C63 AMG W204 - Must have mods?

[Ashventini]

I can highly recommend this -


View attachment 166350

About £6k - £8k im guessing. I looked at them for my RS7. Expensive for the gains, but very very nice products if you can afford it. Weigh isnt important on 1800kg cars tbh though.
This doesnt address the front end restriction. Id rather go for 200 cell primary cats, with straight pipes, keeping resonator and standard rear boxes (which arent bad anyway). Gains are on the front end vs cat back.

 

[Ashventini]

I've heard there's a bit of power but its also the sound improvement that's probably a more useful benefit. MSL and others fit them with the cats and the MOT shouldn't be an issue.

Did you find any sound improvement on your maserati, they sound great btw. Fantastic exhaust note

Hi. I had a 2018 granturismo MC stradale. I went larini sports cats and x-pipe straight away. It was mental at full chat.... however the resonator (standard x pipe) removal killed the tone which its famous for. It was way too raspy. I pulled off the larini non res x-pipe after 500 miles and re-fitted oem resonated x pipe. Tone came back but had 30% more volume due to 200 cell cats. That was a lovely result. Throttle response was better with them also. Maybe 5 - 10%.. had to measure by the bum and back.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Hi. I had a 2018 granturismo MC stradale. I went larini sports cats and x-pipe straight away. It was mental at full chat.... however the resonator (standard x pipe) removal killed the tone which its famous for. It was way too raspy. I pulled off the larini non res x-pipe after 500 miles and re-fitted oem resonated x pipe. Tone came back but had 30% more volume due to 200 cell cats. That was a lovely result. Throttle response was better with them also. Maybe 5 - 10%.. had to measure by the bum and back.

Very interesting, yeah that tone is more important than loudness IMO my work colleague has a newish granturismo, I'll ask him which year it is. He seems to be very happy with it.

I'm trying to source headers for the e63 that will fit the midpipe directly but I can only seem to find c63 headers . My indy wants to try fitting headers for me , he's a top class guy otherwise id have got MSL or someone to do them already. I think for the C, you can get them fitted with engine remap at around 3k at a guess. Expensive yes but the engine probably benefits a bit from better breathing

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

In my experience long tube headers and sports cats make the car very very very loud, and so worth considering if it’s a car which will be used a lot, for long distance drives, or early/late.

 

[Ashventini]

Very interesting, yeah that tone is more important than loudness IMO my work colleague has a newish granturismo, I'll ask him which year it is. He seems to be very happy with it.

I'm trying to source headers for the e63 that will fit the midpipe directly but I can only seem to find c63 headers . My indy wants to try fitting headers for me , he's a top class guy otherwise id have got MSL or someone to do them already. I think for the C, you can get them fitted with engine remap at around 3k at a guess. Expensive yes but the engine probably benefits a bit from better breathing

Yeah msl is about £3k for headers, butvthat doesnt include primary cats so you have the emmisdions problem. Ive seen sports cats manifilds inc 200 cell cats but they was about £6k. Not worth it imo. Not enough gain for that £. If someone had sports cats manigolds for £3k id consider, but the headers alone for £3k is questinable in my mind. Personal choice of course. Need to find a metal work fabricator. The cats themselves can be bought and the tubework welded up.... i remember from researching the Larini sports cats at the time.. just needs someone capable. Could be done for £1500 i reckon.

 

[Ashventini]

Yeah msl is about £3k for headers, butvthat doesnt include primary cats so you have the emmisdions problem. Ive seen sports cats manifilds inc 200 cell cats but they was about £6k. Not worth it imo. Not enough gain for that £. If someone had sports cats manigolds for £3k id consider, but the headers alone for £3k is questinable in my mind. Personal choice of course. Need to find a metal work fabricator. The cats themselves can be bought and the tubework welded up.... i remember from researching the Larini sports cats at the time.. just needs someone capable. Could be done for £1500 i reckon.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Yeah msl is about £3k for headers, butvthat doesnt include primary cats so you have the emmisdions problem. Ive seen sports cats manifilds inc 200 cell cats but they was about £6k. Not worth it imo. Not enough gain for that £. If someone had sports cats manigolds for £3k id consider, but the headers alone for £3k is questinable in my mind. Personal choice of course. Need to find a metal work fabricator. The cats themselves can be bought and the tubework welded up.... i remember from researching the Larini sports cats at the time.. just needs someone capable. Could be done for £1500 i reckon.

MSL quoted a shade under 3.5k for long tubes on my e63 with cats which should be MOT compliant. I've spoken to some US suppliers and they charge very little for the cats on top of the pipes - only catch is they're designed to fit the C class so the mid pipe section will need modding

 

[Ashventini]

MSL quoted a shade under 3.5k for long tubes on my e63 with cats which should be MOT compliant. I've spoken to some US suppliers and they charge very little for the cats on top of the pipes - only catch is they're designed to fit the C class so the mid pipe section will need modding

Interesting. Could be one for the future if thsts the case..... thanks for the info. Was msl saying this quite recently? Just tryi g to gauge if 3.5k may have changed. Whom at MSL did you speak with? Andrew?

 

[TrueSpirit]

Interesting. Could be one for the future if thsts the case..... thanks for the info. Was msl saying this quite recently? Just tryi g to gauge if 3.5k may have changed. Whom at MSL did you speak with? Andrew?

That's right, Andrew , he organised the exhaust mod on my E63s w212 a couple years ago , and this is November probably that I got the quote.

 

[PhilT]

I’ve had my W204 C63 from new and excluding the car ive spent over £30,000 in mods. The best mods also depend how far you want to go with the car, how long you intend to keep it & how you use it.

Best mods are below.

Remap - It opens the throttle which is currently restricted to 70% opening, A good tune will see 500bhp - 530bhp, open the throttle to 100% and de restrict the top speed limiter. Mercedes basically detuned this engine from factory so it wasn’t as quick as an E63 unless it was the 507 or black series.

Headers - Most the large gains after a remap are from headers which you can gain from 40-60bhp depending on the type of headers/how good you’re tuner is. The car pulls alot harder with headers and is very noticeable but getting certain headers will not give you as good as gains or keep the AMG tone. Full long tubes are best, most on the market are short or mid lengths. If you want the best for power while keeping the amg tone stick MBH or ARH but be warned they are alot more expensive. If you plan to do any further exhaust work just for sound alone just to secondary cat delete as everything else after that you will lose the AMG tone.

LSD - Most cars came with open diff’s and people that don’t have one say it doesn’t need one, them not trying it in the car with one is the only reason for saying this. While the car is generally good with the open diff it is loads better out of tight corners, junctions and generally on throttle. The only two options id personally go for is an OS Giken or Aftermarket Drexler as all the others come no where near as close to them.

Coilovers - A good set of coilovers transforms these cars dramatically but if it’s a cheap set I wouldn’t bother, KW V3 or Bilstein PSS10 minimum if you want a reasonable ride height, if you want to go lower and it to handle like its on rails you will have to spend a considerable amount and go down the rabbit hole like I have done with mine. I have at least £9500 in chassis mods alone then if you include the wider wheels/tyres thats another £6000 totally at least £15500.

Weight - As we all know these cars in sedan form weight 1730kg, add another 70kg to that for the coupe with the heavy pan roof. The more weight out of the car the more agile it will become. Just from wheels and brakes I have saved 21.9kg and you notice it with it being rotating mass which equates to even more than the 21.9kg saving. Once I fit the seats I have at home thats another 40kg minimum saved, then another 30kg minimum from the OEM sunroof delete panel getting rid of that mass at the top of the car. I am still yet to weigh/calculate how much I saved from all the suspension modifications. I know there is still alot more weight that can come out too.

Cooling - These cars have cooling issues when getting on it for quite a while, hence the reason Mercedes upgraded the oil cooling on the black series then later offered it as a 44O option to W204 C63 owners. (it is no longer available)

You can make the cooling better than the black series if you want, I have fitted half of mine but still have the rest sat in a spare room waiting to go on. I have a Setrab (same brand as the black series cooler) larger main central oil cooler fitted to the car which is 70% larger than a stock C63 and 50% larger than the black series one, it also comes with a large front duct to direct air into the cooler and new outlet vets on the undertray to extract the hot air out quicker (you can pick one of these up from Sven on MBWORLD).

Along with engine oil getting to warm so does the transmission fluid too and temperatures can quickly rise and put the car into limp mode if you’re on it for extended periods, you can fix this issue by firstly getting a Weistec transmission pan which can hold more fluid taking it longer to heat up, it also has external/internal cooling fins. The best feature about it though is it allows you to fit an additional transmission cooler which is what I have bought but need to get fitted. I bought a Setrab cooler again but the correct size to mount in the passenger side front vent. A few others have done this on MBWORLD now and they have no more transmission temperature issues even on track. One of the guys gave me all the list of parts which I ordered and just need to get it fitted.

Lastly you can also improve engine oil temperature even further if you wish which is what I have bought is the SLS side oil cooler in the drivers side grill (The same one which is fitted in the C63 Black Series/44O package). This cooler is larger, it deletes the front fan blocking most the air on the stock cooler and also enlarges the openings around the grill.

 

[ALFAitalia]

£30,000 !..........most don't spend that much buying the car in the first place....I admire your dedication. I guess that means its yours forever unless you want to lose a fortune. Well done Sir!!

......1730kg?????.....That's more than I would have thought......thats only 105kg less than my big old E W212 with the heavy old derv V6 up front!!

 

[Ashventini]

I’ve had my W204 C63 from new and excluding the car ive spent over £30,000 in mods. The best mods also depend how far you want to go with the car, how long you intend to keep it & how you use it.

Best mods are below.

Remap - It opens the throttle which is currently restricted to 70% opening, A good tune will see 500bhp - 530bhp, open the throttle to 100% and de restrict the top speed limiter. Mercedes basically detuned this engine from factory so it wasn’t as quick as an E63 unless it was the 507 or black series.

Headers - Most the large gains after a remap are from headers which you can gain from 40-60bhp depending on the type of headers/how good you’re tuner is. The car pulls alot harder with headers and is very noticeable but getting certain headers will not give you as good as gains or keep the AMG tone. Full long tubes are best, most on the market are short or mid lengths. If you want the best for power while keeping the amg tone stick MBH or ARH but be warned they are alot more expensive. If you plan to do any further exhaust work just for sound alone just to secondary cat delete as everything else after that you will lose the AMG tone.

LSD - Most cars came with open diff’s and people that don’t have one say it doesn’t need one, them not trying it in the car with one is the only reason for saying this. While the car is generally good with the open diff it is loads better out of tight corners, junctions and generally on throttle. The only two options id personally go for is an OS Giken or Aftermarket Drexler as all the others come no where near as close to them.

Coilovers - A good set of coilovers transforms these cars dramatically but if it’s a cheap set I wouldn’t bother, KW V3 or Bilstein PSS10 minimum if you want a reasonable ride height, if you want to go lower and it to handle like its on rails you will have to spend a considerable amount and go down the rabbit hole like I have done with mine. I have at least £9500 in chassis mods alone then if you include the wider wheels/tyres thats another £6000 totally at least £15500.

Weight - As we all know these cars in sedan form weight 1730kg, add another 70kg to that for the coupe with the heavy pan roof. The more weight out of the car the more agile it will become. Just from wheels and brakes I have saved 21.9kg and you notice it with it being rotating mass which equates to even more than the 21.9kg saving. Once I fit the seats I have at home thats another 40kg minimum saved, then another 30kg minimum from the OEM sunroof delete panel getting rid of that mass at the top of the car. I am still yet to weigh/calculate how much I saved from all the suspension modifications. I know there is still alot more weight that can come out too.

Cooling - These cars have cooling issues when getting on it for quite a while, hence the reason Mercedes upgraded the oil cooling on the black series then later offered it as a 44O option to W204 C63 owners. (it is no longer available)

You can make the cooling better than the black series if you want, I have fitted half of mine but still have the rest sat in a spare room waiting to go on. I have a Setrab (same brand as the black series cooler) larger main central oil cooler fitted to the car which is 70% larger than a stock C63 and 50% larger than the black series one, it also comes with a large front duct to direct air into the cooler and new outlet vets on the undertray to extract the hot air out quicker (you can pick one of these up from Sven on MBWORLD).

Along with engine oil getting to warm so does the transmission fluid too and temperatures can quickly rise and put the car into limp mode if you’re on it for extended periods, you can fix this issue by firstly getting a Weistec transmission pan which can hold more fluid taking it longer to heat up, it also has external/internal cooling fins. The best feature about it though is it allows you to fit an additional transmission cooler which is what I have bought but need to get fitted. I bought a Setrab cooler again but the correct size to mount in the passenger side front vent. A few others have done this on MBWORLD now and they have no more transmission temperature issues even on track. One of the guys gave me all the list of parts which I ordered and just need to get it fitted.

Lastly you can also improve engine oil temperature even further if you wish which is what I have bought is the SLS side oil cooler in the drivers side grill (The same one which is fitted in the C63 Black Series/44O package). This cooler is larger, it deletes the front fan blocking most the air on the stock cooler and also enlarges the openings around the grill.

Thats a lot on mods. 30k wont make it go that much faster relatively speaking. Dedication though. That i will say.

Your right on you view of open diff drivers, however There are other diffs, which are arguably better choices. Waveteac or Quaife are brilliant for 95% of c63 drivers. Plate clutch type diffs are not really user friendly, noisey and clunky... great application BUT not a great road choice.

 

[PhilT]

£30,000 !..........most don't spend that much buying the car in the first place....I admire your dedication. I guess that means its yours forever unless you want to lose a fortune. Well done Sir!!

......1730kg?????.....That's more than I would have thought......thats only 105kg less than my big old E W212 with the heavy old derv V6 up front!!

Thanks, Yeah at least, still loads sat in a spare room to fit too. I bought the car new, always wanted one and I will never sell it so it doesn’t bother me. Each modification has improved the car as I've done most of them separately to understand how it changed the car and if anything didn’t work/didn’t work as best as it could to change it back/try something else.

Yeah 1730kg wet for a stock car with all fluids for the sedan, 1780kg for the coupe! 105kg difference is still alot you know but they are good at hiding the weight. I am pretty confident I can get the car to 1580kg without it looking like a stripped out track car.

Thats a lot on mods. 30k wont make it go that much faster relatively speaking. Dedication though. That i will say.

Your right on you view of open diff drivers, however There are other diffs, which are arguably better choices. Waveteac or Quaife are brilliant for 95% of c63 drivers. Plate clutch type diffs are not really user friendly, noisey and clunky... great application BUT not a great road choice.

Thanks, I didn’t spend that much for straight line speed, if I wanted that I would have supercharged it long ago. The way the car now handles is nothing close to a stock car now and is like a go kart with how direct and how it handles the corners.

As you said for most normal drivers Quaife and Wavetrac are ok but when you have driven a car with an OS Giken or Drexler nothing else compares. There are no extra noises/clunking with them diffs over a Quaife/Wavetrac and the OSGiken ones don’t wear out like an oem plated LSD.

 

[Ashventini]

Thanks, Yeah at least, still loads sat in a spare room to fit too. I bought the car new, always wanted one and I will never sell it so it doesn’t bother me. Each modification has improved the car as I've done most of them separately to understand how it changed the car and if anything didn’t work/didn’t work as best as it could to change it back/try something else.

Yeah 1730kg wet for a stock car with all fluids for the sedan, 1780kg for the coupe! 105kg difference is still alot you know but they are good at hiding the weight. I am pretty confident I can get the car to 1580kg without it looking like a stripped out track car.

Thanks, I didn’t spend that much for straight line speed, if I wanted that I would have supercharged it long ago. The way the car now handles is nothing close to a stock car now and is like a go kart with how direct and how it handles the corners.

As you said for most normal drivers Quaife and Wavetrac are ok but when you have driven a car with an OS Giken or Drexler nothing else compares. There are no extra noises/clunking with them diffs over a Quaife/Wavetrac and the OSGiken ones don’t wear out like an oem LSD.

Fair enough, im just not sure a c63 being a kart type car.. why not buy a lightweight car then? Handling and weight reduction isnt very C63 ish imo. All the best though.

 

[PhilT]

Fair enough, im just not sure a c63 being a kart type car.. why not buy a lightweight car then? Handling and weight reduction isnt very C63 ish imo. All the best though.

Thanks, Cause Ive have had them types of cars vx220, exige s and they lack power even with mods. Plus I don’t like being a sheep and having the same car/mods/doing the same thing as everyone else

Yeah there is including myself probably the same amount of people that have done the same type of mods/gone further than I have fingers to a C63, the main reason being that the aftermarket platform is not good for Mercedes if you compare whats available for BMW/Porsche and when it is its more expensive, or you have to get things custom made like I have, very little people know how to work on these cars for the same type of mods and most people like copying everyone else Even R35 GTR’s weight over 1800kg and handle good, yes they have better electronics helping but it still a boat.

 

[PhilT]

Interesting. Could be one for the future if thsts the case..... thanks for the info. Was msl saying this quite recently? Just tryi g to gauge if 3.5k may have changed. Whom at MSL did you speak with? Andrew?

Best speaking to Acid tbh, it looks like they have been asking on the C63 FB page what group buy people want again too if you’re after IPE headers.

 

[Ashventini]

Best speaking to Acid tbh, it looks like they have been asking on the C63 FB page what group buy people want again too if you’re after IPE headers.

Will join that FB page. Is there a link direct to it?

 

[PhilT]

Will join that FB page. Is there a link direct to it?

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[Ashventini]

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Thanks mate

 

[PhilT]

Thanks mate

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