OP
OP
Palmball
MB Enthusiast
Right, I'm back home and able to give some more detailed updates as to where I am with the suspension set-up ann other things! (I've actually just got back from holiday which I didn't really enjoy 
and to add salt to the wound, someone took our suitcase instead of theirs from the luggage carousel in Heathrow so now I've got to wait until the other people (hopefully) realise they've picked the wrong one up before I get my clothes back )
Anyway, back on topic...this will be an update solely on the suspension but the real fun is over on the other thread regarding my exhaust where I explain some more recent developments (and problems along the way) with my car!
So, with regards to the suspension set up, my last trip to Germany last weekend got the final suspension settings for the car but there were some issues with the corner weight balancing which meant that although it was done, it wasn't quite perfect for me
.
Firstly, the actual handling and ride balance I have gone for is more road-biased so is not as stiff as it could be. In order to put this into perspective, just think of it like this....it now handles as flat as a pre-2010 C63 with Performance Pack (i.e. the one with the stiffer spring/damper set-up that was deleted on the PPP's) but it doesn't get deflected by mid-corner bumps like that car does. To compliment this it absorbs bumps and has a ride quality like you would not believe for such a flat and secure handling car. Damper set-up wise, it's complete, finished, done...at last
However, I currently do not have the car in my possession - I left it in Germany last weekend and luckily a few friends came out with me as we went to see the Belgian Grand Prix and they were able to give me a lift home. The main reason for this is to do with the exhaust (see my other thread) and I fly out in...ooooh...5 hours....to pick it up
. Now, as the car was out there this week, I decided to have one last thing done to the suspension which I believe has now been done to my liking!
Let me explain....KW's ride height adjusters set the car very low at the back so even on it's highest setting, the car is around 10mm lower than standard. This means that to get a good stance and an effective corner weight balance, the front end has to be even lower. This is a problem to me as I didn't really want a slammed look!
With this in mind, Uli suggested to me that he could get longer adjusters for the rear specially fabricated which would allowed him set it up in a way that maintain a good ride height and get the car corner weight balanced without going too low. He has now apparently achieved this with a height only about 5mm lower than standard and has also managed a pretty good balance of 51/49% across the diagonal!
I obviously haven't seen the car to confirm the stance as I speak now but pictures will be in place in the next 24-48 hours!
Fingers crossed, the whole lot is done and in a few hours, I'll be delighted!
and to add salt to the wound, someone took our suitcase instead of theirs from the luggage carousel in Heathrow so now I've got to wait until the other people (hopefully) realise they've picked the wrong one up before I get my clothes back )Anyway, back on topic...this will be an update solely on the suspension but the real fun is over on the other thread regarding my exhaust where I explain some more recent developments (and problems along the way) with my car!
So, with regards to the suspension set up, my last trip to Germany last weekend got the final suspension settings for the car but there were some issues with the corner weight balancing which meant that although it was done, it wasn't quite perfect for me
. Firstly, the actual handling and ride balance I have gone for is more road-biased so is not as stiff as it could be. In order to put this into perspective, just think of it like this....it now handles as flat as a pre-2010 C63 with Performance Pack (i.e. the one with the stiffer spring/damper set-up that was deleted on the PPP's) but it doesn't get deflected by mid-corner bumps like that car does. To compliment this it absorbs bumps and has a ride quality like you would not believe for such a flat and secure handling car. Damper set-up wise, it's complete, finished, done...at last
However, I currently do not have the car in my possession - I left it in Germany last weekend and luckily a few friends came out with me as we went to see the Belgian Grand Prix and they were able to give me a lift home. The main reason for this is to do with the exhaust (see my other thread) and I fly out in...ooooh...5 hours....to pick it up
. Now, as the car was out there this week, I decided to have one last thing done to the suspension which I believe has now been done to my liking!Let me explain....KW's ride height adjusters set the car very low at the back so even on it's highest setting, the car is around 10mm lower than standard. This means that to get a good stance and an effective corner weight balance, the front end has to be even lower. This is a problem to me as I didn't really want a slammed look!
With this in mind, Uli suggested to me that he could get longer adjusters for the rear specially fabricated which would allowed him set it up in a way that maintain a good ride height and get the car corner weight balanced without going too low. He has now apparently achieved this with a height only about 5mm lower than standard and has also managed a pretty good balance of 51/49% across the diagonal!
I obviously haven't seen the car to confirm the stance as I speak now but pictures will be in place in the next 24-48 hours!
Fingers crossed, the whole lot is done and in a few hours, I'll be delighted!
Thanks Nick, appreciate the feedback and glad you liked it!
I'm sure plenty of people think I've got a screw loose the amount of time I'm spending trying to get it set up 'just so', but it's good to know the results noticeable by others!
Look after those conti's with the care and attention that they've had for the first half of their life lol
not so palmball
im finding your threads totally absorbing
thanks
markynicks
New Member
Palmball, would you be able to share your settings you have on the KW V3 you have instaled on your C63? I am wanting to go down this route but would want a little more info on the set up you are currantly useing.
Lee C63
MB Enthusiast
HHamster
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2016
- Messages
- 168
- Car
- C63s
This thread is very useful and I'm about to pull the trigger on coilovers but kW v3 have about 4000 different combinations for the c63... Any clues?
If you're looking for the "optimum C63 settings" for KW V3 coilovers, I've copied this from Palmball's other mbworld thread (not sure if he still frequents this forum
)Latest mods to UK C63 - KW V3's & Brabus B63 tune - MBWorld.org Forums
KW V3 Settings
After much deliberation, I have decided to go for a setting more suited to the street than the track. Whilst this means it may feel a bit soft on track, it's still as good on track as most other road-biased cars but on the street, it's just perfect.
The car seems to perform best with a softer compression setting to keep the ride compliant and the wheels in contact with the road. The rebound damping is set in the middle which is sufficient to keep the rate of roll in check.
Ultimately, my car rides a touch harder than a P30 but it actually feels more comfortable thanks to the dampers' ability to deal with a bump in one well controlled movement.
Handling wise, it has slightly less roll than a P30 and a LOT less roll than a stock or P31. Not only this, but it doesn't get deflected by mid-corner bumps like a P30 and you can push a lot harder as the rate of roll is much more tightly controlled.
Front Settings:
Bottom (compression with a range of 14 clicks): 8 clicks back from full hard (turn the adjuster fully clockwise to get it on full hard and then click it back 8 times)
Top (rebound with a range of 19 clicks): 10 clicks back from full hard (turn the adjuster fully clockwise to get it on full hard and then click it back 10 times)
Rear Settings:
Bottom (compression with a range of 14 quarter turns): 8 quarter turns back from full hard (turn the adjuster fully clockwise to get it on full hard and then move it back 6 quarter turns)
Top (rebound with a range of 18 clicks): 9 clicks back from full hard (turn the adjuster fully clockwise to get it on full hard and then click it back 9 times)
Great thread! Hi Palmball, can you tell us how much you lowered the car and what rebound settings you found right for your car. Just getting the same K & W Kit fitted next Monday and havn't got a clue where to start. I no it's a old thread, but there's very little information out there on these kits for an C63. Many thanks Dave.Firstly, apologies that this is going to be a long one and a little reminder as to why I have opted to change the suspension on a practically brand new performance-orientated car!
I'm on my second C63 which, although much better than my first one performance and quality wise, just didn't handle as well. The original pre-2010 C63s with a Performance Pack had a stiffer suspension set up that was widely criticised for giving too hard a ride for the UK (but in my eyes, was a perfectly acceptable compromise for the wonderfully flat handling that it offered). In response to this criticism, AMG fitted the 2010-on C63's with or without Performance Pack with standard suspension which, whilst still having a firm ride, generated a lot more body roll. So much more in fact that I had to do something.
I was going to simply fit the official AMG suspension from the older model but when this came in at nearly £1,500, I thought I could get better for the money. So I spent more...well, 50% more! And got what seems to be regarded (by the US AMG forums at least) as the single best modification you can do to a C63 - KW V3 Coilovers. These are fully adjustable - I mean ride height, compression damping & rebound damping. They also have very trick valves to give extremely good control...or so they said!
The question is...what are they really like??
The Supplier / Fitter
Well before I could try them, I had to find someone to fit them who knew what they were doing as I know nothing about suspension set-up. With so many variables on these kits, I wasn't going to start to find out on my own either! So, as I've mentioned before, I chose to use a company called Car Planet Racing (CPR) in Warrington as they came highly recommended and have considerable experience with AMG's...indeed, they're so highly regarded that they're currently developing some new kit FOR Kleeman!
So, after what seemed like an eternity waiting for the Coilovers to be manufactured (they're all made to order), I was duly promised they would arrive and could be fitted last weekend.
Alas, thanks to the terrible service from KW (in that they didn't send the Coilovers where they should have done...to CPR and not the UK importer!), the Coilovers hadn't arrived by the weekend. However, CPR were also upgrading my brake hoses and fluid so I decided to take the car to them and they kindly lent me a beautiful (and I mean it was beaut!) '97 Mondeo 1.8LX. I shudder at the thought of ever having to drive such a poorly maintained car again but I don't think it was strictly meant for 'customer use'!
I went up to collect my car this evening and, with much excitement and nervousness (as I've never had coilovers before), couldn't wait to try the car out.
However, I've got to say that the service given by CPR has been incredible. Firstly, their owner, Max, has called me everyday with an update after the Coilovers failed to turn up day after day. Secondly, as I live 90 miles away, he stayed open for me to collect the car this evening after I finished work. And that's not all...theres more! When I got there, not only was Max waiting for me but so was his chief engineer and the fitter who did all the work on the car. They then spent about an hour showing me all the work they had done, explaining how it works and the benefits I should be feeling from it. They even took the wheels off again so I could take some photo's!
Seriously, I am very impressed by these guys and would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone for their quality of work and, in my personal experience of the motor trade, unprecedented customer experience.
They sent me on my way on the standard KW-suggested settings and have agreed to do any further adjustment for me as I see fit...but as you'll see shortly, this may not be necessary!
The Drive
When I finally got the car on the road......WOW!
I chose to drive home from Warrington to Leicestershire over the Peak District as they have some very challenging and undulating roads and I can definitely confirm that these KW's have transformed the cars handling. It is FLAT...I mean NO body roll at all at reasonable speeds. Near the limit, there is just enough movement to let you know you are nearing it but I have never driven a car that maintains such strong body control over the dips, crests and rough surfaces that the Peak District roads have. It has no bump steer and the suspension appears to have magically given it much better turn-in and the ability to grip harder for longer.
It's simply much too easy to drive much too fast.... it just seems like the car can cover any surface without being deflected and it simply had everything that I dared throw at it covered.
Now, I'm sure if you drive a 'proper' sports car, particularly a Porsche, then you'll be totally used to this sort of handling but for an 1800kg car to cover ground like my C63 did today, I'm amazed! Here is the first car that I've driven since owning a new-shape BMW M3 a couple of years ago that I reckon can now out-handle a (stock) M3 and handling-wise, I held that car in very high regard.
However, it's not perfect....not yet anyway. For normal driving and at low speeds it is VERY firm. Not bouncy or crashy...no, the suspension is too well damped and controlled for that...but just plain FIRM. You hit a bump, you feel it. You feel it once and thats it...but it's every bump no matter how small.
So, here comes the best bit....and this I am really excited about.
A chap I know from the BMW forum e90post (and who is a moderator on that forum) happens to know a lot of people in the car world and one of these people is a guy who does testing for AMG at the Nurburgring. And my new best friend has arranged for said chap to spend a day setting my car up on and around the Nurburgring to drive just how I want it to.
This is proper bespoke set-up by a guy who probably knows how to do these cars better than most and the day this takes place will be....on Saturday. I drive out tomorrow evening!
So, there is my first update after a couple of hours experience with this fantastic suspension and the great people I've dealt with in getting it on my car. It wasn't the cheapest, in fact it was probably one of the most expensive options I could have gone for, but the difference is incredible.
Now....for more power!
One more thing.....before I go to Germany tomorrow I'm having the Brabus B63 kit fitted
The thing is, I may not have bothered with it had I known what I do now (hey ho!)....CPR put my car on their Dyno-Dynamics rolling road and, totally standard, the car put out an incredible 506.9bhp. Thats a full 20bhp more than AMG claim and confirms my thoughts that my car feels significantly quicker than the official 30bhp increase that is quoted between it and my old non-Plus (457bhp) model.
In fact, CPR said it was the most powerful 'stock' '63 engined car they had ever dyno'd and put out more than even the SL's in standard tune. Those forged internals must be worth something after all....but I just hope I still get to see a good like for like increase after tomorrow's Brabus kit is fitted!
Heres a few photo's of the suspension (and new brake lines) and how the car looks....it's 10mm lower than standard so theres very little ride height difference although it still had some settling to do at this point...it looks lower in my driveway now!
Front Suspension:
Additional Reservoir on the damper:
Rear Suspension:
The car (sorry, only one I took for now):
OP
OP
Palmball
MB Enthusiast
Oooh crikey, this is a very long time ago. I honestly can't remember the settings but I did appear to document it quite well at the time - I must have had a lot more time spare back then!
HHamsters repost of my settings above will be what I settled on so I'd start with those because, despite being lucky to have had some amazing cars since that C63, I still remember that KW V3 suspension as one of the finest suspension systems I've ever experienced.
I've seem my old C63 come up for sale 2-3 times since I sold it - it must be well run in now! I wonder if my AMG Design Studio leather dash upgrade looks the same these days
HHamsters repost of my settings above will be what I settled on so I'd start with those because, despite being lucky to have had some amazing cars since that C63, I still remember that KW V3 suspension as one of the finest suspension systems I've ever experienced.
I've seem my old C63 come up for sale 2-3 times since I sold it - it must be well run in now! I wonder if my AMG Design Studio leather dash upgrade looks the same these days
Yeah, I've noted your set up. Cheers... Mines in now getting fitted. Looking forward to feeling the results, off to The Ring at Easter, so that should give it a good test.
