Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG by Automotive Connoisseur Group

The Automotive Connoisseur Group is an automotive shop specializing in high-end European cars, exotics and a select group of Japanese cars. They are an one-stop-shop from servicing cars to modifying anything with aftermarket accessories. One of the their latest projects is parked inside our GTspirit Garage. The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is tuned with a “money no object” approach and the US tuner from San Diego will be concentrating on the car’s interior, exterior and the exhaust tune.

Update 9: Project debuts at SEMA Motor Show 2011

Date: 13/11/11

The C63 AMG has made its debut at the SEMA Motor Show 2011 at Las Vegas Convention Center. After many sleepless nights at ACG San Diego the tuned Merc had been finalized to appear at the Mustang Dynomometer booth for the show. What you see on the images is not the final look of the car but it is fairly close to what the final product would look like. Next on the menu is the sound system and some more custom exterior modifications. Stay tuned for more!

The following parts have been fitted to the car:

Power:
Weistec M156 Stage 1 Supercharger System
Weistec 2.3L Twin-Screw Compressor Module
Weistec 1000hp Liquid to Air Intercooler Core
Weistec Cast Aluminum T6 Hardened Lower Manifold
Weistec Cast Aluminum T6 Hardened Throttle Body Inlet Y
Weistec 45mm Boost Bypass Assembly
Weistec Constant Mu, Delta Pressure (CMDP) Cog Drive System
Weistec Billet Aluminum Cog Drive Cradle Assembly
Weistec Poly Chain GT Carbon Fiber Cog Belt
Weistec Supercharger Serpentine Drive Belt
Weistec Johnson CM30 3Intercooler Water Pump
Weistec Big Cap Intercooler Water Reservoir with drain
Weistec Dual Pass Heat Exchanger
Weistec High Flow Fuel Rail System
Weistec Molded Silicone Couplers
Weistec Power-Steering Reservoir Relocation Assembly
Weistec M156 SC Stage 2 Package
Weistec Fuel System Upgrade
Weistec Cog Pulley Upgrade
Weistec Stage 2 Spark Plugs
Weistec ECU Calibration
Weistec M156 CNC Race Ported Heads
Weistec Custom ground factory 40mm intake valves
Weistec Custom ground factory 33mm exhaust valves
Akrapovic Slip-On Titanium Exhaust System
C63 Tri-Y Long Tube Headers, Stainless Steel
C63 3.0 inch Connecting Mid Pipes
C63 3.0 inch X-Pipe for Mid pipe for LT Tri-Y Headers
ACG W204 C63 Rear Resonator Delete (Install Pipe for Akrapovic Slip On)
Quaife limited Slip Differential
Mercedes Benz W204 Rear Differential Cover and Finned Cooler
Mercedes Benz M156 European AMG Airbox
Carbonio Performance Carbon Fiber Airbox & Engine Cover Kit

Wheels / Suspension:
HRE 797RS Wheel Order for: Mercedes C63 AMG w204
20×8.5F and 20x12R (Brushed Tinted Clear Center / Chrome Lip)
Continental ContiExtreme DW 245/30/20F and 325/35/20R
KW V3 Coilover Suspension
KW HLS Custom Front Lift Kit
- Swift Spring Upgrade
- Custom Top Plate Mount
BREMBO GT-R, Six-piston 405×34 2-Piece Drilled Front
BREMBO GT-R, Four-piston 345×34 2-Piece Drilled Rear
RENNtech C63 Front Carbon Fiber Strut Brace
RENNtech C63 Rear Carbon Fiber Strut Brace
REGuard Black Locking Lug Bolts

Exterior:
ACG Custom Full Metal Widebody
VIS OEM-Style Carbon Fiber Hood
VIS OEM-Style Carbon Fiber Trunk
W204 C63 Vorsteiner VBR Deck Lid Add-On Rear Spoiler Carbon Fiber
W204/W212 Mirror Covers
Mercedes Benz Logos in Brushed Tinted Color
2012 W204 LED Tail Lights
ACG Custom Pinstriping

Interior:
ACG Interior Custom Wrap on Mercedes C63
- Red Leather Seat Inserts
- Black Suede Head Liner with Red Stitching
- Black Suede A, B, C pillar
- Custom Red “AMG” Embroidery on Front Headrest
- Custom Red “AMG” Embroidery on Rear Headrest
- Red Stitching on Shift Boot
- Rear Red Strap on Center Arm rest
MA Carbon W204 Steering Wheel
MA Carbon w204 C63 Paddle Shifters
MA Carbon W204 Center Console Trim
MA Carbon W204 Ashtray Cover
MA Carbon W204 AC Control Surround
MA Carbon W204 Front Door Switches
MA Carbon W204 Front Door Trim
MA Carbon W204 Rear Door Trim
MA Carbon W204 Front Air Vens
MA Carbon W204 Rear Air Vent
RevoZport Carbon Seat Back Cover
AMG Door Pins
Escort Passport 9500CI

Update 8: Custom widebody and interior upgrades

Date: 19/10/11

The interior has been taken out of the car and it is currently at the upholstery shop. The car has spent a lot of time in the metal shop. ACG is sure you have seen custom widebody done before on other cars; however, this one is done right. There is no fiberglass or excessive bondo work. As you can see, everything is made out of metal all the way. They are hoping to get the car painted on time for the upcoming SEMA show so stay tuned.

Update 7: Owner test drive after tuning and tweaking

Date: 18/08/11

After all the tuning and tweaking and trying multiple different maps the car runs how it supposed to run. The boys from ACG and Weistec has both run it on their dynomometer machines and reached an impressive 630whp on California 91 octane. The air intake box had to be upgraded to a larger one made by Carbonio. The part of the struggle was that the stock US spec and European spec airboxes have created a significant bottleneck in power delivery.

The owner did get to drive the car after the tuning was finished. Keep in mind that the owner has a lot of expirence with fast cars and he currently owns a 600hp+ Porsche 996TT. Here are some of his impressions: The car might be undriveable. More on this later.

There is instantaneous torque. At 30 just the slightest jump on the throttle sends the car into a fishtail. People in other lanes nearby start to cry from the sound. The radio is now useless. The tires will be gone in a handful of weeks. Acceleration on fresh asphalt is unobtainable in normal terms. Simply put, the rear end is a hockey puck on ice. This is all with stock 18s. 315s may not be enough to make it civil. It is so much more explosive than my 996TT with larger turbos that it is not comparable. Part of this is because the P-Car has all wheel drive. I am beginning to appreciate this much more now.

Full throttle acceleration from highway speeds is instantaneous and brutal. It takes maybe 25% throttle to equal OE full throttle performance. Then the car downshifts and you start to notice colors of surrounding objects change as you near the speed of light. The sound is like being in a subway tunnel even though the windows are up. What appeared to be a mile of empty roadway disappears and you are left with trying to decelerate in the 1/4 mile you left yourself. A drag shoot would be nice. My comment on returning to ACG was simply. Order better brakes.

Of course in the normal sense it is not. But the ability to make quick lane changes in traffic involving acceleration are now immensely more complicated. Before when going from a stop in the slow lane to 30 in the left lane in city driving was just a matter of blipping the throttle to half and then backing off. This is now a decision you have to weigh carefully and consult your insurance agency. The car cannot be blipped anymore. The results are instantaneous and involve getting thrown back in the seat while dealing with the aforementioned fishtailing while changing lanes and trying to get back down to surface street speeds.

Its going to take some time to learn how to drive all over again.

The car is now heading over to the body shop where it will get CF Hood, CF Trunk, CLK Black Series Style Widebody.

Update 6: New suspension and carbon fiber parts

Date: 27/07/11

The car has finally come off the dyno and it makes 485 horsepower at the wheels. With the stock intake box and overly restricted exhaust setup the power dies down on the top rpm range. The car simply does not breathe freely with the power output it is producing. With the addition of headers, European C63 airbox, a nice set of filters and a new tune the power should shoot up considerably.

As ACG is continuing the work on the car the parts for the build keep showing up. The car will be lowered on KW V3 suspension. In their opinion KW makes the best street / entry track suspension in the industry. The coilovers are adjustable for the compression and rebound and are height adjustable. Their connecting pipes are also ready so they can install the longtube headers and simply bolt up the titanium Akrapovic mufflers directly without reusing any restrictive OEM piping.

They have also received the carbon interior pieces from MA Carbon. The carbon pieces are very pricey and yet, it is one of the only manufacturers that can supply the product with OEM-like quality. All the interior pieces are OEM and they are overplayed with carbon in Belgium.

ACG is currently fitting the coilovers, interior pieces, headers and the limited slip differential into the car.

Update 5: Supercharger installed, Akrapovic exhaust showed up

Date: 22/07/11

The supercharger has finally been install and the car is currently spending most of its time on the dyno getting tuned. While the car is getting dynotuned for stage one, the supporting modifications are starting to show up. The Tri-Y Longtube headers with resonated midpipe would provide much better flow for the exhaust gasses and the Quaife LSD will help to put all the new-found power to the ground.

The Akrapovic titanium exhaust has also showed up. Here is the problem they are facing. Akrapovic is a ultra-lightweight titanium and the Try-Y Headers are stainless steel. That means that they simply cannot weld them together. In the past one would have to cut the OEM resonator out of the stock exhaust piping and use it as a bridge between the headers and the mufflers. That would reduce the piping diameter in that section of the exhaust system and create a bottleneck.

While the car is being tuned ACG are in the process of manufacturing a connecting pipe set that will allow to connect Akrapovic mufflers to the longtube headers with a simple set of clamps. No corners are being cut on this build.

Update 4: Engine development continues

Date: 18/07/11

After a three day wait for the new head bolts to come in from Mercedes ACG are back into action. The new heads are finally secured and the stock camshafts go in. At this time the car will be tested and dynoed with stock camshafts which will later be swapped out for a set of camshafts from Mercedes SLS. There has been a lot of controversy whether the SLS cams help increase the power on the 63AMG motor or whether they hinder the performance. The only way is to test them out and see.

With the heads installed Automotive Connoisseur Group can now start installing the actual supercharger kit. The blower drops right on top of the engine block and they can now see the glimpses of the final view of the engine bay. The bumper also comes off in order to install the heat exchanger/intercooler and all the necessary plumbing.

Update 3: Weistec supercharger delivered to workshop

Date: 12/07/11

Today Weistec have delivered their supercharger to ACG San Diego. ACG says that this has to be the most complete and well put together kit out there. The quality of the components easily rivals the actual OEM Mercedes parts. The Twin Screw supercharger looks like a menacing, black centipede and yet it looks magnificent. Specifically developed to maintain lower the intake temperatures and linear horsepower delivery on the top end. They cannot wait to install this toy into the engine bay and hear the sound!

Update 2: First steps upping the power

Date: 11/07/11

The first stage of upping the power on this engine includes swapping the OEM heads to Weistec Engineering ported and polished heads. The new heads have larger exhaust and intake valves to increase the flow properties of the air coming into the intake side and the gases escaping the engine from the exhaust side. On the flow-bench the increase in flow is apparent. When replacing heads, Weistec Engineering claims 50hp gain on a otherwise stock car or a 70hp gain on a supercharged 63 AMG application. The next step is to transfer all the parts from the OEM head to the new Weistec built head.

Update 1: Start of a project

Date: 09/07/11

Before any performance build a car needs to be put on a Dynamometer (dyno) machine in order to see how much power the stock car actually has. Baseline dyno run shows them the stock power of the car at the wheels. The Mercedes C63 AMG is rated by the factory as 451hp.

The dyno printout shows 348hp at the wheels which tells them that when the power gets from the engine to the wheels it loses approximately 22 percent throughout all of the transmission components and the drivetrain. This particular dyno Automotive Connoisseur Group is using is “Dynojet”; however, with their desert-like weather the numbers turned out pretty conservative.

Once we are finished installing the performance upgrades the Automotive Connoisseur Group will see how much power they have gained by running the car on the Dynamometer again.

General project information

GTspirit Garage has welcomed this gunmetal gray Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG project by Automotive Connoisseur Group from San Diego, US.

With this project, we take a leap forward in enhancing the performance of the C63 AMG platform. Along with the performance modifications the vehicle will be outfitted with full aftermarket suspension setup, a number of interior and exterior modifications and a competition worthy sound system. The car will be built in-house at Automotive Connoisseur Group, San Diego facility by two of our Mercedes-certified mechanics.

The following parts are part of the project and will be outfitted to the Merc.

Weistec M156 Stage 1 Supercharger System:

• 2.3 liter Twin-Screw Compressor Module
• 1000hp Liquid to Air Intercooler Core
• High Flow Cast Aluminum T6 Hardened Lower Manifold
• High Flow Cast Aluminum T6 Hardened Throttle Body Inlet Y
• 45mm Boost Bypass Assembly
• Constant Mu, Delta Pressure (CMDP) Cog Drive System
• Billet Aluminum Cog Drive Cradle Assembly
• Poly Chain GT Carbon Fiber Cog Belt
• Supercharger Serpentine Drive Belt
• Johnson CM30 30 Liter/Min Intercooler Water Pump
• Big Cap Intercooler Water Reservoir with drain
• Dual Pass Heat Exchanger
• High Flow Fuel Rail System
• Molded Silicone Couplers
• Power-Steering Reservoir Relocation Assembly
• Weistec Engineering M156 Stage 1 Reflash (CARB E.O. Pending)

Weistec M156 SC Stage 2 Package:

• Fuel System Upgrade
• Cog Pulley Upgrade
• Stage 2 Spark Plugs
• Calibration

Weistec M156 CNC Race Port Head:

• 5-axis CNC machined
• 397.88 CFM Intake flow
• 257.81 CFM Exhaust flow
• Fully assembled, Read to run heads
• Custom ground factory 40mm intake valves
• Custom ground factory 33mm exhaust valves

Other parts:

• C63 Tri-Y Long Tube Headers, Stainless Steel, with V-band adapter flange
• C63 (Optional) 3 inch Connecting Mid Pipes
• C63 300 Cell High Flow Cats with Test Pipe
• Quaife limited Slip Differential Install Kit
• OEM Differential Cooling Kit
• Custom Transmission Cooler
• SLIP ON – HOMOLOGATED (TÃœV approved/Street legal) – Akrapovic Titanium exhaust system, mufflers (e24*03 1283) L&R, set of titanium quad rectangular tailpipes 118 × 83 mm, ACG W204 C63 Rear Resonator Delete (Install Pipe for Akra Slip On)
• ACG 2-Piece Rotor Upgrade (Slotted)
• Custom Caliper Repaint + AMG Logos
• KW v3 Coilovers
• MA Carbon – 9-piece Interior Kit
• MA Carbon – Steering Wheel
• MA Carbon – Instrument Cluster
• MA Carbon – Upper Center Console
• Full Satin Protection Vehicle Wrap