving hard and going nuts:

SPORT+

W205-S

I always start out each morning in comfort with the start/stop off and exhaust valves open until she warms up...then for the highway drive to work I put it in my "I" which is Tranny in Sport & Suspension in Comfort (due to construction on the HWY)

Otherwise 90% of the time have it in Sport mode...I just find with how the transmission shifts and my right foot works I can make it sound throaty at will...and I LOVE that sound!

Now if I run up to someone who wants to go...or I need to hear some "Snap Crackle Pop" then I go to Sport + or Race mode.

1/2 Mile Racing = Race Mode...pedal through the tire spin and hold on for a hell of a ride!!!!

Matteus GLC AMG

For me:
Comfort for cruising and in traffic (but generally with exhaust on loud!)
Otherwise individual*: Engine on Race, gearbox on Manual, suspension on Sport, exhaust on loud, AMG dynamics on Advanced.

raudiace4

Individual.
Engine S+
Suspension Comfort
Transmission S+
TC OFF.

untamedd

Individual mode driving around the city where Engine is S, Exhaust S+, Transmission Auto and Suspension Sport.

On the highway, mostly always Race.

Encore818

100% of the time:

Individual mode
Engine - Race
Suspension - Comfort
Transmission - Automatic
AMG Dynamics - Pro

Shortcut buttons are for switching to manual and to turn off auto start/stop right when I get in the car

I think its my ideal setup, I have yet to find myself searching for a button or mode.

When it rains hard, slippery is right next to individual on the dial too.

superswiss

It's not so much about being better at shifting. The automatic program in this car is definitely excellent I kept it in automatic mode on the Nurburgring in Race for example and it was mostly in the right gears. The reason I use manual mode is for control and as good as the automatic mode is, it can't read my mind or see down the street. For example on the highway I don't want it to downshift as soon as I step a little on the throttle to pass somebody. I just wanna stay in the current gear and speed up a bit, or if I'm in the canyons I see what's coming and I know what I wanna do, so I can be in the right gear long before it would downshift on its own. I also find I can come to a smoother stop in C around town if I use manual mode, otherwise it occasionally downshfits from 3 to 2 a bit jerky at times. The other aspect of manual mode is short shifting to gain traction. If I gun it from a stop up an onramp and the wheels spin, I can short shift to get traction. There's quite a bit of value to manual mode. The automatic modes don't handle all these scenarios. 15+ years of driving manual transmission cars still has an edge over the automatic modes.

Also as for the modes, I forgot to mention that on the highway in traffic or if I engage DISTRONIC, then I put it in C as well.

stillcap2

I've noticed quite a few people mention turning off ECO. Is there a particular reason for this other than the slight delay when the light turns green?

superswiss

It can be annoying and this is a sports car and not a Prius. I find it useful if I know I'm gonna be stopped for extended periods, but with it on all the time it often turns the engine off, just to restart a second later when i need to move again. It is controllable to some extend by how much brake pressure is applied, but generally it's just kinda questionable. I'm also in the camp of those thinking that this just can't be that good for the engine long term. The oil stops circulating etc. The fuel savings are so marginal, that this is mostly a feature for the car manufacturers to show higher mpg during the test cycles. The test cycles have a lot of idle time in them, so this feature improves the results, but real world benefits are very questionable. IMO, it should be off by default and then one can engage it when desired. At least it's not active in S or higher.

Funny thing is I had a 2020 CLA as a loaner for a while recently and I left it on all the time, because it was actually more pleasant than listening to the awful idle sound of that 4-banger.

stillcap2

Oh really, I had no concept that this could potentially be bad for the engine. Makes sense and agree it likely isn't helping much with mpg given how we drive these cars...

FearlessFarris

I'm with you 100% in thinking that ECO start/stop is detrimental to a performance engine. That feature only exists so that cars can pass the Federal fuel economy standards for MPG. Obviously, in terms of average MPG if it's using zero fuel while stopped/idling, that allows for more fuel consumption while driving. I've heard that the car makers can only use this technique if ECO mode is the standard operating mode of the vehicle--meaning you can opt out of the mode, but it has to be enabled by default every time the car starts.

I always disable it every time I start my car, right before I hit the Performance Exhaust button.

velosdesignwerks

Daily back and forth i normally do Comfort, Exhaust open, Auto start/stop on.
If i'm having fun i go into Individual ( Race, Sport Suspension, Manual, Exhaust Open)

Its a 70/30 split between the two

Sullicc4

I agree the car can shift more optimally, but I go to manual for fun. The run into my house involves some perfects places to drop down in gears in S+ and really get some great sound and cool pulls before dialing back when I work my way into the community. All too often in DC, I sit in stop and go traffic, so I can't have real enjoyment by changing gears, but once I hit the twisty roads I want to always be in manual. It's so much fun to listen to the engine when intentionally hanging on to a gear until redline, where the car will normally shift up much sooner. This car is all about sound to me.

Matteus GLC AMG

I quite like using the paddles in Auto mode - in a spirited drive, it tends to keep it 'manual' and only goes back to full auto if the revs heavily red line, or tend to zero.

Also, first thing I do when getting in the car is to press the smart key on the steering wheel which is set to remove auto start/stop - it's an absolute menace IMV.

PayKoHan

can someone explain the whole difference between race and sport+ ?

superswiss

Depends on the model year, but essentially it uses an engine/throttle/transmission mapping that's conducive to driving on the race track. The response is more linear and the transmission keeps the engine close to peak horsepower for maximum acceleration at all times. Not really meant for driving on the street. In the pre-FL it also activates ESP Sport Handling mode. In the FL the AMG DYNAMICS Master mode is associated with Race for the most dynamic handling possible, but you have to manually activate ESP Sport Handling mode in order for Master mode to be active, otherwise it reverts to Pro.

PayKoHan

is pre-fl, 2016.
so sport+ is better for highway here in Germany? or no matter s+/race ?

superswiss

Yes, 2016 is pre-FL. 2019+ is FL. Yes, for the German Autobahn, S or S+ would be best, IMO. You want ESP to be fully on in case something happens at those high speeds. Best chance to come out in one piece. When I did my European Grand Tour with my 2019 I actually used I*. Had it setup with engine in S and suspension in Comfort, along with AMG DYNAMICS in Pro and exhaust open. S+ in the 2019 was a bit jolty when upshifting under full throttle and a bit detrimental to traveling comfort at high speeds, so S was a good middle ground. Depending on how fast I was driving and the road conditions I would then ratchet the suspension setting up and down. Closer to the top speed I would put the suspension in S+, but if the road got a bit rough I would take it down to S or C. Back home in the USA, I'm still using I* for highway driving and spirited driving, but I changed the engine mapping to S+.