Looking for some feed-back and experiences on dual-purposing this chassis...particularly the C55. For HPDEs and regional auto-xes with 3 season light family duty.

No, a C63 is not what I want...well, that motor in a W203 would be real cool.

 

i used to autox my old 32... excellent car for that but be prepared to have some powersteering problems, i had replaced 2 rack and pinions in less than a year due to autox. (then again i had just began autox back then)

 

I don't have too much to contribute, but there is a vid on YouTube of a C55 autocrossing. I would post a link but I'm at work. Saw it about a month ago and was impressed given it looks nearly stock. I had a 95 miata for 6 years before my C55 and would autoX whenever I had the chance- fun car

 

My personal experience was that while the C55 is a great overall performance car, it definitely does not do "awesome" in stock form at auto-x. It is definitely not one of the lightweight or dedicated auto-x cars that people set up for this. My turns through the cones yielded ok results; lots of push due to the weight being thrown around and the engine has a tendency of "winding up" to show it's brute force, which then makes you slam on the brakes because now you're going wayyyy too fast.

Or at least this amateur autocrosser doesn't take it "smooth" even though that's the key....

 

I have road raced a 190E 2.6, 190E2.3-16, C36, and C43. The C43 was the most fun with lots of torque and consistent braking. The 16 valve was the second most fun since it was so tossable.

 

Yes, I have taken the C55 to many track days over the past 7 years I've had the car. For the first 3 years, it was my all purpose car, daily driver, family car, and track car 3-5 times a year. Since 2008, it has seen less track duty, but I still take it out at least once per year to give her some proper "excercise". You can click on the link in my signature to see some videos over the years.

My experience is with road courses/circuits. I have never taken the C55 on autocross or the drag strip.

The C55 is a decent track car, even in stock form, as long as you respect its weaknesses and drive accordingly. It is surprisingly good on fast sweeping corners, as I find the C55 can carry a very high amount of speeed through such corners. It's weakness is in the slow tighter corners. The natural tendency is for the car to understeer at the limit. The stock suspension geometry does not have enough negative camber in the front, so outer edges of the front tires get worn out pretty quickly if you push the car aggressively through the corners.

The stock brake system is also adequate for most applications. However, if you push hard on the tighter circuits, there can be some fade on hot summer days. However, using better brake pads and brake fluid is all the fix you need.......no need for a big brake kit, in my experience. I've learned that to be fast in the C55, drive SMOOTHLY by knowing the racing line, braking points, turn in points, and acceleration points out of corners. It's not a car that responds that well by simply "throwing" into corners and hoping for the best.

Despite the weaknesses, it is a match for the E46 M3 (stock vs stock), such that laptimes are very close given equal drivers. On the average track day with average drivers, the C55 can often pass many other "sports" cars.

 

I used to track my C55 for the last 3 seasons but after broken motor and tranny mounts and the fact that I run in STU, the car is just not competitive without making serious compromises in it streetability.

You can look me up under 'kent426" on youtube, I have some vids posted there. I first thing is rubber the car is under-tired and needs camber bushings up front so it doesn't plow. I run Conti DW's in the wet and Direzza Star Specs in the dry.

I was planning on going back to a 190e 16v as those used to be really competitive but I picked up a Porsche 944 Turbo.

 

A far better/cheaper choice would be to just buy a stock Miata, MR2, CRX, or whatever low weight (less than 2,500 lbs) and get a feel for the car and slowly add your mods. It's funny to see $50,000+ cars being passed by a 115 horsepower Miata on the track (but then again physics doesn't lie)

Edit: if you want to stay with the three pointed star then you can pickup a high mileage (well maintained) W203 C230K in 6 speed manual.

 

This is my setting:

2012 season: I was running:

Front Camber 2.8 (camber bolt + washer mod)
Rear Camber 1.5-1.6 (stock)
Caster 10.6 (right and left)

Rear eibach 22mm sway bar (transform the car for autox)
More power on the ground
More over steer (easy to drift the car) but very more predicable

Brake ebc yellow + superblue brake fluid + braided hose

Tire: 255/255 18’’ Dunlop sp sport maxx tt
They are good tire, but not very good for track
You need extreme performance tire.

2013 season: I will run:

Quaife LSD (I have installed)

C63 rear spring 10% stiffer then stock c55 and lower about 10mm
(I had for free) (front c63 spring (don’t fit) are 30% softer than stock c55 front spring)

Probably I will put my 24mm eibach front sway bar to replace the 23mm stock

Tire: I will run 255/40r17 all around Hankook RS-3
If I have a problem, I will put 245 front but I thinks my 255 will be ok.
I run 8.5x17 et30 with washer mod the tire are very close to the front strut (you can pass a sheet paper between the tires and strut J

I would like running 255/35r18 285/30r18 but I think they are for 2014 season.
I have a SL wheel set but the rear offset 33 for rear are not good, I thinks you need offset about 45mm.
I do a preliminary test without rear sway and spring , and I had jack suspension with 255 tire and 34 mm offset and you can go out about ¼’’ but you can go in sure about ¾’’or 1’’

I will check exactly what I will need.

Sorry for my English

 

THe SL rims are a good setup, you can either run a 235/40/18 or a 255/35/18 up front but it really won't buy you much. You may want to reduce your camber, look at tire temps after a few laps, mine rarely roled over the tread block with 35 PSI cold.

 

I've done several driving events at road courses in Birmingham at Barber Motorsport Park and at Road Atlanta with my C55. I am impressed at its handling and power when compared to much more expensive cars. With the current prices of these cars, I think it's one of the best deals out there if you're into stock-level driving events on a road course. I'm running Nitto NT-01 tires at approximately 40 psi cold, EBC yellow pads with high temp fluid, and a high octane (100) retune courtesy of Eurocharged. The car has been rock solid in both mid-August Atlanta heat and in cold 20 degree track temps-no mechanical issues to speak of thus far. I've received many surprised looks from various 911 and Corvette owners as they get overtaken on the track--repeatedly. In addition to having a blast on track days, its great for taking the kids to school and for going on road trips. Bottom line: I wouldn't expect it to be a very good autocross performer but for high speed road courses along with everyday driving it's been great for me.

 

I have an 2001 s500 amg 79000 miles. I parked it for two weeks before I parked it I heard clicking noise from sun roof. Tried to start it after two weeks battery was dead. Got an jump took it to the shop everything was going crazy no blinkers, brake light stay on, fuel gauge stop working, now it won't even start.Shop don't know what's wrong with it.can anyone help me?