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Hello
I'm a new C63 wagon (2017) driver. So far so good
But today for the first time I experienced wet roads.. oh boy. I was driving in comfort mode, stopped then turning 90degree on an intersection and the car was oversteering a lot... was drifting for a moment.
Was quite surprised by the lack of traction with such low gas pedal push. IDK if there was some oil or why was the road so slippery, but it caught me by surprise.
Reading some of the posts here I should probably upgrade to wider tires for better traction on wet roads? My current tires: Michelin Pilot super sport 265/35/19 and 245/35/19
Rear to 285/35/19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S? How about front tires?
No, that would be the complete opposite of what you wanna do if you are looking for wet traction. Wider tires are much more prone to aquaplaning. It doesn't take much to break traction in the wet with so much torque going to just the rear wheels. Peak torque kicks in at like 1700 rpm. The C63 is a drift machine. At the ADA events they are constantly being used to drift on a wet surface. Takes very little throttle to get it to drift. Pretty much immediately goes in 1st gear. Not much you can do about it other than taking it easy in the wet or be ready to drift . Taking control of the transmission and short shift to reduce wheel torque is one strategy. Pretty much wanna go quickly into 2nd gear, although the PFL already starts in 2nd gear when in Comfort mode. The FL has a Slippery mode now, which reduces torque and throttle response to make it less likely to spin out in the wet. Never needed to use it, though. Drifting is fun . The ESP should keep you from going out in a 360, though.
Last edited by superswiss; Sep 15, 2022 at 03:52 PM.
hey! Thanks for your reply. Well anyways next tires should be Michelin Pilot Sport 4S? read/watched some vids and they perform better than those Pilot super sports?
Also Whats FL?
hey! Thanks for your reply. Well anyways next tires should be Michelin Pilot Sport 4S? read/watched some vids and they perform better than those Pilot super sports?
Also Whats FL?
cheers!
People who have used both tend to prefer the PS4S.
FL=facelift
hey! Thanks for your reply. Well anyways next tires should be Michelin Pilot Sport 4S? read/watched some vids and they perform better than those Pilot super sports?
Also Whats FL?
cheers!
Yes, the PS4S has noticeably better wet traction than the PSS. I was not a fan of the PSS on the C63 and replaced them with the PS4S. Haven't looked back. It's an all-around much better tire.
So i checked my tire pressure and its around 310kPa front & 320kPa rear. Isn't that meant for full loaded car up to 280kmh?Could that be the reason for bad wet traction? I'm driving mostly alone with no load
Last edited by haubnFilter; Sep 16, 2022 at 08:41 AM.
So i checked my tire pressure and its around 310kPa front & 320kPa rear. Isn't that meant for full loaded car up to 280kmh?Could that be the reason for bad wet traction? I'm driving mostly alone with no load
Yes, that's too high and will result in nonoptimal contact patch as the tire is essentially slightly bulged at the center if it isn't weighed down by the expected weight. Some people do this to save fuel, because less rolling resistance, but also means less grip. You should lower it to what is known as normal load for up to 250 kmh, so 260f/240r. You can even go above 250 kmh temporarily. Just keep an eye on the tire temperature. Higher pressures at higher speeds or with higher vehicle weight are needed to handle the increased deflection, otherwise the tire will overheat if driven at high speeds for an extended period. Some people also use higher pressures to have some more protection for the wheels if they drive on really bad roads.
Last edited by superswiss; Sep 16, 2022 at 12:56 PM.
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. Taking control of the transmission and short shift to reduce wheel torque is one strategy. Pretty much wanna go quickly into 2nd gear, although the PFL already starts in 2nd gear when in Comfort mode. The FL has a Slippery mode now, which reduces torque and throttle response to make it less likely to spin out in the wet. Never needed to use it, though. Drifting is fun 
