Driving a C63 fitted with Winter Tyres

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How much power do you have going to your rear wheels? My car, not being ragged, gives me 12-15k depending on tyre make. So a C63 being driven even semi enthusiastically will get far less.

Oops used the C word. :D

457bhp 441 lb/ft
Im a very gentle driver, but a gentleman called Simon M might disagree:dk:;)
on that basis , driving briskly i believe i could consume a set of rears in ...say, 4000 miles
these could have lasted to say 8000 if the weather was better but to be honest i couldnt get the winters on quick enough , also other c63 drivers have commented that a set of rears would last 5000-7000

On balance the car is a delight and i would gladly replace rears every 5000 miles for the pleasure of driving this beast, with the level of horsepower and torque its clear you will not get much more out of a set
...anyone had close to 15000 out of a set of rears on a c63?

we are talking serious Benz brutality here :eek:







and we shall continue to talk c63 .....:D
 
As I have posted elsewhere I have had winters on for about 3 weeks now. Grip in the snow and on ice has been outstanding. Pulling away on ice can be done without wheelspin if you concentrate. This is ice that is hard to stand upright on!

Initially the rear end felt very wooly on these Pirelli Wintersport tyres that are on the rear. The grip both laterally and in a straight line feels stronger in the damp and cold than the 5P's did in the middle of summer. With ESP off it feels harder to get the rear to break away. But when it does, even on snow and ice, it does so very progressively.

Without them we would have been stranded again like we were last year in our other cars on summer tyres. This year I haven't even needed to get out the Discovery I bought last year to get us around in the snow. The Cayman and C63 on winter rubber have got us everywhere we have needed to go with ease. Bring on more snow, I say :D

These are the Sottozero that are on the fronts
imag0210.jpg


These are the first set of rears that came off after 7700miles, The second set that just came off were done at 6800 miles.
imag0034_624968.jpg
 
Afternoon gentlemen

I have just had the following fitted to my C63

Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme
235/35/19 on the Front
and
265/30/19 on the Rears
supplied by MY tyres and fitted locally

I have struggled in recent days on summer tyres albeit with 6mm of tread on the fronts ( 235/35/19 Conti 3 ) and rears with 2mm of tread on the rears ( 255/30/19 conti 3 )
I have covered 6735 miles
fuel consumption was, pre bad weather 19.6mpg on average and increasing to 22.5mpg in recent days due to much slower average speed in the main

I will report back on life with winter tyres on the beast in the following days and weeks
In the meantime i would welcome any comments re general advice, alternative tyres, driving style, experiences etc with "winters ON" as i know many of you have already fitted these

Initial impression - they look nice and grippy ! :thumb:


hi there mate.. just a few questions.. are the 255 summer rears stock because to me 255 seems small does it not, for so much power i mean, in my 210 i run thmn on the front and did have 285s on the rear and i could still break traction in the wet.. i have seen a c63 somewhere with 305 on the rear and i thought stock was 275.. just a thought as you might of had problems due to the wrong tires , im just thinking out loud here lol
 
hi there mate.. just a few questions.. are the 255 summer rears stock because to me 255 seems small does it not, for so much power i mean, in my 210 i run thmn on the front and did have 285s on the rear and i could still break traction in the wet.. i have seen a c63 somewhere with 305 on the rear and i thought stock was 275.. just a thought as you might of had problems due to the wrong tires , im just thinking out loud here lol

255 is indeed the standard size for the rears. Yes, it is quite thin for the power, but that's what makes it so fun!
 
Now you've fitted some winter tyres, you had better hope we get some more snow - because they are great fun. Boot it and the tail will be out having a wail of a time, but when you want to get somewhere safely, drive normally, and you'll get there.

That's my experience with the Michelin Pilot Alpins I use in the winter.
 
Personally, I think winter tyres should be a compulsory fit over here from November to March........:eek: as they are in much of Scandinavia. With the snow the central belt of Scotland has had over the last few days, I'd lay a small bet that with decent winter tyres on....especially the artics.......traffic would have kept moving.

My 123d last year was absolutely pants and it went nowhere for about 3 weeks. This year, BMW came out with a winter tyre deal.....pay the dosh, the dealer takes the summer tyres off and stores them and puts them back on again after winter storing your winter set instead. I had them put on in mid October and haven't been stuck since.

Not that they are only snow tyres .....they are winter tyres, so anything less than 7 degrees and they perform better than regular tyres would do and of course they get you through snow too if that happens to be lying about.

Bob
 
Bob - do you use the same wheels? Or does that scheme also involve a new set?
 
Mika,

When you go back to non-winter tryes if you stick with Continental suggest you got for CS5 not 3. I bought 3's and then read up on the 5's - supposed to last longer.

K
 
Bob - do you use the same wheels? Or does that scheme also involve a new set?

Crockers. it's a complete new set of tyres and alloys. Seemed pricey at the time but compared to recent weeks when prices for winter tyres alone shot up, it's not been so bad after all.

And they are run-flats too which I'd normally have run a mile from, but to be honest they've been great.

It's the first time BMW have offered the package over here from what I gather and the fact that they store the summer wheels and tyres means no hassles finding space in the garage.

Bob
 
I have to say my 63 came with Yokohama's which are absolutely no good for this weather and even in the wet they are not particularly great, it seems strange that there isn't just one manufacturer that MB use for all their cars tyres.
 
Ditto, Yokos and they are poor on this weather, be careful....

Will do, cheers Simon,:thumb: hope you are doing ok mate.

I popped out quickly tonight only to get some petrol and takeaway and found I couldn't get any grip in them at all.
 
I am getting bored of driving it on the M25, not going above 2000rpm.

May as well have bought a 350CDI!
 
I am getting bored of driving it on the M25, not going above 2000rpm.

May as well have bought a 350CDI!

Would have left your car for dead...................................if both were doing 2000 rpm.....:D
 
Eh?

Me think not squire, torque figures are very similar.
 
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Would have left your car for dead...................................if both were doing 2000 rpm.....:D



LOL @ "being left for dead" in a legendary C63 :rolleyes:
 
Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme
235/35/19 Front
265/30/19 Rears

So, having fitted the above at the beginning of the week i have now covered just under 300 miles, as i understand it they will not be quite at their best yet.
The outside temperature has been as low as -6 and up to 4 degrees C but generally at 0 to 2 degrees in the main.
There has been no snow but the surfaces have been salt covered, wet and greasy, in any case less than bone dry and clean.
I have been driving on some well worn summer rears so anything would be likely to be an improvement.
So, ...
Stopping -there seems to be more grip available and in terms of confidence i feel good about this aspect.
Traction -this is the most significant area from tip toeing around with the ESP cutting in almost continuously , now the car ( in these conditions ) is completely drivable without the worry of wheelspin under normal acceleration - i found a country lane with some ice , snow and slush on it and was able to drive through it without drama - no ESP flashing at all
Cornering - ive not really tested it ( no need )
The real test will come when the snow returns but i have to say with this level of power i can certainly feel the difference
Re Tyre noise and ride - i m not so precise that i can detect anything different it seems fine
So overall a big :thumb:
In terms of price - under £750 for all 4 fitted , which is cheaper than my conti 3's :thumb:

 
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I fitted Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes 3 winters ago and found the grip in ice & snow amazing. The rears are now down to 3mm and they still give traction on ice & snow without the yellow light flashing. Amazing tyres, could not do without them for at least 3 months of the year. :thumb:

Russ
 

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