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GLA45 Track Build - New Owner!

8K views 40 replies 7 participants last post by  Whiterabbitt 
#1 ·
Hey everyone. I am stoked to find this forum. Building my GLA to compete at local track events in SoCal. I have loved my first 6 months ownership so far.

Part list so far to be installed in 2 weeks:
-KW V3 Coilovers
-Forge Motorsports BBK
-Whiteline Performance Anti Sway Bars
-Forge Motorsports CAI
-TSW Sector wheels

Already installed:
-AMG Performance Exhaust
-Exotic Car Gear Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel
-TSW Paddock wheels
-Gladiator HP Tires 265/35/20
(also adding an F1 inspired livery)
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#16 ·
the sway bars added a ton of performance to the handling. The coilovers also greatly improved handling and speed in the corners. The car drives night and day. @oneskinnyleg might have had a difference experience than myself. I would highly recommend this setup. I will let you know on my exact spring rates. The suspension/sway bars are extremely stiff for daily driving, and you do feel every pebble, but I enjoy that with my vehicle. I knew going into this build, that the car would lose some comfort. If you can get your set of the KW V3's you will not be disappointed. The craftsmanship is incredible as well.
 
#9 · (Edited)
My guess is under sprung. Too soft in the corners and never felt like the power of the car was being properly transferred out of the apex.

The KWs are great for street but not meant for the track. We’re talking about a car that has many similarities to the QX30, suspension wise.

Sway bar, fit a QX. Endlinks, fit a QX. So much of this car control arm wise is an Infiniti QX30. Not that it’s bad, just we are Mercedes people and expect better.

It’s an awesome track car(engine wise). Just needs the right attention for suspension.

Love to hear others feedback.


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#10 · (Edited)
Inte
My guess is under sprung. Too soft in the corners and never felt like the power of the car was being properly transferred out of the apex.

The KWs are great for street but not meant for the track. We’re talking about a car that has many similarities to the QX30, suspension wise.

Sway bar, fit a QX. Endlinks, fit a QX. So much of this car control arm wise is an Infiniti QX30. Not that it’s bad, just we are Mercedes people and expect better.

It’s an awesome track car(engine wise). Just needs the right attention for suspension.

Love to hear others feedback.


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Interesting. Never knew it shared so many suspension parts with the QX. I'm going to install a set of coilovers. Still deciding on the spring rate though. Hard to decided since there is so little data on what the actual spring rates for these cars are and if those numbers are reliable. I'm thinking 6.8kg/mm front and rear along with Whiteline swaybars and endlinks. Are you doing the swaybar installation yourself? I hear it's quite a nightmare.
 
#11 ·
It just depends on how you’re using the car. How low you’re planning to go and the hardest part, personal preference. I went 10k front and 8k rear with Swift springs from BC. I’ve talked to nearly every company that provides coilovers for this car and I felt almost all were focused on comfort over performance.

I still think the rates I went with would be too low for a dedicated track car, but it’s going to see more street use than track at this time. I’m sitting pretty even front and rear now and definitely prefer the new coilovers over the stock suspension.

Since this a strut car, they came with camber plates for the front to help dial in the camber. I probably didn’t need the Swift springs but I’ll benefit from them when I do track the car since they are more linear.

Also be aware some coilovers manufacturers will change the mounting location for the endlinks so the stock ones won’t fit(you should get adjustable shorter endlinks to get the sway bar back into alignment) and the adjustable ones from Whiteline will be too long even at their shortest. My company is a reseller for Whiteline/SuperPro and I was fortunate to get them to send me some shorter tubes for my adjustable endlinks to make them work.







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#13 ·
Well you get damping adjustment on the BCs and I feel like the ride is better than stock. I always thought the stock suspension was harsh for a Mercedes. If I hit a pothole it’s not nice, but it wasn’t with the stock suspension either. So avoid potholes. Highway driving doesn’t seem as loud and rough as it was before.

For damping I went full stiff and then backed it off 15 clicks in the front and 10 in the rear. I could adjust it down more for a “softer” feel but I like the ride as it is.

I haven’t installed sway bars yet on my car. I’ll be going with the H&R sway bars here soon. They are larger than the Whiteline bars, but obviously more expensive. Adding stiffer sway bars are roughly the equivalent to having stiffer spring so will definitely help with body roll.


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#20 ·
Are your wheels forged, and what offset did you go with? any issues rubbing? I have fantasies that will never happen about cramming 18's over our brakes so I can run maxxis slicks @ 265/275 class width as dedicated track tires. Backup plan to run 19's or mayyyybe 20's to run Hoosier R7's. It'll all never happen.
 
#23 ·
Are they cheap or expensive?


 
#27 ·
Narrow is not the issue IMO. The prevailing advice that I strongly believe in is to concentrate on tire quality.

The issue is there is nothing that I can see that is stickier than Potenza RE71R's in 19's.

In 20's we can get a Hoosier R7 (for $500 each!!), but there are many more choices in the 265-275 class of tire. Especially 18's, if there is an available wheel.

Something definitely happens between 18 and 19 that makes tire prices jump. That's jump2. Jump1 happens between the transition from miata tires and regular sports cars :)

TW200 I think is the sweet spot for a tire that can be daily driven in a track tuned car. But there are really not many choices in that range. I would love to try a 180 but it's even harder to find a suitable 180 than it is a 200. Especially in a 235 or 245.

a series of disjointed thoughts on tires....
 
#30 · (Edited)
Couldn't find an 888 in the right size for me. they are a $450 class tire anyway.

Ever consider trying a <200 TW tire (besides 888)? are there any with a pricepoint low enough to get 1-2 track days out of like the advan but with lower cost of ownership assuming they are dedicated for the track?

Do the advans give you warning they are gonna go? I'm not convinced my RE71R's give warning at track speeds and forces. If really true, then there's no benefit over a true R-comp, I think.

Looks like advans are ~$340 which is "ok", but not sized right for our cars with OEM wheels. Size for our 19 is 245/35/19 which is 5.5% smaller. That means track-tire-only for sure, where as I can daily the RE71R because it's "only" 2.2% smaller. Price is also better at about $260 a tire.

I guess if I had 20" wheels I could run the advan 245/35/20 at $320 a pop which is "better", and only 1.8% smaller than OEM, so it's daily-able on top of trackable.

------------

Longevity is not a care of mine, more like price per mile. If the tire is $150 a pop it could melt off in 9 months and it's still cheaper than most of the options considered. at $260 a pop for RE71r's I pay (tire cost alone) $1560 "roughly" every 30 months-ish, and it covers light tracking and 12,000/yr miles of daily use, while letting me use OEM wheels.

It seems every other option costs more, either with $2500 in new wheel costs or by going to a $500/ea class of tire that won't last as long.

The gladiator is the first tire I've seen that might be equal to the RE71R at the lower pricepoint. That means it could reach end of life way earlier and be totally OK. at $160 a pop and $1560 every 30 months, I could change them at roughly 6 month intervals on the front and 1 year intervals on the back and still be equal money in.

THAT is what has my attention.
 
#36 ·
I have zero issues and did not make any suspension adjustments when I first had them on. Zero rubbing. I did rub when I had a 20x9 +20mm 265/35/20. But when I switched to the same wheel in a +40 offset, the rubbing vanished. Clears brakes and fender linings, yet is almost flush. I have since updated to the KW V3's.
 
#38 ·
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