PC Valkyrie

Well, we all get older with time, and so do our cars. I've had my C55 now for 7 full years. Time really flies. The car has remained very reliable. I continue taking it to the dealership once per year for routine maintenance, alternating between the typical Service A and B. The car has relatively low mileage and I plan to keep it for as long as I can. For the last 4 years, I haven't driven it in snow/salt.

I continue to enjoy the car, on the road by myself or with my family, and once per year at the track to give it some "exercise". It truly has been a versatile car for me.

For the last few years, I've had the 2005 CLK front grille installed. This year, I decided to go back to the stock grille and stock upright star on the hood. It's a bit suprising, but I absolutely love the stock look of the front end now. The unique front end/grille of the C55 really is beautiful to me. Perhaps it's becuase I haven't seen it for so long.....LOL. Also, I've realized that many of us modify our cars to "stand out" a bit from the average crowd. Now that almost every W204 on the road comes with a big star on the grille, my logic dictates that going back to the stock C55 grille and upright star makes sense......

The car remains very close to stock with minimal modifications. The only performance mod is a Renntech CF airbox. The rest are all cosmetic: V8 badges on the front wings, CLK63 rims which I use in the summer, and a 2005 CLK front grille with the flat badge from DFWdude (which I have recently replaced with the stock grille and upright star).

I still like this car, as much as I did when I first bought it 7 years ago. It continues to perform well for me and still brings me joy. That's why I haven't upgraded to a E90 M3 or C63. Sure, those newer cars are faster and more capable, but they aren't enough of a change, in my opinion.

Anyways, 7 years has passed by quickly. I'll probably make another thread like this if/when the C55 reaches 10 years old......

Some recent pictures:

Stock rims with new Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires


CLK63 rims with 3 year old Dunlop Sport Maxx TT tires


Just last week, I took the C55 to Mosport for a lapping track day. I developed my love for tracking 6 years ago using this car, and I still enjoy it immensely. It's still the only way for an enthusiast to truly enjoy the full capabilties of a car in a relatively safe and controlled environment. The C55 continues to perform above expectations when compared to newer, more powerful and capable cars. The engine and transmission are truly bullet proof, as I have had absolutely zero issues despite running multiple continuous 30-45 minute sessions on track days. I continue to get compliments about it's pace and V8 exhaust sound.

Here are some recent pics from Mosport:







For this recent track day, I purchased Harry's Laptimer Pro, which is an awesome app for the iPhone. Using the internal GPS sensors, it measures and calculates laptimes instantly.......I highly recommend this for the track day enthusiast who is interested in knowing in real time what your laptimes are. It can even use the iPhone video camera to record in real time.

Here are a few videos from my recent track day at Mosport (using my old and cheap Sony point & shoot camera). It isn't anywhere close to HD, but you'll get the idea. It was the first track day this season, so I'm wasn't the sharpest, and the track felt a bit greasy (although it could be my worn tires). Despite all that, I still had a blast.

My quickest lap of the day (about 0.8 seconds slower than my previous record):

Following a E92 M3. I always wanted to see how much faster the current M3 is compared to my car. This guy obviously wasn't pushing his car as much as I was in the corners, but I was suprised how relatively little he could pull away from me on the straights......North44's previous C63 sedan would blow me away far more on the straights.

Chasing a Porsche 997 C4S cabrio. It's always fun to try to keep up with a car and driver that is about the same or slightly faster than yourself. Again, this car consistently pulls away from me on the straights.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I don't post that often, but I just wanted to share with you how much I still enjoy this 7 year old car. My BMW 135i with 6 speed manual transmission is a very fun and capable car too (a better track car), but it simply doesn't have the same place in my heart as the C55.

dre5373

Great post as always, PCV...always love your vids! Makes me hanker to get out to a HPDE

I would love to see how I stand on a track against a stock E9X M3 or C63! From the two times I've had opportunity to play a little with stock 63's, I seem to be dead even with my exhaust mods, but I'm not one to push it on public roads. Hopefully I can get to Summit Point soon and see what she really can do!

91RS

I've had my car just over two years and I still love it, too. Mine's significantly more modified than yours, so I NEED to keep mine for a while!

ScottW911

Glad to see you still own and enjoy the C55, PCV.

I have always gotten a kick out of your posts and videos. Please keep them coming.

Your C55 is a beautiful car and looks as appealing as anything available today. I hope you plan on keeping her for another 7 plus years.

loudandheard

Great post, same way I feel about my c32. I'm keeping mine and will make a project of it in the future.

EVOII_Racer

very cool post thanks for sharing Sir! Please keep the great posts coming! I still love my c55 like the first day and really like my c32. The modified c55 is for the week end and the c32 the daily ride :-)

arekux

Nice to see c55 on track, I only took c32 on track can't wait to take c55 there.

W203Ramos

always a good read........tom. I'm turning 39 and my '03 C32 I've had since '02 and like you it still puts a grin on my face each and everytime I drive it.....the only problem i had was the smog pump and relay and the IC pump. aside from that it's been a solid car. Thanks for the post!!!

John

Tump43

Great post, glad to see others feel the same way I do. I too will keep my C55 for as long as I can. Test drove the C63, E63, SL63, SLK 55 and CLK 63 BS on the track at an AMG Challenge, and even a 911 (older, 2001,2, 3?) and found that as far as everyday useability goes with an extreme sporting edge if I want it, except for the CLK 63 BS, the C55 can't be beat. The other cars were not so much better than the C55 to warrant spending any more money. Happy with my mods and on going car projects -- I now want to get the speed sensitive steering feature (PMS) on my CLK 63 BS steering rack to work but don't want to spend the $$ on dealer prices --however, due to the rarity of the necessary parts, I may have to bite the bullet).

MRAMG1

GREAT job as usual PC

You just made me feel very old today, as the last time I was at Mosport was 13 years ago almost to the day, THANKS!!

X55 MGR

Good to know you still love her. I had become a bit ambivalent about mine, even putting it on Autotrader for sale, and then I went and got a dyno tune by Eurocharged (Jerry) the other day and NOW I'm so glad I did not sell the car. It feels lighter, faster and so much more enjoyable -it made a fantastic difference. Enough to be satisfied with it as is, although the thought of headers is intriguing.

I've just recently bought a E320 CDI for daily driving (it's pretty torquey @369 lb ft) and still have a 6 spd GTI, so I won't feel too bad making a project car out of the C55. Just curious, did the Renntech air box make a significant difference? It's pricey, so I assume it has to be an obviously noticeable difference for folks to put out $1900, but just want to be sure before I get any more bright ideas

Thanks . . .

PC Valkyrie

Thank you for all the good wishes and compliments.


I bought the Renntech CF air box second hand so I paid only about ~$1000 (Cdn dollars) many years ago. It is definitely on the pricey side. There have been previous threads documenting actual rwhp gains on a dyno when upgrading to the Renntech air box compared to the stock air box, so the gains are likely real. However, the actual amount gained is not fantastic. It's hard to say whether I can "feel" the difference. When I performed 0-60mph runs using a Beltronics accelerometer, I found my the time went from 4.70 seconds to 4.67 seconds (same street, but different nights). Hard to know whether that is "real" or not......a quarter mile run or in gear accelerartion may reveal some subtle benefits.

I just liked the idea of a relatively simple mod that increases air flow into the engine, without any real chance of operating the engine significantly beyond what it was designed to do. At my last track day, I drove 69 laps around a 4.0 km (2.459 mile) circuit. When tracking, you are doing one of 3 things: full throttle, heavy braking, or feathering the throttle during a turn before the apex. There is no coasting if you're pushing it. It is way more intense for the engine than any typical 1/4 mile runs at a drag strip. I'm probably overly cautious, but I would rather keep the powertrain relatively stock, especially if I plan on keeping the car long term. It's the same with my 135i......the only engine mod I have is a lightened crank pulley, even though ECU tuning could generate HUGE gains, but also a lot of extra heat (which can be bad).

X55 MGR

Thanks for the feedback. All good to know . . .

Project

stock grille looks way better then clk to me

Jim's500E

Awesome post !

I hope to be a member of the C55 family myself VERY soon !

I'm going to look at a grey one in Manassas, VA next week. 65K miles/under 20 grand...does that sound like a decent deal? I'm thinking it is (if it checks out OK that is)

loudandheard

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The only option that I think is a must have are the bixenons, you can always upgrade later but it's going to cost you. Definitely try to negotiate the price a bit if you can.

dre5373

OT, Jim, if you are talking about the C55 at Kingstowne, I think it's Desert Silver Metallic, not Granite Gray...


Back on topic, any suggestions for a newbie to track days PC? Standard street tires and brake pads hold up well with 45 minute sessions?

PC Valkyrie

1) Learn the racing line, even if it means going slowly at first. It's always good to have somebody experienced go out with you to show you the proper line.
2) Brake sufficiently before the turns....the most common newbie mistake is not slowing down enough before the turns.....in a car like the C55, you will understeer, understeer, and understeer if you go into a corner too hot. For a beginner, always think: slow in, fast out.
3) As you become more experienced, you can cut down on laptimes by braking less/later to have a higher corner entry speed, and getting on the gas sooner/harder as you exit a turn.......but this comes with more risk naturally.

How long tires/pads last is highly dependent on your driving style and how hard you are pushing. I find a smooth flowing driving style suits the C55 best. It also depends on the type of track. Slower, tight, and technical tracks are much harder on the equipment than fast flowing tracks. Slow speed tight corners expose the C55's weaknesses. Fast flowing sweepers showcase it's strengths.

If you track your car, expect the outer edge of the front tires to get worn excessively. The stock suspesion geometry has very little negative camber. Increasing the front track width with lower offset/wider rims and and wider tires do help.

harrison1277

Fantastic job on the track! Someone needs to teach that R8 how to drive his car.

Very well done, beautiful car!