Since the CL65 was made it was missing something most of us could really use, an LSD. However the options were limited and it wasn't until recent that it was made available by Quaife. I owe a big thanks to Kevin (a Rep. for Quaife in England) for stepping up in letting us know this was available. I had my doubts since I was unable to hear of anyone else having this installed in a CL65. In the end it was the right part and I was able to have it installed locally here in the Hudson Valley area of New York. I have only put a few miles on it so far but at low speeds it will easily push the rear out sideways. when shutting off the ESP, it feels as if there is less interaction. Probably since under the same throttle its actually accelerating while spinning both as opposed to just spinning one wheel really fast before the ESP assists and cuts the fun.

Now the new shoes...I have never really come across an aftermarket set of wheels that I like better than the stockers for the CL65. Some say they are dated but to me it's really what separates it in looks from any other CL. Aftermarket wheels on a CL65 look like any other CL. Not a bad thing and no offense to others but just not for me. So what I did was managed to find a decent set of used wheels(as an extra set) and have them widened 1" from 9.5" to 10.5" They were cut double welded and balanced by a company in Michigan. This allowed me to fit a pair of 305/30/19 PS2s in the rear with minimal change in outside diameter for the speedo and to still be close to the fronts to avoid limp issues. Since this was added to the inside of the wheel, spacers were used to bring the wheel out and avoid rubbing.

Here are a few pics. To most it may look just like another boring, stock looking CL65, however it feels like a totally different car. With some more driving I will report back with how it hooks up later during the week. I'm hoping the wider tires and the diff make it more of a car for the street.

....and yes, I do realize it needs to be dropped a bit as well.

 

Looks great. Welcome to the club.

R.K.

 

VERY NICE!!!

Quaife LSD is my next mod. I wonder if the CL65 rear is the same as S65.

I can not believe Mercedes did not put in mechanical LSD from the factory on these cars equipped with V12 TT. The computer controlled LSD is so counter productive! There's nothing worse when the computer is jamming the brakes on the spinning wheel as I'm trying to go forward. I would rather have the Quaife LSD spin both wheels for me upon take off. This way I don't waste my rear brakes and be held back which is probably causing precious times in the quarter mile. I can smell my rear brakes everytime I do full throttle take off with ESP turned off.

 

Didn't the SL65 comes with a mechanical LSD from the factory?
Can't speek for S65 and CL65...

I have to test it on my car, but I am quite sure my SL65 already has one from the factory...

 

Looks great i'm sure the car is a Bullet, I was debating on widening my wheels from them as well but im still a little worried about the quality of them as for durability goes, how happy are you with the finish on them?

 

very nice!

 

What size spacer did you end up running?

R.K.

 

Sent you a pm

 

From what I understand its the same for the CL65 and the S65 and possibly the same for the CL600 and S600. The part number is "qdf29b" which was provided based on the casting numbers of the diff housing. What you said above is why I went forward with both the rear and the wider tires. What good is adding more and more power if you can't put it down around town?


Yes from what I understand the SL65 was the only V12TT that came with it. I'm not trying to discredit it, but from what I recall, many mentioned the one offered in the SL65 is a poor design in providing an even distribution of the power. I have no basis for comparison.


Understood as was I. I waited to find a decent set of used wheels so I would still have my originals for worst case scenario. As far as the welds they are top notch. There is a bead on each side of the filler piece on both the inside and outside. On a 19" wheel it works out to a total of 20 linear feet of continuous weld. They hold the air and balance out. They will not perform the work if the wheels are not straight. The only thing is that they need to remove some of the clear on the inside with a grinder to prep the raw aluminum with a rough edge to accept the weld. As of now I have done nothing but I may have them buffed out and resealed.


Thank you, this is something you along with others would really appreciate.

The Guy with the SECRET OFFSET is curious to know how others make it work but he's unwilling to help when asked...LOL In the end I used a 15mm Spacer with 60mm lugs from H&R. With that said I have about 3/16" between the inside of the tire and the ABC line and/or the strut. I have had the tires on and off and see no signs of rubbing. The face of the tire is flush with the outside of the outermost portion of the body. However if the car squats in the rear (tested by jacking the opposite front tire off the ground) the tire tucks inside the rear quarter without contact.

 

LOL. I know your offsets based on your spacer size. The fitments still conservative... I said it many times you can fit a 305 on the back of a CL65 without rubbing. And here's another example.

Also, I'm glad you took my advise on widening the wheels. That's the best you can get for what you wanted. I'm tempted to have my stock wheels widened both front and rear on the inside and outside to have the perfect offsets without spacers. To do this will cost me probably in the neighborhood of $2500. It would be cool though...

R.K.

 

Didn't know you can widen both sides of the rim. Can you share the company that does this.

 

Thanks man one final question when you asked them to make it from a 9.5" to a 10.5" were you able to chose what offset they would be or no? and also what is the finally offset on the wheel now (without the spacer)

Thanks

 

Hi RaceHorse

I am based in Ireland and have a CL65. I have a few questions on this if you don't mind:

- is this difficult/costly to fit and will it create any errors/warnings on the dash
- is it necessary to increase the wheel width or will i still see benefits from the standard wheels

Thanks

 

Any company that widens wheels can do that for you. Most people just widen the inside because then they don't have to refinish the wheels.

The offsets do change due to adding additional width to the inside. So take a CL65 rear wheel: 9.5" +60. So the op widened it by 25 mm or one inch. The new effective offset of that wheel before spacer is 10.5" + 72. Now the OP added a 15mm spacer pushing the wheel out having a final offset of +57. If you truely wanted the correct offsets without running spacers, you would need to widen the wheel on both the front and back and have the fronts refinished.

R.K.

 

Widening had always been my original intent. As far as widening on both inside and outside of the wheel, I think it would be difficult to do with our wheels since there is little to no outer lip. The weld would end up under the face. Another option I thought of was to have new barrels made to fit the stock face of our 2 piece wheels. Of course if that were done the correct offset could be used to avoid spacer use. If you were to go that far it would almost me interesting to have a 20" knockoff made with the correct offsets to maintain the look in a bigger wheel all around. I think that may give a better finished product but it all comes at a cost assuming a quality wheel make such as the one you have you used.

What you add or remove is what creates the offset, as already mentioned with real numbers. Keep in mind the offset is the distance from the centerline of the wheel width, with +/- used to indicate in or out.

1.The LSD is offered by quaife check prices for your location.
2.The install is about 8-10 hrs shop time.
3.It has not caused and errors or warnings and shouldn't based on other models running Quaife LSDs
4.You will still feel/see the benefits with the standard wheel/tire combo, but I felt there was even more to gain with a larger contact pad with wider tires

 

Ill.

 

We are responsible for distribution of the Quaife-Mercedes units. In Europe, you can purchase from us direct.
As always, we need the VIN of your car to determine which kit you need. Ideally, you should enter your details here.
http://www.birdsauto.com/parts/45193

The work takes 9 hours, and it's a simple job for someone who is capable of stripping and re-assembling a final drive.

It will not create any warnings or affect the standard car, except in a very positive way!

Give me a call if you want to discuss on +44 1753 657 444

Regards, Kevin Bird.

 

I couldn't agree with you more re the Stock 65 wheels, I have them on my 55. I managed to find a nearly new set after I bought the 55 for a very good price, as they are over £1,200.00 each over here !!!

They are the only wheels that suit the W215 IMO of course.

As I only live a few miles from Kevin Birds garage I am seriously thinking of having one of there Quaife's fitted.

 

PM sent.

 

I'm guessing this was weldcraft that did the wheels for you?

 

Sounds good... Kevin was a great guy to deal with, thorough, passionate and patient.

You've guessed correct!!!

 

So after a little bit of driving I have to say I am very pleased with the combo. I doubt one would be good without the other. The new LSD gets the wider tires to really dig in from a lower speed resulting in TRACTION. Yes I can get them to spin but I can also get them to hook and actually accelerate as opposed to a single tire spin. If I had to choose one over the other it would be the Quaife LSD. The tires would only be for looks without the LSD, or minimal gains. Together I feel like I can compete with alot more cars from lower speeds or even a dig. As mentioned before its not a power adder but it will allow you to see your car's true potential. So if you're not sure, go for it, you won't be disappointed!!!

 

how many miles have you put on the car since putting the wider wheels out back? Im really thinking of doing the same im just worried about durability especially here in NYC

 

I haven't put a ton of miles on, maybe 250-300 miles if that. A bunch of few mile trips that really show me that the set up is really doing what I wanted it to do. As far as the wheels, I stay away from the city with the car. You gotta realize there are so many horror stories with both stock and aftermarket wheels. The city is just brutal on a car especially if your in a rush. To me there are three things working against the wheels in our cars.
1. The car's 4,600+ lbs.
2. the suspension is pretty stiff compared to any other car of equal weight.
3. The lack of sidewall to absorb the impact.

I think the welds will hold up but I don't know if the wheel will be more vulnerable to bend or if it will be stronger.

 

Just came across this thread and I'm fascinated by it! If you don't mind, how are you liking the lsd after a few months? This is one of the best mods iv'e seen yet for the v12tt w215 platform. Also, the 305's out back just look killer!!