[Palmnuts]

Originally Posted by marcel b

from 07:20 onwards in the first link you can see the C63 as well.

Lol - I remember that lap and when you overtook me before one of the last bends. It was a disaster!

The fact that you see me from only 7:20 onwards means only one thing....I was ahead then I wasn't

Originally Posted by M3-FAST

Amazing how little body roll that C63 has now - very impressive

Oh I don't know what to do

Before I went to the 'ring the car was much, much too stiff (for the UK, it wasn't that bad abroad).

Then ater Uli adjusted it I thought it may have been taken just a touch too soft (which to be fair he did under my instruction)...then I came back home and thought it was more than stiff enough for the UK.

Now, after driving it for a few days over here I don't think it's too stiff after all and reckon a touch harder would be just fine (at the front only - the rear is still too stiff)

Oh the joy of adjustable coilovers... A bit this way....no, no....a bit that way. Actually......

[marcel b]

Originally Posted by Palmnuts

Lol - I remember that lap and when you overtook me before one of the last bends. It was a disaster!

The fact that you see me from only 7:20 onwards means only one thing....I was ahead then I wasn't

cannot remember where I passed you that lap... you remember?
This video is made by my dad in his Z3coupe 3.0. Bloody fast for only 230hp... less then half of yours...

[Palmnuts]

Firstly, I'd just like to thank Tony for all the continued help he has given me to help me get my car set up properly. He even spent his day at the Nurburgring today helping to get my car to work in the way I explained that I wanted it to! Tony....you ARE a top man!

Anyway, last weekend I went out to Germany to drop my car off with Uli (the AMG development driver) for him to try and get a good setting on the new KW V3 Coilovers. He couldn't do it properly in the limited time he had a few weeks ago so I've left it with him for a couple of weeks to ensure he has the time to get it 'just so'!

For the weekend, Uli decided to treat me and set the suspension on one of the softest settings. However, it was far too soft and bouncy and it's amazing what extremes this suspension can go to! Tony, who was very complimentary of my car a few weeks ago was not in the slightest impressed with the new 'comfort' set-up! I simply described it as the 'Cadillac Setting'!

Anyway, Uli's aim for this week was to get KW to re-valve the rear dampers so he could have more adjustment. However, Tony has also been 'supervising' Uli's tuning of my car and after speaking to him earlier today, it appears that all KW wanted to do was get Uli to put the suspension on their recommended settings (which are far too stiff for the UK). In the end, Uli spent the whole day just tuning it and indeed Tony has assured me that he's achieved an incredible set up on the car.

Still to do is the corner weight balancing which will ensure the car handles exactly the same whether turning left or right which should refine it further!

I guess I'll find out next week when I pick it up whether all this is worth it but given the result Uli achieved on my car from just a couple of hours work and minor tweaks a few weeks ago, I think it'll be pretty good!


***Breaking News!***

I've had the Brabus kit removed from the car due to it having no effect on the performance whatsoever...on my car at least. The pre and post dyno chart's showed an increase of 4bhp which made that a very expensive £:bhp ratio! Given mine had such a strong base-line (it appears that the Performance Pack Plus variations leave the factory with a similar tune to what aftermarket re-maps offer) it doesn't seem that I'm going to be getting anymore power from just an ECU map!

Brabus were very reasonable and simply offered a refund which was very good of them and in all honesty, their kit did exactly what it said on the tin but just wasn't worth it on my particular car....anyone with a normal C63 would likely get much more satisfaction from what it could offer.

After explaining my problems to Tony & Uli, they had a little chuckle to themselves and pretty much confirmed that no remap alone on my already strong output is going to give any noticeable difference to the cars' performance.

Where this then led was to Tony being a very bad person and talking me into yet more modifications! He assured me that a good set of manifolds and cats would be the answer for me and give a pretty much guaranteed and noticeable performance increase due to the standard system being incredibly restrictive. And it just so happens that a new header and cat design has recently been developed at a specialist that Uli knows and 'would I like to have it fitted to my car?'

Errrm....let me think about that for a moment. YES PLEASE!

So, they're starting to fabricate the components tomorrow and by the end of the week, they'll be on! Let's hope this is more successful than my previous attempt to better the HP on this car!



Here are some pics of the weekends' 'development' work

Me about to enter the carousel...




And on another lap, this is what happens when you drive into the carousel the INCORRECT way - i.e. the inside of the car on the flat inner surface of the corner, with the outside of the car pushed up against the steep banking...(note that my excuse was that my car was in Cadillac spec at this stage )...



It looks almost photoshopped in this one but I can tell you...this is for real! There was no rubbing and the suspension was still providing effective compression damping...




Uli driving the car properly and about to show one of those pesky M3's how it's done...




Uli taking the right line in the carousel...





C63 leading the way with my driving under Uli's guidance. Check out the tyre compression on the front which wasn't helped by the softer settings on trial at the time...




Leaving the carousel....

[JLR1969]

good photos mate but where are the pics of the roof re-trim