malahhaor

Hello everyone. Have been gone for a while but looking at getting back to Mercedes family and looking at 2013 S63 with AMG performance pack. I know its W221 but there is almost no activity on that forum for this powertrain so i thought i try my luck here.
I've driven the vehicle for about 20 minutes in total and found that there is almost no usable traction at low speeds. From start even at about 20% max throttle traction kicks in. Making any kind of left or right turn in any but the most gentle way in Comfort looses traction. Kind of dangerous as its making very hard to make turns when traffic constantly flows and you need to find a decent spot to squeeze through. And im not talking reckless driving here at all.
The vehicle has stock size 275/35/20 in the rear Pilot Sport A/S in decent shape. I do not believe the vehicle has been tuned as on the highway at higher speeds its not pulling extremely hard.

Does anyone else experience similar traction issues with their RWD M157? I'm afraid when weather gets bad (Chicago) it will be nearly impossible to drive. I do not believe there is an aftermarket LSD for this car either to aid in traction.
Any thoughts would be extremely appreciated!!!!!!!!

Quadrobenz

That just does not sound right. I have a W222 S65 and I drive the car hard. I need to intentionally break the rear tires loose to engage traction control. It does have 285/35-20’s as the stock tire size. It has Conti 5P’s inflated to 36 psi.
My W220 S65 came with 275’s. I replaced them with 285/35’s and it made a difference. They were also Conti 5P’s. The W220 was tuned but had a 5speed, I always drove it in Sport or manual mode and did not have the traction control issues you experienced.
Just for info I have a new SL65. It is 600 pounds lighter than the S and has a shorter final drive ratio. It has a factory LSD. The LSD really makes a difference in minimizing traction control engagement on hard launches.
We had the 5.5L TT in our 2014 E63S. A lighter car than the S but that motor had noticeably less torque than the S65.

Warehouser

Had a 2010 ZR1 last year that I bought with 5k miles on it. Tires had tons of tread left, however they would break loose in 1st through 4th gears. I replaced the tires (Michelins PSS) and it made a world of difference! Come to find out they were the original tires from 2010. Tires do lose grip as the rubber ages...

malahhaor

Thanks for the info guys. I'm wondering if tires are simply old and don't have appropriate grip. i did not check the date on them.
I will hope for the best if the deal goes through and get a new set and go to 285s.
Much appreciated

Quadrobenz

absent

After having quite a few S63 and S/SL65s in the past in Chicago I can say that all season tires are absolutely useless for these cars.
To maximize traction you need 2 sets of tires , Summer and Winter (both on their own rims).
Having a heavy foot myself, I realized that traction deteriorated quickly around 5k miles (even with thread still showing well).
I replace tires on my cars every year for best traction and for safety (lots of potholes here and some tire damage is not easy to see right away).
I may be too **** about that issue but old habits die hard (was a driver and navigator in WRC for Team FIAT in late 70s and early 80s).

Manofsteelpt

malahhaor

^^^ I always use two sets no matter if i have FWD, RWD or AWD. Except for Carrera, always used high quality all seasons in the summer just so i can still be safe when temp falls in october/november and then switch to winter tires in late Nov early Dec.

All of the info is very useful guys. Thank you

hyperion667

Try some 305's in the rear.........wider runner for more power.

Manofsteelpt