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I'm at an inflection point, I picked up an 2015 S63 about 6 months ago, I've loved the combo of great torque and luxury it gives.
However, like many,in particular for the pre facelift there are some draw backs and I'm starting to get both bored and a little disappointed in the daily driving experience which for me is a nice combo of motorway and city driving
Handling is hardly pin point, but even after a stage 1 I'm not hugely impressed with the responsiveness of the engine and the slow gear change. I'd say no matter the mode I'm .5-1 second person gear change. I drove a famous twisty road here and was left for dead by a 2018 e63s with the 4.0
What is the OEM plus upgrade path for these cars?
How do you get the best from the combo of the 5.5l lump and the gearbox? All is stock except the tune, where does the law of diminishing returns set in.
All I'd like is sharper handling and a more responsive engine, the power to match the looks, we do get to drive Twisties and do road trips, while the coupe is built for the latter. I don't think it's a lot to ask that it can at least hold it's own and be some fun on tighter roads.
I have been tempted to join the e63s crew and am yet to drive a facelift S63 to see if there are similarities
For the sort of money a facelift costs I can grab a 991.1 Porsche turbo and run that while the S depreciates on someone else's dime, with a fully loaded e63s about 10k USD cheaper than the turbo in absolute cost and c. 150/month on finance more then my current arrangement on the s63.
ALL help or insights welcome
Pic attached for attention and recommendations re appearance(I'm open to a colour change or facelift along side a little optimisation on the above pains)
Downpipes?
Intake?
ECU Tune?
TCU Tune?
S+ Mode (I think BenzNinja offers this mode if I'm not mistaken, which is not included on the 2017s)?
Honestly I'm posting here as I don't know, this is my first MB.
All that I have done is an ECU tune, but I'm willing to do downpipes tcu and intake and remap again to match. I don't want it to be undriveable day to day and sound and top speed is not a priority, dynamism and responsiveness (for what it is) are the focus.
My believe is that the gearbox is the limiting factor it just seems very sluggish, can a TCU liven it up significantly?
I thought benzninja was an OBD2 software to unlock features. Can it program and update aswell?
Last edited by CruiserAMG; Nov 3, 2024 at 10:07 AM.
Honestly I'm posting here as I don't know, this is my first MB.
All that I have done is an ECU tune, but I'm willing to do downpipes tcu and intake and remap again to match. I don't want it to be undriveable day to day and sound and top speed is not a priority, dynamism and responsiveness (for what it is) are the focus.
My believe is that the gearbox is the limiting factor it just seems very sluggish, can a TCU liven it up significantly?
I thought benzninja was an OBD2 software to unlock features. Can it program and update aswell?
Something is not quite right here ...the AMG MCT 7 speed "SpeedShift" transmission is often criticized for its clunky low speed behavior. However once at speed you don't read a lot of complaints about it. I find the shifts to be extremely fast in any mode but C. Tell us more about this issue if you don't mind.
Your other point about handling is really a curb weight issue. While these giant cars can deliver some decent G forces and cornering speeds, they will never have the transient response of a lighter car...that is just physics.
I don't think there's a better all out luxury car when it comes to the sport side of the coin, but there are many better sports sedans and coupes out there if you wanna scale back the luxury features.
'17 AMG S63 Convertible, '17 AMG C63S Edition 1 Coupe
Originally Posted by TripleDown
I don't think there's a better all out luxury car when it comes to the sport side of the coin, but there are many better sports sedans and coupes out there if you wanna scale back the luxury features.
'17 AMG S63 Convertible, '17 AMG C63S Edition 1 Coupe
Originally Posted by CruiserAMG
All that I have done is an ECU tune, but I'm willing to do downpipes tcu and intake and remap again to match. I don't want it to be undriveable day to day and sound and top speed is not a priority, dynamism and responsiveness (for what it is) are the focus.
ECU tune has its safe limits based on limits of the stock airflow. Downpipes will yield sig power gains, and even more when paired with a tune. Companies like RennTech offer further upgrades (eg intake, Diverter Valves, etc), but IMO, $4K for an intake that yields 10hp is bad math. I think you're biggest bang for the buck is gonna be DP, ECU, and possibly TCU tune.
My believe is that the gearbox is the limiting factor it just seems very sluggish, can a TCU liven it up significantly?
As previously mentioned, it's not very sluggish in most ppl's experience. Have you switched from Comfort to Sport mode?
I thought benzninja was an OBD2 software to unlock features. Can it program and update aswell?
His website seems to suggest so: https://benzninja.com/mods-price-calculator/ I know they have a rock solid reputation on the forum for coding mods. Not sure how much feedback there is for any tuning (eg ECU, TCU) that they may offer.
ECU tune has its safe limits based on limits of the stock airflow. Downpipes will yield sig power gains, and even more when paired with a tune. Companies like RennTech offer further upgrades (eg intake, Diverter Valves, etc), but IMO, $4K for an intake that yields 10hp is bad math. I think you're biggest bang for the buck is gonna be DP, ECU, and possibly TCU tune.
As previously mentioned, it's not very sluggish in most ppl's experience. Have you switched from Comfort to Sport mode?
His website seems to suggest so: https://benzninja.com/mods-price-calculator/ I know they have a rock solid reputation on the forum for coding mods. Not sure how much feedback there is for any tuning (eg ECU, TCU) that they may offer.
In terms of handling, you will not get this luxury barge to "handle well" on anything. It's too large and built for comfort, not for the canyons. If you don't enjoy the comfort and prefer a carver, then a pre-facelift W213 E63 is definitely more up your alley with it's hard suspension.
Maybe try transmission reinforcement and TCU tune. Other than that not much you can do. It's a luxury oriented GT car with more than enough power, not a track monster.
Or last resort is, buy another 911
Peter did the S+ for me. Very happy with the result, act exactly as the S+ for your expectation. A little bit too aggressive to my taste though so I rarely use it. It will hold rpm much higher than S
'17 AMG S63 Convertible, '17 AMG C63S Edition 1 Coupe
Originally Posted by zk2004mb
Peter did the S+ for me. Very happy with the result, act exactly as the S+ for your expectation. A little bit too aggressive to my taste though so I rarely use it. It will hold rpm much higher than S
How does it work? When you cycle between Comfort, Sport, etc, if you press it again, it'll show Sport+?
And not sure if you have a frame of reference for other AMGs with S+, but does it downshift 1 gear at a time as you come to a stop/slow down, and backfire with each downshift?
How does it work? When you cycle between Comfort, Sport, etc, if you press it again, it'll show Sport+?
And not sure if you have a frame of reference for other AMGs with S+, but does it downshift 1 gear at a time as you come to a stop/slow down, and backfire with each downshift?
c - s - s+ - m
Yes when switching from s to s+ it will immediately downshift 1 gear. Normal downshift sound, definitely no cracking back fire sound.
Only caveat is the background image in dash, when you switch from c to s or m you will see the back ground image in AMG menu to change from street to track and then "fancier" track. But the image won't change in s+. I guess it's not defined in the code.
'17 AMG S63 Convertible, '17 AMG C63S Edition 1 Coupe
Originally Posted by zk2004mb
c - s - s+ - m
Yes when switching from s to s+ it will immediately downshift 1 gear. Normal downshift sound, definitely no cracking back fire sound.
Only caveat is the background image in dash, when you switch from c to s or m you will see the back ground image in AMG menu to change from street to track and then "fancier" track. But the image won't change in s+. I guess it's not defined in the code.
Interesting. So I'm assuming it's coding for more aggressive shifts (holding gears longer than S mode), and likely more aggressive suspension settings than S mode. But normally, in vehicles that have a native Sport+ mode, it also dumps a bit of extra fuel upon downshift, which ends up being unburnt, and ignites in the exhaust, resulting in the backfire people describe as a "pop". And it will do that on every single downshift, all the time, while in Sport+ mode. It's def fun to hear with the windows/top down.
OP Peter’s transmission programming makes for ‘Sport mode’ that is sportier than MB did. Nice improvement. I find Sport + to be a bit much as it is always seeking the right engine speed for savagery with fairly abrupt shifts. Manual mode is very fast shifting that will let you bounce it off the rev limiter if you are not paying attention.
As for getting your your car to handle better choose one equipped with Magic Body Control. Select Sport mode for savagery. The V12 is a delight that rips. Get one with Carbon Ceramic brakes.
If you are going to have Peter do software upgrades look through his list. I had a number of them done and am tickled with results. ‘Last mode remembered’ is the end of stop-start when you drive in Sport mode every day. ‘Hot climate’ for HVAC helps here in Arizona. Go through the list. Get a membership and equipment. Thank me later when he helps with something the dealership would want ridiculous money for that he helps diagnose quickly for an easy DIY repair. Then you will have the computer so plugging in for a ‘Quick Test’ with XENTRY is an easy thing.
Last edited by JohnLane; Nov 24, 2024 at 11:02 AM.
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