Drag Racing
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Super Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 516
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From: California
2018 C300
Drag Racing
Well, I finally got around to taking the car to the track tonight. Had to fight both DC and Baltimore traffic to get there. Car managed a 12.6 @ 111, four times. Very, very consistent. But not as fast as I expected, based on the postings of others. I wonder if the car was heat soaked from driving up there? I let it sit for 45 minutes between a couple of the runs, and that made little difference. Traction was great, even with ESP off, no sign of wheelspin. Takes off a bit soft, though, so I guess that's not a huge surprise. Anyway, still a lot of fun. Had a few people asking about it after a couple passes. They were surprised, which is always fun.
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Mercedes
Well, I finally got around to taking the car to the track tonight. Had to fight both DC and Baltimore traffic to get there. Car managed a 12.6 @ 111, four times. Very, very consistent. But not as fast as I expected, based on the postings of others. I wonder if the car was heat soaked from driving up there? I let it sit for 45 minutes between a couple of the runs, and that made little difference. Traction was great, even with ESP off, no sign of wheelspin. Takes off a bit soft, though, so I guess that's not a huge surprise. Anyway, still a lot of fun. Had a few people asking about it after a couple passes. They were surprised, which is always fun.
you have both an engine and transmission tune ? Or just the engine ?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 516
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From: California
2018 C300
I do have both the engine and transmission tuned. I'm only mildly disappointed with it's performance. It's the relatively low mph that has my attention. With the horsepower it's supposed to have, I'm short about 8-10mph. I'm wondering if an intercooler pump upgrade would help.
Last edited by Jack_88; Oct 6, 2016 at 08:15 AM.
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From: Welwyn, Herts, UK
2006 S600
Engine on, the cooling fan will be running, so that will help to cool the IC somewhat.
Engine off, hood closed is the worst possible heat soak scenario, and it takes several miles driving to get the IC temp down.
I found this after fitting an IC coolant temperature sensor and display.
Nick
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From: California
2018 C300
A couple minutes idling with the hood open, then off with the hood open for the rest of the time. Still, it took a bit to get through the staging lanes, where I ran it as little as possible, with the hood up as much as possible. I have noticed in most cars that for a relatively short time after shutoff, the temperatures are actually higher, due to the lack of circulating coolant and running fans, so if I'm doing back to back runs, it doesn't get shut off. I'm not sure if you could appreciably cool it down in even the time I let it sit with the lack of airspace under the hood to allow air to circulate around. Leaving the hood open keeps the hot air from being trapped, but I still don't know how much flow it gets and with all that metal in there, I could see it holding heat for a while.
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Super Member
Joined: May 2016
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From: California
2018 C300
Well, this time was Cecil County Dragway and it was $15, but $16 total in tolls for me. Capitol Raceway is closer to me, but they don't prep the track well and allow no driving around the waterbox, it's $30 to race.
When I raced, I didn't do any brakestand. I won't, I don't like putting that kind of stress on the transmission, but I am wondering if that's something those with better times were doing.
When I raced, I didn't do any brakestand. I won't, I don't like putting that kind of stress on the transmission, but I am wondering if that's something those with better times were doing.
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From: Miami, FL
2003 CL 600
I was able to coax a 12.4 @ 114 out of my first stock CL600, so I would expect that your car was heat soaked badly.
I went back with the second car last weekend, had a horrible outing as I only got one pass in and they made us wait in the staging lanes for over an hour and the car was heatsoaked badly, it only went 13.3 @ 105 or some garbage.
The first car, I was able to drive from tech, right to the lane, and make a run. No extended idle or sitting in the lanes. On each of the subsequent passes it got slower/lost mph, the more it sat the worse it got.
All my runs in 90 degree, high humidity, south FL weather. Not ideal conditions at all but fairly even both times.
I went back with the second car last weekend, had a horrible outing as I only got one pass in and they made us wait in the staging lanes for over an hour and the car was heatsoaked badly, it only went 13.3 @ 105 or some garbage.
The first car, I was able to drive from tech, right to the lane, and make a run. No extended idle or sitting in the lanes. On each of the subsequent passes it got slower/lost mph, the more it sat the worse it got.
All my runs in 90 degree, high humidity, south FL weather. Not ideal conditions at all but fairly even both times.
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From: California
2018 C300
Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me. The 2 1/2 hrs it took to drive 80 miles meant it had plenty of opportunity to reach maximum temperature. The traffic around here is horrendous. The first run was the only one I was able to make shortly after getting there. Even after letting it sit for almost an hour, it was another hour in the staging lanes. There is a track 10 miles from here, but they don't prep it well and allow no way around the water box, so the line is almost certainly always lightly damp.
