GRILL BOY

Well, i just got back from caliber motors here in anaheim, ca and test drove the c55. Is it faster? Yes, it is faster but not much it feels much faster because of the torque. The traction control was improved as so did the shifting, it now holds it in gear til you decide to change when in manual mode. Handling felt a little better as well. Cabin is quieter cause you don't here the supercharger but you do here the awsome exhaust. This was equiped with navi the screen is bigger but the harmon stereo not as loud as the bose. So if i didn't have a curent c32amg then i would consider buying a c55 but for so little differnce i don't think it is worh it. Besides, on the c32 i can change the pulley and make it even faster.

George

MadC32

exactly. the c55 has 510nm of torque from low revs, while the c32 rips with almost 450 nm from low to high revs..

MBE55AMG

Nice review on the C55 and glad you had the chance to drive. I want to hear the exhasut as well.

Jon200

I am jealous

FrankW

exactly my thoughts.

e-fivehundred

it was fun wasn't it? But is it that worth if you think compared to an E500??? the build just didn't impress me that much, but it is a DRIVER'S CAR!!! I enjoyed it for the bit that I got to drive. I hit 100mph in no time. =)

hantzis

Did you happen to look at the profile tire? From pictures, it appears they dropped to 35 profile on the 18" rims. Did you notice the ride quality isn't as smooth as the c32?

When I went from 17" rims w/40 profile to 18" w/35 profile, I noticed an increase in cornering ability but a decrease in ride quality... Your thoughts?

Thanks

hantzis

Oh, and quick q about the pulley. I've seen under-drive pulleys, but is there a company that makes a smaller supercharger pulley to increase boost? If yes, how much boost? @ 14.5psi stock, I'm a bit hesitant to change the pulley, but please convince me otherwise Curious for your thoughts

s4iscool

Whats the big deal about the speedshift holding the gear longer? I dont see whats so good about holding the gears past redline anyways...some numnut is gonna blow their car forgetting to upshift.

cschow

I also don't see the attraction of an automatic transmission which doesn't shift at red line. The only advantage of having that mode is if you're intentionally hitting red line, expect to hold it there a bit and then expect that you'll need to slow immediately thereafter and want to retain the same gear throughout. For the rare instances you hit that situation the C32 transmission has a disadvantage compared to the C55's.

However, nearly all of the time I'm hitting red line I'm still accelerating and I want the next gear. Moreoever, I want that upshift to happen as close to the red line as possible and I think the C32 transmission probably does a pretty decent job of doing that.

I would, however, like it a lot better if the C32 tranmission permitted you to put it into a specific gear instead of designating ranges of gears, like BMW's steptronic series of automatics. I.e., I'd like "3" to mean 3rd gear, not "any one of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd." (If the transmission has to force 1st gear, for example, due to stopping, the mode should automatically switch from "3.") to "1".

cschow

Dean:

I'm not sure if anyone makes just a supercharger pulley, but a few different companies make pulley kits which drive the supercharger pulley faster to stock. Seems like the boost level gets increased about 3 psi above stock. I don't know how strong the C32 engine is, but apparently the +3psi isn't an issue.

However, if you search through the Evosport R&D posts you'll see that one thing to watch on the C32 is the capability of the intercooling system, which is apparently quite limited. A few have cut off the I/C fluid circuit from the main radiator circuit and rerouted the I/C fluid circuit to a new supplemental reservoir in conjunction with increasing boost. On the E55 boards they've discovered that the I/C radiators on various AMGs vary. It looks like the C32 has a tiny one compared to the various V8K based engines, which also vary in size from model to model. Someone on the E55 size has upgraded the I/C radiator with some good results too.

e-fivehundred

Well...the car actually just cuts the gas and it waivers in and out of redline. It doesn't let you really go past it, but in this case, you have to shift 'manually.'

Nickerz

It's that small point, right before redline that I like!

Thai

Question to you all: does your AMG auto tranny shift EARLIER if it detects some slippage in the rear (aka ESP coming on)?? My BMW SMG Auto mode shifts earlier than redline if i am on a slippery surface, even in it's most aggressive setting (A5). I assume that this is a safety feature.

Just wondering.

BlackC230Coupe

The C55 tire size are 225/40/18 front and 245/35/18 rear.

hantzis

cschow and BlackC230Coupe,

Thanks for the replies.

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I just recently made the decision to buy an 04 C32 instead of a C55 -
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like the new C55, but the C32 is a better fit for me.
My reasons and personal preferences:

1. Lower price - bought it well below invoice
2. Don't like the look of the tire sidewall on the C55 (too short) - easier to damage the rims than the taller C32 tire profile
3. Interior Console - (some options I like on the new C55, but I like the overall look of the C32 interior better)
4. C32 is lightweight (some prefer the opposite)
5. C32 mods can give you greater power gains for less $$, thanks to the supercharger.

C55 benefits:
1. More torque
2. Nicer seats
3. More agressive Styling over C32
4. Upgraded options and performance

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Nickerz

And just think...the C55 isn't even broken in yet.

Nick

AMG FANATIC

No. ESP limits the power until there is sufficient grip, but it goes all the way to the redline before shifting(in my car anyway).