C43 (w205) geometry / chassis upgrades?
Discussion
Hi There,
Considering a used C43 as a daily.
There is no perfect compromise between comfort / practically / fun to drive, there is always some compromise, but sometimes these compromises can be improved a little.
Years ago I had a Civic Type R which was good as standard, but after a £200 Fast Road Geometry upgrade (shims and camber bolts) and lowering springs, the car was absolutely transformed to something exceptional and could be put back to standard easily. Since then, I'm always looking at cars which are good, but might have potential to unlock lurking beneath without going too mad.
C43 seems to have a great engine, lots of grip from the AWD system but the reviews I have read say lacks feedback from steering and is not very playful, make them a bit dull. I tested one years ago but didn't get to drive it in a way any of those characteristics could really be discovered (around the block in traffic from Mercedes dealer). I went for a 340i in the end, hoping the RWD dynamics would be better.
The 340i was also compromised when pushing on. in sport mode it crashed over every single bump, yet still felt like the springs were too high and two soft, giving a lot of body roll and weight transfer. The geometry seemed to be set up for understeer (safety) and the e-diff was horrendous leading to snap oversteer and a loss of traction, one wheel spinning up etc. It could be fixed and make a fine road car, with coil overs, q/LSD and a good geometry. But that's a lot of money to splurge, whilst simultaneously destroying your residual sales values. I sold it instead.
The C43 sounds like a good all around for the road, but I wonder if you could improve the handling complaints with geometry tweaks?
I understand the stage one map takes it up to 420-ish without excess risk of reliability concerns. But for me, the chassis is more important.
Are there any recommended tuners that offer geometry upgrades? Has anyone done this kind of thing to their car can share their experience?
Cheers,
HBT
Considering a used C43 as a daily.
There is no perfect compromise between comfort / practically / fun to drive, there is always some compromise, but sometimes these compromises can be improved a little.
Years ago I had a Civic Type R which was good as standard, but after a £200 Fast Road Geometry upgrade (shims and camber bolts) and lowering springs, the car was absolutely transformed to something exceptional and could be put back to standard easily. Since then, I'm always looking at cars which are good, but might have potential to unlock lurking beneath without going too mad.
C43 seems to have a great engine, lots of grip from the AWD system but the reviews I have read say lacks feedback from steering and is not very playful, make them a bit dull. I tested one years ago but didn't get to drive it in a way any of those characteristics could really be discovered (around the block in traffic from Mercedes dealer). I went for a 340i in the end, hoping the RWD dynamics would be better.
The 340i was also compromised when pushing on. in sport mode it crashed over every single bump, yet still felt like the springs were too high and two soft, giving a lot of body roll and weight transfer. The geometry seemed to be set up for understeer (safety) and the e-diff was horrendous leading to snap oversteer and a loss of traction, one wheel spinning up etc. It could be fixed and make a fine road car, with coil overs, q/LSD and a good geometry. But that's a lot of money to splurge, whilst simultaneously destroying your residual sales values. I sold it instead.
The C43 sounds like a good all around for the road, but I wonder if you could improve the handling complaints with geometry tweaks?
I understand the stage one map takes it up to 420-ish without excess risk of reliability concerns. But for me, the chassis is more important.
Are there any recommended tuners that offer geometry upgrades? Has anyone done this kind of thing to their car can share their experience?
Cheers,
HBT
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