PJmak

I went out to the track a few times and found it kinda annoying and a bit boring coz all I saw was porsches and bimmers. Thats because everytone thinks the way some of you guys here do



C43 track car or no track car at all for me. I dont want a bimmer, as a matter of fact, I cant stand those cars anymore because everyone and their mother has them.


Ill come out to the track in an M3 and do some good laps, overtake some fast cars and what??? Its just an M3, noone cares, every second car at the track is an M3. What makes you think yours will stand out


I want something different and a w202 c43 is a very good platform

Quadcammer

No, actually it isn't.

Automatic tranny, fairly heavy for its size, weak brakes, etc.

You sound like you want people to care that you have something "different" at the track.

1. No one is gonna care about a C43 at the track...sorry, they wont.

2. Going to the track is not about wowing others about how different you are. Its about becoming a better driver, learning your car, and enjoying the drive.

You mentioned going to college and buying a beater, and then dumping money into a C43.

How about this:

Keep the C43 stock or nearly stock, don't buy a beater, and save all the mod money for future needs, or tires/pads as needed.

There is simply not point in throwing tens of thousands of dollars into a C43 to make it a "unique" track car.

mufflerman

Here's the deal, the C43 is a great car, and it could quite possibly be a great track car, it's just not a cost effective way to go have fun at the track. I also didn't want a bimmer for my track toy, so I dug in the asian barrel and came up with this car. It's not pretty, and it doesn't have much in the way of bragging rights being a Nissan and all, but it does 1:43's at Laguna and I am in it 12K. Parts are cheap, and theres nothing more fun than passing 6 figure cars in it.
I think everyone here is just trying to keep you from creating a money pit that is less of a canidate as a track car.

trinitony

Hey -some MD? - is that SP, and are you running with carguys, and is that a 3 or turbo you're running down?

mufflerman

Thats a Turbo, you can tell by the intake duct in the quarter, and the tail. Here is another shot at posting my picture, it didn't seem to work before.

PJmak

I dont see how a c43 could be more expensive than any other car at the track?


With aftermarket brakes, it would cost you about the same as anyone else.



Dont have a problem with the auto tranny, manual would be a plus but a lot of pro cars these days use automatic transmissions


At 3400 pounds, w202 c43 is one of the lightest MBs out there. Yea 300 more than the M3 but its got lots more torque to back it up


Also another problem with the whole thing here is that people go out there to compete and do best. I just wana have fun and be different.

Dupming thousands of dollars into my car is not wasted money because I love this car

I still dont understand why you think a c43 would not be a good track car??


Its not perfectly balanced like the m3 but than again, a lot of race cars arent. That doesn't mean it cant be tracked and do really good

mufflerman

The C43 is going to be a more expensive car to work on than a lot of other choices. There is a lot more to a track car than aftermarket brakes, there's suspension, sway bars, bushings, wheels, tires, steering components, rear end, axles, wheel bearings, etc, etc. Because there are not many C36/C43's on the planet, there isn't many choices in the parts available simply because the demand for aftermarket parts is relatively low compared to other cars used in motorsports, this drives the cost up on parts that are available because of the cost associated in producing lower numbers. The other issue your going to have is the stress on the drivetrain, the trans is going to take a beating, autos are not meant to be lapped hard all day and our cars already have a bit of a weak spot in this category. You mention that a lot of pros use autos now, I don't know of any unless your referring to the clutch cars that are hydrollically operated like Ferraris F1 system, or BMWs SMG, these don't have torque converters and technically aren't autos.

C43AMG

You're either kidding or have never driven one...I bet both.

speedybenz

Having tracked my C43 several times and having won several Champoinships motorcycle roadracing with the AFM and AMA at Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, Sears Point, Buttonwillow and Thunderhill, I found the C43 to be a great track car. The brakes are very good and with a different brake pad in the front and rear are well up to the task.

The car needs a stiffer rear swaybar to get the push out of the front end and can use stiffer springs all the way around. I run 950lb/in in the front and 800 lb/in in the rear.

I also use a pretty aggressive bump rubber combination to limit both roll and wheel travel during larger bumps.

When I tracked my C43 I was able to routinely run down and pass all sorts of BMW M3's and many other "so called faster cars". But much of the speed you can carry at the track come down to the skill of the driver and how quickley you can get into the corners, carry the corner speed and then quickley get back on the gas at the corner exit.

And because the C43 was very quick it did get lots of attention from other drivers. Many of them found it hard to beleive it was a Mercedes and they were even more upset that the car had 4-doors.

So if you want to take your C43 to the track, put on some good R-rated tires and upgrade the brake pads and go have fun and be smooth.

Jeff

ProjectC55

See Speedybenz's post!

The car only weighs 3360lbs and has a V8 with over 300hp,but like Dave asked you, have you driven a C43?

Quadcammer

Sure did.

Yawn.

mufflerman

Really? I suppose your S500 4matic is more exciting?

I have made myself clear here that I think there are better choices for a track car but the C43 is far from boring and is one of the more connected to the road MB's I have owned including a W211 E55.

NitrogenBalance

So true, nothing pulls like an S500 4matic. Comments like this are silly don't you see? Equally silly are those who get worked up to defend the car they own. As long as you like what you've got your good.

This site is getting off beat. 3 years ago I could log on and find enthusiasm as well as technical info that was otherwise unknown to most. Across the board too, its like trying to study physics with dip****s like Steve Wilkos and Jerry Springer playing in the background. Maybe a bad example...shame on me for chimen' in.

PJ, if you can afford to do the things you want to that 43 without issue go for it. I played the game for a little, dropped some dough, learned a ton, and had fun doing it, including the engine explosion. its allllll good homie.

....other than speedy and the other two tracksters with actual 202 experience, its granular salt.

-WES-

silence

I'm with you, where did all the good tech stuff and helpful discussions go?

AMGC

For the track get a 201 When I got my first 16V (stock) drove it on a windy road near me swapping with the C36 and the 16V was 100 times more exciting. Instantly fell in love with these cars.
But the 201s are lighter, have unlimited suspension upgrades, manual tranny, an lsd, no traction control, unlimited brake upgrades, multiple engine swaps you can do, and easy to find body parts if you happen to bang her up, cheap and easy enough to come by (2.6s) where it wont hurt you emotionally to strip it. Plus a 2.6, you can swap in a 3.6 M104 and mate it to a getrag tranny. Currently getting both of my cossies ready for track and show season and with one having an EFI conversion, Mosselman headers, garret TB03, countless under the hood goodies, GruppeM carbon fiber intake for some sex appeal, C36 calipers, EVOII rear sway bar, custom 90A suspension bushings(wishbones, control arms, and subframe), 300TE front bar, 300TE solid rear end links, delrin linkage bushings, brass shift bushings, Spec clutch, and all controlled with a nice leather sportline steering wheel, 2-tone Recaros, and a leather Momo knob, I think it will have no trouble keeping up with any Bimmer out there. Other SC'd cossie I'm gonna start with on the track this season till im completely comfortable. Its also got the same suspension and tranny mods minus the custom suspension bushings. If seriously interested in hitting the track in a Benz I highly suggest a 190 Even a stock cossie would be fun on the track or a 5-speed 2.6 swapped to a 3.0 with a 16V diff

Just my opinion for having a benz for auto-Xing

johnhef

You are right it is Summit.

Couldn't agree more but you've got the upper hand with having 2 16's with FI, I've driven the stock 16, and while it is totally fun on the track, it just doesn't have the power to pull away on the straights. That said, not only am I prepping the C36 for track this year, I also picked up an 86 16 valve and its getting similar mods to make it ready for this track season.

RLx02

my "heavy" c55 did 107.7 in the quarter with tune, deleted cats and a filter. With my new kleemann headers and tune I'm hoping to get up 110mph+ in the 1/4.

I highly doubt that the c43 motor can hold up to the c55 motor; there will be a limit in performance. I have done almost every bolt on n/a mod except for an airbox and crank pulley, which i'm going to do next. However, even with those mods I am only close to getting what a STOCK c63 motor does. I put 337hp down at the wheels which is 410hp at the crank...which is also over 40 less hp than a STOCK c63...and all they have to do is get a kleeman tune to pull another extra 50hp and be 500hp+ at the crank.

I would suggest either swapping the 5.4 motor or getting a c36 if you wanna keep that body style and having a good track car.

Quadcammer

Of course my s500 is not more exciting. My 911 turbo sure is though.

MB cannot produce sports cars. They just can't. All their stuff is too heavy, too big, lacks steering feel, has suspensions that are either too soft, or rock hard, have auto tragic gearboxes that downshift by smoke signal, etc etc.

If I want a sports car, i go to porsche. if I want a luxury car, I get an MB. if I want a sports sedan, I get a BMW.

Its as simple as using the correct tool for the job.

The C43 was a boring car for me to drive. Rides hard, yet doesn't handle that great, steering by educated guess, not terribly quick, etc etc. It has all the bad traits of a sports cars, with few of the good ones, and few of the good traits of a luxury car. In other words, completely useless for me.

PJmak

Was waiting for speedybenz to join this


Thanks for good comments everyone but some of you just keep proving that you know nothing about these cars


First of, thanks for input but C36 is out of the question. Its heavier, front end is heavier because the engine is heavier. Im not 100% sure on this but I think the c43 chassis is stronger. I remember hearing about AMG reinforcing it.


C36s torque just isnt as liniar and the motor just isnt as reliable. Dont get me wrong, c36 would be almost as good but I wouldn't pick it over the c43


Oliver, I think you just had a bad experience with benz because you drive an S classs,which is the heaviest of all and probably has airmatic which............well just sucks for track use and I just dont see how a C43 can be boring to you when yoi drive the S class


Ok yea porsche is in a different league but thats another story.


Im gona go ahead and say that W202...probably after W201 is one of the best mbs for track use. Not including the high end cars of course like clk dtm and the black series

Quadcammer

Not really. I've driven every late model benz except for the maybach and sl65BS.

I owned a 210 E430, and my parents have a CLK550 and SL55.

They are all nicely capable vehicles, but I don't have any interest in performance vehicles from Mercedes Benz. There are simply much better options for a sports car.

I would never track my S500. That would just be stupid.

silence

want to race a 4.3 in a straight line or at the track? You are bragging about SLOW times and not a lot of power. I bet the headers will cost you as much installed as my sc/intercooler setup.

track performance has little to do with the 1/4 mile anyways...

regardless, the 5.4 fits in the c43 right easily... could buy a higher mileage c43 and a "55" motor for a reasonable price. The 55k swap is even possible.

in the end the c43 is a better platform for a track car once you tuned both cars as you would want to- of course either one could easily cost the $ of the car plus 15 or 20k vs. half of that investment into a lot of other "better" options out there to get started with...

mufflerman

I agree with you 100% that your turbo would make the C43 a "yawn" experience, it better, it is nearly four times the value. From that respect a Carrera GT would make your Turbo a boring experience, it's worth about four times the value of your 911, my point is your not comparing apples to apples.

As far as correct tool for the job, I couldn't agree with you more. I can use your Porsche comparison here, the C43 is a fast comfortable street car that could do a decent job at a track day, but there are many other choices that can do it better. Your Turbo is a fast comfortable street car, but a GT3 is a much better choice for a track car, it's all relative. For that matter one could say a 911 turbo is a yawn experience compared to a GT3.

Quadcammer

you may not be terribly familiar with 993 porsches.

Comfortable is not the word. They are as raw as a 996/7 GT3.

PJmak

Well yea to us beginers stock MBs are not that great but mine is already lowered on some sport suspension and honestly, all I need is better tires and some good racing pads to be able to track this car and do decent

Of course i wana do more to it because there is a lot more that can be extracted from it

mufflerman

I am very familar, and I must admit, I thought you had a 996, my fault. I used to own a Gemballa 993 Turbo and it was a great car, my only complaint was the all wheel drive. A good friend had a 94 3.6 Turbo, big single turbo, rear drive, and no nannys, thats a raw Porsche. 993's are bad ***, thats cool yours isn't a 996