New grill was worth 3 or 4 MPH easy!



Note the variety of cars!

 

What a sight! Nothing like a MB taking on the world. What was the outcome of your fluid leak?

 

I had two track days with the Audi Club. Despite the name, less than half of the cars represented were Audis. We had a ton of 911 type Porsches, Mitsu Evos, WRXs, VWs and a few notables. A Ford GT, a Ferrari 355 and a Porsche Carrera GT. The Ford and Ferrari were in my run group, so I have a few pictures where it looks like I'm going toe-to-toe with them!

Re my fluid leak - Apparently there's some electrical plug in the tranny that was leaking. Not a big fix at all.

About the track day and car:

1. Technique.

I made a major leap in technique this session. The C32 (and C55 - don't want anyone feeling left out) is all about the power. And that's the good and the bad of it. The most important lesson I learned (from my phenomenal instructor) was the effect of front-to-rear weight transfer on the ability or tendency of an end of the car to stick. He taught me the importance of turning in while the front was still weight loaded (just as braking ends) and BEFORE getting into the throttle. I had always been told that a strong engine and an understeering car should be driven deep into the turn, slowed down, turned and powered out. Well, as soon as you get on the power, the front gets light and you're going to understeer. So, the last move as you are lifting off the brake is your turn-in. It made a HUGE difference in my entry speed. Then the challenge is to figure out how to get the power back on and control the understeer.

2. Car.

a. Engine - Incredible. So much power and torque and with so little fuss. I was running up the tails of guys who had spent a TON thinking that they were making big HP, and on paper they should have been running away from me. Nothing like a strong motor right out of the box. My instructor (drives a spec miata) was giddy about the power we were making.

b. Brakes - Better than I thought. Early on, I was babying them - braking earlier and lighter than necessary. Instructor got me to mash the hell out of them and get the ABS involved. I even ran two consecutive sessions (40 minutes total) without a problem. No cracked rotors. Calipers are getting the patented "gold tint" associated with high heat. I cannot say enough about EBC Red Stuff Ceramic pads. Not a ton of bite, but no fade. Amazing for a pad that is not marketed as a full-track pad.

c. Suspension - Since my last day at VIR (2006) I had H&R Sport Springs installed, and I de-staggered the wheels. So, with two variables changed, I cannot attribute changed performance to one or the other. But, whatever I did, it vastly reduced understeer. Much, much better turn-in (and that's on street tires - ContiSport Contact 2s). The technique mentioned above may have helped. My instructor taught me to work with what the car gives you, and design your driving so you do not expose the weaknesses.

d. Tires - I now have 245s front and back, and the tires are fairly ordinary summer tires (not Goodyear GSDs or Yoko Advan Neovas). I was VERY happy with their performance. Not the best ultimate grip, but predictable. Cold pressures were 28 front and 29 rear; ending up at 40+ front and 36 rear when hot. Downside is that they seem to have survived the event with some tread depth left. I REALLY want to get the Neovas!

e. Stories - I'm not much of a top-speed junkie, but I did top 130MPH at the end of the long back straight. I was able to creep up on the B6 (V8) S4s and modified B5 S4s. There was a guy in a modified (exhaust and chip) Chrysler 300 SRT8, and I was able to catch him once we got over 100MPH (aerodynamics, I guess). I only felt the ESP once, when I late-braked a tight turn. Probably saved me, but I'll never know.

The Audi Club is great. The event was well run and very safety oriented. No real ego problems, and lots of good banter between runs. I remain a member of the Club just for these events.

There were 2-1/2 other Mercedes. One was an SL55 AMG, the other a CLK55. The 1/2 was an older 190 that was gutted and fitted with a Ford small block motor making over 400HP! It's for sale if anyone wants it.

 

Great!! I also had a nice track day with a local BMW club last week. Like my first time last year, it was a total blast. My stock car performed very well too and really shocked some M3 owners. Maybe I'll post some pics later in another thread. I have some thoughts and questions about tracking too.......will post later.

The new pic in my signature is from my latest track session.

It's good to have fellow AMG owners taking their cars to the track to fully enjoy the capabilities of their cars.

 

I am going to miss passing all those cars on the track in a C32! With an upgraded powertrain in our cars, it really can keep up with the fast high horsepower cars. It is also a shock that horsepower numbers really don't mean a lot when you are racing another car above 6,000rpm when both car's numbers fall off. It is all about exit speed and if you can get a few extra mph out of the corner, this will equate to many more at the end of the straight. I always liked approaching a corner and closing in on a Z06 (or other high HP cars), coming right up to their bumper at the apex and passing them on exit, for them to never be able to catch me on the straights! And all those guys get really pissed that a Mercedes was faster than them. Worth owning the car just for those experiences! Keep up with the track days. We need more MB's out there.

How was your tire wear? If you upgrade to R compounds, you will realize a gain of at least 2 seconds if not 4 second faster lap times.

 

Not enough tire wear! I want to get rid of these tires.

I am not ready for R compounds. I do not get to the track often enough to make it worthwhile. There were times that I wished I had R compounds, but I just cannot justify another 4 wheels stacked up in the garage.

 

Great photos. Hey Fifth do me a favor and Photoshop the license plate on the Audi. Is VIR counter clock? I would’ve love to see that SRT run. I saw one take an off ramp next to me and was impressed how graceful it was. Was your instructor named Michael L.? I cannot really make out the face from your photos, but it kind of looks like him. Last year he was talking about getting Miata. Anyway, if it’s Mike, he is one of the best instructors the club has, although to be fair, I must say that most of them are great. Looking at these photos I am reminded to stop playing with myself and finish putting my car together.

 

VIR is clockwise (beats on right front tire), but with some good lefties.

The SRT was pretty good. The driver wasn't proficient so I can't judge how it turns; but the power was impressive. I was able to keep up on the straights and close as speeds got over 100 MPH. It's a spooky car to have in your rear view mirror!