The not so common A45 AMG
Discussion
You hardly see any of these on the roads. Where they all go I have no idea! Anyway, this is my one and the story so far. It may not be to everyone's taste, but having come from a C5 RS6, an E61 M5 and then a C63 AMG PPP I felt the need for something a little different, a little smaller and a little more fun at normal road speeds.
I picked it up last July after a dealer friend of mine specc'd it up for his showroom. I'd just sold my red C63 and having loved the colour I thought it rude not to follow it on with another fiery Merc.
The spec list was nigh on fully ticked, all bar a panoramic roof and the sports steering wheel. I'd had the wheel on my C63 so i don't feel i missed out with the standard one this time round. It's easier to maintain this time around.
Plenty of room for ecain63 junior! (actually more room than the C63 saloon it replaced!)
First impressions were great. It felt rare, it attracted lots of positive attention, mainly people not knowing what it is and as a package it couldn't be faulted for its dexterity. You could go quietly to the shops in C mode with the Performance exhaust quietened down, or you could stick it in M or S mode and hoon around like a proper lout with pops and bangs going off like an Argie ammo dump in '82! Fuel consumption is brilliant compared to my previous cars and averages mid 30's on a run and mid 20's around the local roads.
Having had a few quick cars in the past i was keen to see how it measured up to it's bigger brothers. You can see in the pics that I had a Vbox plumbed in and that has been there since day 1. After i'd clocked the 1000 mile run in i tested the Mercs book figures and was happy to see that they were as promised:
Soft launch:
Race start:
I have always added a stage 1 to my cars, or if quick enough already an exhaust to unleash the true sound of the engine. My good friend Phil at Rebellion had me with one of their stage 1 piggyback units even before the car arrived and the day after my run in was complete I fitted the box and was ready to try out the new performance.
The difference was obvious from the first run:
According to the provider the car was now running circa 420bhp, which in every A45 owners opinion is where the car should have been from the factory. The A45 is not a light car and having that extra grunt had really taken away that feeling of carrying dead weight higher up the gears. On my first outing with the stage 1 box i came across a new Golf 7R, which promptly cut me up on a roundabout. The obvious followed and he was dispatched on the next stretch of dual carriageway. The gap wasn't huge which disappointed me, but it turned out later that the Golf was also Stage 1 and the owner was beside himself (on the R forum) that his pride and joy was left beaten by what he thought was a standard A45. We met up online and shared in a little light cross marque banter.
I kept the stage 1 box fitted for a good 6 months, taking the car to various PH meets and SS's. It was more than happy keeping up with a local PHers SLS on the back roads and put to bed many more powerful cars on the Sunday morning hoons. The great thing with the A45 is that it really does make you look like you can drive, much like an Evo does. The grip is endless and brakes when needed are phenomenal. The 4matic system that Marc have fitted is perfect at this level and the car feels very safe at 9/10ths and beyond. A proper shopping rocket!
So, 7 or 8 months in and after a wobble, nearly buying a C7 RS6 i have a hankering for stage 2!
This consists of a 4" intake and filter.
4" downpipe:
3" midpipe (catless):
And i also added a Rebellion valvetronic remote exhaust system:
This is the result:
And a slight performance hike:
The new exhaust may not be the most social of items when on loud mode: http://s251.photobucket.com/user/niacuk/media/A45%...
but I thoroughly enjoy it and having the option to press a fob and have it become quieter than stock is of help to the wife and my son
The new hardware was run for a couple more months and having been fully satisfied by what was at the time the limit of what we were able to do without changing the turbo I got an invite to attend Hypermax and so needed the piggyback tune to go and a proper ECU tune to go on, along with a delimit.
The perks of the ECU tune over the piggyback are:
More variables available to adjust.
More torque low down with the ability to remove factory torque limiters in 1st and 2nd (we were being held back in the 0-60 race by this).
Better fuel manangment throughout the range and lower turbo temps higher up the rev range allowing power to peak for longer.
Marginal improvement in BHP (maybe 10bhp)
Quicker shifts and better throttle response.
Better fuel economy.
The only downside i've found with the ECU tune is that the boost comes on a little lower in the revs and can be a little unsteady at low revs, but with a little more throttle or a lower gear it evens out. And the exhaust note is a little less crackly. But i can live with these.
The ECU was sent out to Rebellion on the Monday, leaving the car static until it returned on the Friday. So i had this done:
I fitted the ECU just as the guys were finishing the wrap and it was off home to prepare for Vmax Hypermax the following day.
Early doors on the 9th of May we made our way to Bruntingthorpe, following a lovely 918 for much of the way. When we arrived we were stunned to see what metal had turned up to run the 1 mile and 1.44 mile distances.
Oh, did this run on the way: 3.4s to 60 with the new tune, thanks to the torque limiter removal in 1st and 2nd! Still too much wheelspin though.
Lots of 160mph+ runs. Best was a 168!
Compared to the Stage 2 Piggyback car that ran last event, the Green Rocket ran 158mph over the mile vs 152mph of the stage 2 piggyback. That's not a bad jump from an ECU update!
One thing that is hampering us as A45 owners now is the gearbox and 4matic system, especially when it comes to race starts. Every hard launch at Vmax was stalled coming out of 3rd gear due to the 4matic system cutting power and shortshifting 3rd to 4th in a bid to save the diff between the fwd and 4wd linkage. These cars are primarily fwd until the point where the car detects wheel slip and then up to 50% of the power is transferred to the rear. The problem is, the shift from fwd to 4wd is too slow and the fronts are already spinning too much for the haldex type clutch to cope with the sudden uptake of grunt. The 4matic is also supersensitive to temps so any heat from the diff just sends the car into safe mode and you are left at low revs in 4th when you need to be way up in 3rd. It's a niggle that the guys at Rebellion are working to solve. It may be that we need to add additional cooling to the box, a haldex type controller or uprate clutch packs and fluids as is being tested by Willal Tuning. If we can get this right then we are looking at very low or dead 3's to 60 and possibly 8 or lower to 100. Quarter mile is currently 11.9s at 116.8mph with a soft launch and if we can get the 4matic to work on Race Start that time will be nicely chipped away in the process. We are also looking into a hybrid turbo as the current restriction on the power front is the hairdryer under the bonnet. That is actually the narrowest part of the exhaust at this point in time! lol
As a result of the race start issues I am now solely running soft launches, which I ran for most of the Vmax event. The times are as per, or slightly better than previous stage 2 piggyback Race Starts. 3.5s to 60, 8.6 to 100 and 11.9s to 1/4 mile at 116mph. Not bad for just planting your foot in S mode!
So what's next? Some options are going to be offered to me when the Rebellion guys return from half term holidays. I'm not sure what they are yet but i'm intrigued to find out and will keep you posted.
Eddie
I picked it up last July after a dealer friend of mine specc'd it up for his showroom. I'd just sold my red C63 and having loved the colour I thought it rude not to follow it on with another fiery Merc.
The spec list was nigh on fully ticked, all bar a panoramic roof and the sports steering wheel. I'd had the wheel on my C63 so i don't feel i missed out with the standard one this time round. It's easier to maintain this time around.
Plenty of room for ecain63 junior! (actually more room than the C63 saloon it replaced!)
First impressions were great. It felt rare, it attracted lots of positive attention, mainly people not knowing what it is and as a package it couldn't be faulted for its dexterity. You could go quietly to the shops in C mode with the Performance exhaust quietened down, or you could stick it in M or S mode and hoon around like a proper lout with pops and bangs going off like an Argie ammo dump in '82! Fuel consumption is brilliant compared to my previous cars and averages mid 30's on a run and mid 20's around the local roads.
Having had a few quick cars in the past i was keen to see how it measured up to it's bigger brothers. You can see in the pics that I had a Vbox plumbed in and that has been there since day 1. After i'd clocked the 1000 mile run in i tested the Mercs book figures and was happy to see that they were as promised:
Soft launch:
Race start:
I have always added a stage 1 to my cars, or if quick enough already an exhaust to unleash the true sound of the engine. My good friend Phil at Rebellion had me with one of their stage 1 piggyback units even before the car arrived and the day after my run in was complete I fitted the box and was ready to try out the new performance.
The difference was obvious from the first run:
According to the provider the car was now running circa 420bhp, which in every A45 owners opinion is where the car should have been from the factory. The A45 is not a light car and having that extra grunt had really taken away that feeling of carrying dead weight higher up the gears. On my first outing with the stage 1 box i came across a new Golf 7R, which promptly cut me up on a roundabout. The obvious followed and he was dispatched on the next stretch of dual carriageway. The gap wasn't huge which disappointed me, but it turned out later that the Golf was also Stage 1 and the owner was beside himself (on the R forum) that his pride and joy was left beaten by what he thought was a standard A45. We met up online and shared in a little light cross marque banter.
I kept the stage 1 box fitted for a good 6 months, taking the car to various PH meets and SS's. It was more than happy keeping up with a local PHers SLS on the back roads and put to bed many more powerful cars on the Sunday morning hoons. The great thing with the A45 is that it really does make you look like you can drive, much like an Evo does. The grip is endless and brakes when needed are phenomenal. The 4matic system that Marc have fitted is perfect at this level and the car feels very safe at 9/10ths and beyond. A proper shopping rocket!
So, 7 or 8 months in and after a wobble, nearly buying a C7 RS6 i have a hankering for stage 2!
This consists of a 4" intake and filter.
4" downpipe:
3" midpipe (catless):
And i also added a Rebellion valvetronic remote exhaust system:
This is the result:
And a slight performance hike:
The new exhaust may not be the most social of items when on loud mode: http://s251.photobucket.com/user/niacuk/media/A45%...
but I thoroughly enjoy it and having the option to press a fob and have it become quieter than stock is of help to the wife and my son
The new hardware was run for a couple more months and having been fully satisfied by what was at the time the limit of what we were able to do without changing the turbo I got an invite to attend Hypermax and so needed the piggyback tune to go and a proper ECU tune to go on, along with a delimit.
The perks of the ECU tune over the piggyback are:
More variables available to adjust.
More torque low down with the ability to remove factory torque limiters in 1st and 2nd (we were being held back in the 0-60 race by this).
Better fuel manangment throughout the range and lower turbo temps higher up the rev range allowing power to peak for longer.
Marginal improvement in BHP (maybe 10bhp)
Quicker shifts and better throttle response.
Better fuel economy.
The only downside i've found with the ECU tune is that the boost comes on a little lower in the revs and can be a little unsteady at low revs, but with a little more throttle or a lower gear it evens out. And the exhaust note is a little less crackly. But i can live with these.
The ECU was sent out to Rebellion on the Monday, leaving the car static until it returned on the Friday. So i had this done:
I fitted the ECU just as the guys were finishing the wrap and it was off home to prepare for Vmax Hypermax the following day.
Early doors on the 9th of May we made our way to Bruntingthorpe, following a lovely 918 for much of the way. When we arrived we were stunned to see what metal had turned up to run the 1 mile and 1.44 mile distances.
Oh, did this run on the way: 3.4s to 60 with the new tune, thanks to the torque limiter removal in 1st and 2nd! Still too much wheelspin though.
Lots of 160mph+ runs. Best was a 168!
Compared to the Stage 2 Piggyback car that ran last event, the Green Rocket ran 158mph over the mile vs 152mph of the stage 2 piggyback. That's not a bad jump from an ECU update!
One thing that is hampering us as A45 owners now is the gearbox and 4matic system, especially when it comes to race starts. Every hard launch at Vmax was stalled coming out of 3rd gear due to the 4matic system cutting power and shortshifting 3rd to 4th in a bid to save the diff between the fwd and 4wd linkage. These cars are primarily fwd until the point where the car detects wheel slip and then up to 50% of the power is transferred to the rear. The problem is, the shift from fwd to 4wd is too slow and the fronts are already spinning too much for the haldex type clutch to cope with the sudden uptake of grunt. The 4matic is also supersensitive to temps so any heat from the diff just sends the car into safe mode and you are left at low revs in 4th when you need to be way up in 3rd. It's a niggle that the guys at Rebellion are working to solve. It may be that we need to add additional cooling to the box, a haldex type controller or uprate clutch packs and fluids as is being tested by Willal Tuning. If we can get this right then we are looking at very low or dead 3's to 60 and possibly 8 or lower to 100. Quarter mile is currently 11.9s at 116.8mph with a soft launch and if we can get the 4matic to work on Race Start that time will be nicely chipped away in the process. We are also looking into a hybrid turbo as the current restriction on the power front is the hairdryer under the bonnet. That is actually the narrowest part of the exhaust at this point in time! lol
As a result of the race start issues I am now solely running soft launches, which I ran for most of the Vmax event. The times are as per, or slightly better than previous stage 2 piggyback Race Starts. 3.5s to 60, 8.6 to 100 and 11.9s to 1/4 mile at 116mph. Not bad for just planting your foot in S mode!
So what's next? Some options are going to be offered to me when the Rebellion guys return from half term holidays. I'm not sure what they are yet but i'm intrigued to find out and will keep you posted.
Eddie
I really like these and find myself looking at them, I've never looked properly into them but knew that it wouldn't be too hard to turn them into savage little cars! The benefits of turbo power I suppose 
What's it like to drive in terms of fun and handling? Is it an understeer factory or can it let go nicely?
What's it like to drive in terms of fun and handling? Is it an understeer factory or can it let go nicely?
m3jappa said:
I really like these and find myself looking at them, I've never looked properly into them but knew that it wouldn't be too hard to turn them into savage little cars! The benefits of turbo power I suppose
What's it like to drive in terms of fun and handling? Is it an understeer factory or can it let go nicely?
Fun wise it's great. Nice and compact, good driving position and everything feels quite natural. There is no turbo lag, even with the standard set up and refreshingly the car responds best to being driven with the paddles (i use paddles 100% of the time). Shifts are as near as damn it instantaneous and recent MB software updates have solved any niggles with the early cars refusing shifts under pressure. I really get on well with this car!What's it like to drive in terms of fun and handling? Is it an understeer factory or can it let go nicely?
Does it understeer? Not that i have felt so far. A couple of people (Tiff and a couple of racing drivers) have found fault in understeer but they are pushing the car beyond what the normal driver will be able to handle. I have yet to find a corner that i couldnt just plant the throttle and wizz round. It grips and then grips some more!!
ORD said:
Genuine questions, not snide remarks:-
(1) what sort of miles do you expect out of the engine and box running so much more torque at low revs?
(2) why not buy a faster car to begin with, rather than work from an already quite highly strung engine and weak AWD set up?
I'll come back to this later. Off for a picnic (1) what sort of miles do you expect out of the engine and box running so much more torque at low revs?
(2) why not buy a faster car to begin with, rather than work from an already quite highly strung engine and weak AWD set up?
Ludicrous performance to have in a hatchback. The aero kit really suits the green wrap. It's very quick off the mark but how does it compare to your previous cars once on the move? Do you get much turbo lag/breathlessness at the top end or does it still feel silly quick when up to speed/in gear acceleration?
ORD said:
Genuine questions, not snide remarks:-
(1) what sort of miles do you expect out of the engine and box running so much more torque at low revs?
(2) why not buy a faster car to begin with, rather than work from an already quite highly strung engine and weak AWD set up?
1. The engines are good for way over 500bhp. AMG have run them to way over this figure during testing and as it is a fully forged unit the engine is pretty solid. The standard turbo is good for it's current 450bhp but is now at its limit. The gearbox is fine too. It's well tested over 600nm, our concern is with the clutch packs and the haldex diff. If we can upgrade here then we should be fine for a good amount more power. A forum friend has one in development that should soon be happily around 550bhp!!(1) what sort of miles do you expect out of the engine and box running so much more torque at low revs?
(2) why not buy a faster car to begin with, rather than work from an already quite highly strung engine and weak AWD set up?
2. Why anything? That's like asking an Escort Mk1 owner why he kept it for 30+ years and added a zetec turbo at huige cost. People don't expect big things from little cars.
J4CKO said:
3.4 to sixty, 8.6 to 100, that is insane performance, cant imagine with that you come across anything short of a Mclaren, GTR or similar that is anywhere near.
For normal road use you are right, there aint much that will beat it to say 100 or so. Above that the old saying, 'no replacement for displacement' is very true. But how often do we get to play at high speeds on todays roads??Du1point8 said:
Ah... so yours was the green merc I saw at hypermax II, I wondered if they ever made a green one or if it was a wrap, sweet car and fast off the line.
Which car was yours?It performed ok that day, despite the 3rd gear issues with race start. Certainly kept the Tron Aventador honest to 100mph!!
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