C63 507 Needs A Diff.... Quaife or Other?

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356speedster

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
118
Location
Midlands
Car
Mercedes Benz AMG C63S Coupe
Morning all! I picked up my 507 last night and first impressions are "wow"! Except for one small thing......

Already, I've seen the yellow traction control light more than I ever saw it in 7.5yrs of 400bhp Focus RS ownership! I'm amazed how hard it is to get off the line without chirping a wheel. It's on nealry new MO spec Contis, so that's not the issue and I'm going to check the tyre pressures tonight, incase they're way off. Is this a normal issue with these cars?

On the assumption that the answer is "yes", I think I need an LSD. It seems the Quaife is the default choice, has anyone tried any others? Wavetrac for example? I appreciate the thoughts of the group. Thanks!
 
Welcome to the club. Where abouts are you located? MSL will fit a Quaife for you. Have a chat with Acid. There was an article in Mercedes Enthusiast a couple of years ago regarding the fitting of a Quaife to a W204. PM me your details and I'll happily scan and send to you.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to the club. Where abouts are you located? MSL will fit a Quaife for you. Have a chat with Acid. There was an article in Mercedes Enthusiast a couple of years ago regarding the fitting of a Quaife to a W204. PM me your details and I'll happily scan and send to you.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Thanks for that.... I've been to MSL with my Ultima in the summer, so I'm close ;) I just wanted to understand options and get feedback from owners on traction . I can't seem to PM you, perhaps because I'm a new joiner? Could you ping me perhaps? Thanks!
 
A LSD certainly helps with traction put it will still spin when "pushing on"... however it will just feel more controlled.
There are a few who have had wavetrac diffs fitted but most go for the quaife.
 
Morning all! I picked up my 507 last night and first impressions are "wow"! Except for one small thing......

Already, I've seen the yellow traction control light more than I ever saw it in 7.5yrs of 400bhp Focus RS ownership! I'm amazed how hard it is to get off the line without chirping a wheel. It's on nealry new MO spec Contis, so that's not the issue and I'm going to check the tyre pressures tonight, incase they're way off. Is this a normal issue with these cars?

On the assumption that the answer is "yes", I think I need an LSD. It seems the Quaife is the default choice, has anyone tried any others? Wavetrac for example? I appreciate the thoughts of the group. Thanks!


Hi and welcome. Ive just had a quaife diff fitted to my 507 2 weeks ago. Its the best money you will spend. The car accelerates so much better out of corners. You still see the traction light come on coming out of junctions but it has transformed the car for me.
 
Hi and welcome. Ive just had a quaife diff fitted to my 507 2 weeks ago. Its the best money you will spend. The car accelerates so much better out of corners. You still see the traction light come on coming out of junctions but it has transformed the car for me.

I'd second that. Apart from decent tires, it's the best upgrade you can do for a C63. I had birds do my quaife on a group buy on this forum. Ironically its at low speeds where you really notice the difference
 
Another Quaife diff here. I test drove non diff cars before buying my Quaife fitted C63 estate and as others have said; the difference is most noticeable in the slower speed corners and junction exits. It feels more planted and controlled which for me is important as the car is primarily driven by my wife and so predictable handling helps!
 
Thanks folks, it sounds like a no-brainer. I chomped through another quarter of a tank of super today and the lack of traction 0-20mph both amused and frustrated me. My Ultima has more power and torque, a lot less weight, no diff and it has much better traction, even when giving it some stick (OK, it's a different drivetrain configuration & the Ult has huge rear tyres, but it's a monster!). I guess I'll be calling MSL promptly ;) Thanks for the advice.
 
Had my Quaife fitted by MSL a couple of months ago, and as stated in the comments, you'll notice the difference most when pulling out of junctions, especially on a damp road. Makes such a difference at slow speeds when you want to accelerate quickly, no more spinning of the inside wheel, it just picks up traction straight away. Haven't noticed much difference at high speeds, but when pulling away a bit quick is where it makes a noticeable difference.
 
I'd check your geo before fitting a diff, geo seems to be a far bigger issue with traction than a diff on C63.

Birds will be ideal for fitting quaife. Wavetrac is a plated unit so will require much more maintinance.
 
Does having an LSD fitted make any difference to the traction control? The two systems won't 'fight' each other in any way?
 
Does having an LSD fitted make any difference to the traction control? The two systems won't 'fight' each other in any way?
Shouldn't interfere. As far as the traction control system knows, the difference in wheel speed will be minimised by the LSD, so less intervention (brake assist) required.
 
Thanks for the comments on the geo, I hadn't really thought of that.... I'll look for some threads on here to advise on geo (or is "factory standard" recommended?).

If the TC is using the rear brakes, I certainly want to get this calmed down a bit, I don't want it chewing up it's discs / pads too fast!
 
Thanks for the comments on the geo, I hadn't really thought of that.... I'll look for some threads on here to advise on geo (or is "factory standard" recommended?).

If the TC is using the rear brakes, I certainly want to get this calmed down a bit, I don't want it chewing up it's discs / pads too fast!
MB's standard approach to TC does use the rear brakes as an attempt to manage torque. On our SLK200, rear brake assist worked surprisingly well even in snow. I actually thought the car had an LSD until reading up on it.

With more power and torque on tap, the rear brakes will have a lot to deal with. I'm surprised an LSD is not standard issue on a C63/C63s.
 
Thanks for the comments on the geo, I hadn't really thought of that.... I'll look for some threads on here to advise on geo (or is "factory standard" recommended?).

If the TC is using the rear brakes, I certainly want to get this calmed down a bit, I don't want it chewing up it's discs / pads too fast!

I use Centre Gravity near birmingham for geo, they're brilliant but expensive. Turns out my 63 had the rear wheels slightly toed out which made for a very lively rear end, difference was night and day afterwards. If you don't want their costs them you might start with a straight forward check over at an Indy.
 
I use Centre Gravity near birmingham for geo, they're brilliant but expensive. Turns out my 63 had the rear wheels slightly toed out which made for a very lively rear end, difference was night and day afterwards. If you don't want their costs them you might start with a straight forward check over at an Indy.
Yes CoG are expensive with a capital F, but their reputation is first rate. Wheels in Motion in Chesham enjoy a similar reputation, but at what seems to be a more reasonable price.
 
I'll look at the geo, certainly.... any recommendations for finding the recommended settings? CoG are properly expensive and usually booked up well in advance (I also heard they were only specialising in Porsche these days?), but I've got a local place I can use, so will try them first.
 
There was a fella on here talking about the Pirelli performance centre. Stafford way, so not sure if that's too far from you as your tag says midlands?

Their purpose is supposed to be to demo new technology, so I'd expect their geometry equipment to be top rate.
 
There was a fella on here talking about the Pirelli performance centre. Stafford way, so not sure if that's too far from you as your tag says midlands?

Their purpose is supposed to be to demo new technology, so I'd expect their geometry equipment to be top rate.
Burton upon Trent. Very impressive place too
 
Burton upon Trent. Very impressive place too
PS They don't carry the bolts in stock, which will be required for some adjustments on some Mercedes., so best give them a call in advance to see what they say.
 

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