E9X BMW M3 verse Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

[RosieTheRedM3]

A friend of mine has a W204 C63 AMG (2008-2013). We always do little runs to see whose car is better. Stock performance wise they seem pretty similar and even with some mods they still are pretty close. The stock Merc has almost 40 hp more and has almost 150 more torque over the stock M3. I understand that weight is a huge factor in performance but they are very similar in weight. What are all of your thoughts on the performance provided from each of these cars stock and with aftermarket mods? Would love stories or whatever anyone has to say about these two cars.

[quiksi]

[Eazy-E90]

This is a quote from another thread...

Originally Posted by Doc Oc

So 5-6 months ago I jumped over to the dark side and sold my m3 for a c63. Had a desire to get back into drag racing and didn't feel the M was well suited to that, so I switched. After spending some time getting used to the car, racing it, hitting the mountains, etc, I thought I'd post up an honest comparison of the two for anyone interested.

Chassis/Handling: Winner - M3
You can feel that the Amg is carrying more weight. Handles great but understeers more than the M, doesn't transition quite as well, and just doesn't feel as composed. Turn in feels better in the amg though. So while it's close, it's not that close. Also, with only 50k miles I have several annoying interior rattles that the M never had.

Interior: Winner - c63
More technology, better ergonomics and a more modern, appealing look. Seats are a little more firm than the M but just as comfortable.

Tranny: Manual Mode - M3, Auto mode - C63
The dct is a better tranny than the mct, period. Shifts faster, responds faster, does exactly what you want it to do exactly when you want it to, every time. Its a masterpiece and not even close except when you switch to auto mode. The c63 programming is much better and if you don't want to change your own gears then the mct offers an advantage there. In the mountains it downshifts and upshifts at the perfect time and makes concentrating on the road easier. It does in auto mode exactly what I do in the M in manual mode. Very nice but that's it's only saving grace.

Engine: Winner - c63
The s65 is a fantastic engine, but between the bearing issues and the lack of torque, this one isn't that close. The amg pulls harder in every gear at any rpm. It only revs to 7200 which isn't as exciting, but it's more modable than the s65, as well as more durable with forged internals. Launching from a stop is painless and there just doesn't seem to be an end to the torque. With $2k in mods I'm at 472 rwhp and there are several people over 500 rw with just bolt ons. This is the main reason I made the switch, simply because I couldn't afford to supercharge the M nor did I want to risk it long term.

Brakes: Dead even. While the Merc has more initial bite, the excess weight evens things out.

Overall I'm glad I changed as I wanted a drag racer with refinement and that's what I got. But I miss the M...it's a tremendous car. The mountains won't be the same....

I recently purchased a 2012 C63 P31 after selling my E90 M3 and everything that was said in the quote above is 100% accurate. Only thing that I disagree is the brakes. The C63 P31 (different brakes than a regular C63) are much better than the E90 M3.

The C63 is detuned from the factory and when tuned it will destroy an M3. Like I said, I have a C63 P31 which is basically a "tuned" C63 and is rated at 481hp(which is underrated more so 500hp+), forged internals from the SLS AMG (rods,crank, and pistons), better 2 piece brakes, CF wing, and a few other things that I'm forgetting. With that being said, it is a much more enjoyable car then my old E90 M3.

[adunn]

I second that. The comparison is spot on. But I went the opposite direction, 2012 C63 w/ p31 -> E90 M3.

Only few complaints about the about the AMG were the lack of standard limited-slip diff, 255 section rear tires & of course, no manual transmission.

Other than that, a ridiculously entertaining vehicle.

[jameslloyd285]

Originally Posted by adunn

I second that. The comparison is spot on. But I went the opposite direction, 2012 C63 w/ p31 -> E90 M3.

Only few complaints about the about the AMG were the lack of standard limited-slip diff, 255 section rear tires & of course, no manual transmission.

Other than that, a ridiculously entertaining vehicle.

I don't like the handling of c63, so I would never replace M3 to C63

[MrGatsby]

Put a frat boy and an executive on a football field.

The frat boy has brute strength. He's fast, loud, and obnoxious. Yelling profanities at every touchdown and boasting of his greatness. Girl's love his, "I don't care, winner attitude". Guys just want to take shots with him at the after party. He's a ton of fun. His tactic is simple - run fast, throw hard and destroy whats in the way.

Your executive is smart. Though seemingly tame, he calculates his plan of action. He builds momentum and executes with brutal precision. He doesn't focus on appealing to the crowd, rather on playing the best game he can. He's ruthless but you'd never know it. Each step towards the end zone is the step he meant to take, each throw lands exactly where he intends. His tactic is to execute perfectly when the frat boy inevitably makes his mistake.

See, I could outline all of the technical differences between the C63 and the M3 with horsepower, torque and weight figures. I could talk about the infotainment and build quality, but all of that has been beaten to death, and none of that is why we buy these cars. These cars have soul, and they appeal to our senses like nothing else. The visceral audio from the screaming V8's, the adrenaline rush from a WOT pull to red line, the smell of high octane fuel burning at an ungodly rate creates an experience second to none.

While these two cars will get you to 100 mph very quickly, it's a whole different journey getting there. So which journey is better? Well my choice is clear, but that's not for me to decide.