I spent the day on a track yesterday (Mosport close to Toronto) with the MB driving academy. What a blast. The best part was that they let me drive my own tuned cls63 for the whole afternoon. That was really the first time I could push my beast outside my comfort zone for more than a minute. I peaked at 260kph on the straight followed by heavy braking to make the 70 degree corner...my personal record. I knew my car was fast but what I didn't know is how quick it can brake.

In those events, you get to try many MB models, AMGs and non AMGs. Given the weight of the cls, I expected other cars (SL550, SLK55) to be easier to handle in the various corners of the track, but surprisingly, I found that only the SLS got a better handling and feel than mine. The C63 wasn't bad either. There was no SL63 to compare though.

I finished the day in the passenger seat of the SLS driven by one of the MB instructors at full speed on the track...suffice to say that I'm not even close to be able to drive like that!

I certainly recommend the program (mastering performance) to all of you who are AMG fans.

Thanks for the feedback. I will try to attend Atlanta and I am debating driving up there and drive my car for a few laps.
I am amazed that you think the C was not better handling than the CLS.
I assume you have taken the black series out of the equation.

The C63 on the line-up was a regular one, not a BS. I'm sure the experience would have been different with a BS. I owned a c63 before my cls63 and I expected a better performance on the track. The issue is that I couldn't get proper traction at the exit of some of the corners. Maybe if it had an LSD like my cls, the outcome would have been different.

There is something that both the C63 and the SLS made me realize though is how much I'm missing a n/a engine as opposed to a turbo. Those days might be gone...

If you attend, you should definitely try to bring your own car. This is the car you know the most and it will allow you to see the real possibilities of your baby.

sounds awesome, but I thought one of the rules was you can't drive your own car, did they make an exception? or maybe I'm just imagining I read that somewhere?
very cool none the less, the SLS sounds fun, guess they handle well because they're so expensive hehe....
any pictures to share?

They offered the participants to try their own car, as long as it is a Mercedes. Didn't sound like an exception.

Interesting comment about the N/A. I also come from a C63. I really do not miss it and my CLS is not even tuned. In S mode, the car responds quickly with little to no lag. I can't wait for the tune to improve shifting response from the transmission.
I do not go on the track so can you expand on that comment?

I tracked my CLS two times at track day events.
Went through a set of PSS tires.
Went thru a set of brake pads, smoke master cylinder.
Just replaced rear wheel bearing.
Car does handles way better then you would expect.
I wish I had ordered CC brakes.
Stopping the beast at 165mph takes it 's toll!

But my C 63 is much more suited for the track, just put K&N DDC suspension on.

I find that with an n/a, the response time on the throttle is a bit quicker and the acceleration is more linear. With the bi-turbo, there is a variation in thrust before and after the turbo kicks in, which I'm not crazy about. But once it kicked in, the super high torque feels quite good. Regarding your other comment about tuning and shifting response, I didn't find that my tune did much on that front. It did improve the throttle response though. Which tune are you considering?

Wow. You're a real fan. I agree with your comment about the C63. The car feels lighter than the cls plus if you add coil overs, it must be great. In my case the one available on the track was skidding a little. Maybe there was something wrong with the tires...or the driver