It’s been a while since we last saw Wheelsandmore and the months that have passed without the German tuner thrilling us with another one of its tuning programs has felt longer than it actually has. Alas, the tuner has returned with one of its first aftermarket takes for 2016. It’s only fitting that this program is for the Mercedes-AMG GT S, a sports car->ke506 that has become, in its own right, a tuning favorite. But I’m not here to talk about this kit relative to the ones Brabus->ke368 and Mansory->ke3403 have developed in recent months. I’m here to shine the spotlight on Wheelsandmore’s “Startrack 6.3 kit” for the AMG GT S.

True to its roots, Wheelsandmore’s approach for the Startrack 6.3 program fits into the company’s tuning identity. There are no significant additions to the exterior and interior. That might be a source of disappointment for some, but if it’s Wheelsandmore, we’ve all come to expect it. The lack of any meaningful cosmetic upgrades isn’t all that surprising, but this program does have a few surprises of its own. I won’t reveal them here, but let me just say that it doesn’t involve the traditional modifications to the wheels and engine.

Care to guess what it is? Well, I’m not going to make you wait any longer. Wheelsandmore’s newest tuning program has arrived and like most of its past works, it did a handful on the car it worked on.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

Exterior

Modifications to the exterior were kept to a minimum. That’s not all that surprising since Wheelsandmore has never been the type to dress up its programs with anything other than those branded racing stripes bearing the tuner’s name. But even those stripes are absent from this program, leaving the set of 21-inch, multi-forged F.I.W.E. wheels as the only notable upgrades to the exterior. The wheels of course come from Wheelsandmore while the tires, measuring 245/30/21 in the front and 305/25/21 in the back, come from Michelin. Other than the wheels, the exterior of the AMG GT S is about as stock as stock can get.

Interior

The absence of any exterior upgrades on the AMG GT S is also reflected on the sports car’s interior. Wheelsandmore left that section of the car alone, opting instead to focus its full attention on other parts of the AMG GT S. So if this program is of interest to anybody, don’t expect to see anything different on the car’s cabin. Everything remains stock as was the case in the exterior.

Drivetrain

With so little focused placed on the sport car’s exterior and interior, it’s only fitting that Wheelsandmore put all of its attention on giving the AMG GT S the power upgrade it deserves. The tuner’s formula was pretty straightforward. All it took was the addition of 100 cells sports catalytic converters, optimized sports air filters, a new valve-controlled exhaust system that replaced the rear mufflers, and a remapped ECU unit.

Together, these new and updated components created a 20 percent increase in output from the AMG GT S’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine. Do the math and that adds up to 626 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque, a significant increase from the sports car’s standard output of 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The increased output lends itself well on the sports car’s performance credentials. Wheelsandmore didn’t mention the new 0-to-60-mph sprint time, but somewhere in the region of 3.4 seconds should be attainable. Likewise, the AMG GT S’s top speed also increased from 193 mph to a supercar-worthy 199 mph.

Wheelsandmore is also offering a slightly less powerful version of its performance kit for AMG GT S. This one only involves an ECU remap and an airlifter kit, but it's still good enough to increase the sports car's output to 590 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.

Suspension

Wheelandmore’s preference for engine tuning didn’t come at the expense of ensuring that the AMG GT S would be capable of handling the increased power coming out of that twin-turbo V-8. On the contrary, the German tuner actually took serious time working on a suspension upgrade for the Mercedes sports car. The modification was extensive and included customizing a special advanced solution with a lift-able front to accommodate the length of the AMG GT S. This system is actually the first of its kind for the AMG GT S, allowing the driver of the sports car to lift the front axle by as much as 1.18 inches in order to prevent the underside from grazing speed bumps and steep entrances.

Pricing

The pricing for this kit varies depending on the kind of wheels a customer opts to choose. In any event, expect the price to go up to as much as €23,000, or roughly around $26,360 based on current exchange rates.

Competition

Mercedes-AMG GT S by Brabus

There have been no shortage of tuners taking a crack at the Mercedes-AMG GT S lately. Two of the most famous ones actually presented kits of their own in the past few months. Let’s start the proceedings with Brabus, which unveiled its kit for the Mercedes sports car at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show back in September 2015. The program had its fair share of modifications, beginning with an aero kit that’s made up of a new lip spoiler, carbon fiber inserts on the intakes, side skirts, a small rear wing, and its own set of 20- and 21-inch Brabus wheels. Even the interior was also dressed up with a range of leather and color combinations that’ll no doubt confuse owners of the AMG GT S.

Under its hood, Brabus gave the AMG GT S’s 4.0-liter bi-turbo V-8 engine the upgrade fit for a Mercedes. That kit was made up of a new engine management system that remapped the injection and ignition and improved the boost pressure, giving the V-8 a total output of 600 ponies and 533 pound-feet of torque. It’s not as big of an increase as the one Wheelsandmore presented for the sports car, but Brabus was still able to squeeze out a 0-to-60 mph sprint time of just 3.6 seconds to go with an improved top speed of 201 mph, eight mph faster than the standard AMG GT S.

Read our full review here.

Mercedes-AMG GT S by Mansory

Just last March 2016, another German tuner took a stab at the Mercedes-AMG GT S. This time, it was Mansory and in typical Mansory fashion, its tuning program was one for the books. Of the many highlights of this program, the wide body kit is arguably the most discernible from an aesthetic standpoint. There are wheel arch extensions and extended side skirts that add close to 20 inches to the car’s overall width. A front lip spoiler, a ventilated carbon fiber hood on the front, and a massive rear end diffuser to help increase downforce are all part of Mansory’s aerodynamic kit for the AMG GT S.

Yes, the German tuner also prepared a tuning program for the Merc’s turbocharged eight-banger. First, it replaced the AMG GT S’s existing turbochargers with larger turbos. From there, it installed a high-flow air filter to complement the bigger turbos. Then it added an optimized ECU unit. All in all, Mansory was able to increase the output to an impressive 730 horsepower, an incredible 217-horsepower increase from the V-8’s standard output of 503 ponies. The tuner didn’t mention the gains in torque, but it did say that with the mods in tow, the AMG GT S would be capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds. Top speed also improved to 205 mph.

Read our full review here.

Conclusion

I’ll never get tired of seeing tuners build aftermarket programs for cars like the Mercedes-AMG GT S. Wheelsandmore’s program is another example of why a car like the AMG GT S is perfectly suited in the hands of a tuning company that knows what its doing. The German tuner has built its name on developing kits like this and it certainly didn’t disappoint with its offering for the AMG GT S. The lack of exterior and interior upgrades aren’t all that surprising since Wheelsandmore doesn’t really venture into those parts of a car. But the engine upgrade is special and fits into the kind of modification a car like the AMG GT S deserves.