ch33sehead

Just got an 05 CL65 less than a week ago w/ 75K. The power is overwhelming. It seems like every other time I take a normal turn around town and step on the gas (step, not stomp) the wheels break loose, the traction control comes on, and ignition/fuel/whatever is cut off.

I can only think of 2 ways to get better traction: LSD or wider (and better) rear tires? Which is more bang for buck?

maxwerks

You might want to check the fuel pump and its modulator .. check the maintenance history of the car to see if it has been changed..

saintz

Wider tires won't necessarily help. You really need stickier. The Dunlop Star is supposed to be majorly sticky. The Hankook V12 is almost as sticky, and rather inexpensive.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...r-spec-page-11

That will help, but even drag radials aren't going to fully cure your traction issues. You might want to look at an LSD at that point.

ch33sehead

Maxwerks, the car isn't broken, the traction control is what's cutting off the ignition (by design).

The dealer actually put the Hankook V12s on. He said they were supposed to be quite good, but the car still breaks loose so easily when there is even the slightest hint of sand or dampness.

I see Kleemann has a 60/40 LSD. Couldn't find the price though. And you have to take yours off, ship it to them to have it worked on, and have them ship it back so I figure ~2 weeks of downtime? Renntech apparently has a 100% for $5000 or $8000. Anyone know of any other options for this car? I believe AMG had one?

maxwerks

My mistake .. I never knew that the ESP will shut the fuel/ignition off completely .. I still find it hard to believe that you must change the diff. to avoid that .. I doubt most CL65s out there are either living with ESP going off that frequently , or have an LSD ... but maybe I am wrong , have you tired quaife ? You should be able to see if they have one for the CL65 from their website .

freestylebiker3

maybe your cl65 has a performance upgraded ECU and it has allot of power for the stock setup... personaly my tuned cl65 does not spin tire over 25mph.. you must have allot more hp then me or bad tires

BlownV8

My Renntech tuned CL600 would activate the traction control past 70 mph and I was running a nice set of 285/19 Bridgestones in the back.

dtohio

My stock 05,65 performs like "bikers", I recall tire rack and others stating new tires need a break in for best performance,also I only punch mine on smooth pavement, the low profile tires I think transmit road shock well and I think such shock transients are a good way to shorten your driveline. Don't make too much smoke.
Envey in ohio.

ch33sehead

Is there any way to tell if the ECU's been tuned? Like do they usually label the ECU when they do it? I don't really have a reference point as to what 600hp is supposed to feel like. The dealer put new Hankook V12s on so maybe you're right that they need to be broken in...

RaceHorse

Men hold the pedal past 155 mph. Most tunes delimit the stock top speed. If your throttle response seems kinda doggy off the line and in reverse (especially if you are cutting the wheel in reverse) most likely stock. Tune usually improves throttle response. Stock the car doesnt really jump unless you hold down on the gas. Otherwise push past 160 mph....If you can't just think of what you are missing out on since stock is already making you smile. Goodluck!!! enjoy the power!!!

grane

[QUOTE=ch33sehead;4923330]Maxwerks, the car isn't broken, the traction control is what's cutting off the ignition (by design).

The dealer actually put the Hankook V12s on. He said they were supposed to be quite good, but the car still breaks loose so easily when there is even the slightest hint of sand or dampness.

QUOTE]

Put at least 500 miles on the Hkooks so they break in. Found mine to be stickier after break in even in the wet.

Since I dont know where you live: Don't run summer tires under 7 degrees Centigrade. If you have snow get snowflake rated snow tires. If you get little or no snow or ice just cold consider one of the new A/S such as the Michelin or the Conti DWS.

Don't expect them not to spin on sandy tarmac; that is what ESP helps with so you hopefully don't loose or lose handling.

An "AMG friend" suggested this one: Consider starting in 2nd gear. With the immense torque of the CLs this is no obstacle to power delivery to road, may actually help, and your transmission has one fewer shift to make.

ch33sehead

I like the way you think!!! Haha

What happens when you run summer tires under 44.6 * F? I mean I know there's traction differences between summer, all season, and snow tires, but are you saying they will actually get damaged or something?

I think I would much prefer to rely on LSD rather than ESP as that uses up brakes which are very expensive on this car, and traction control also chokes the throttle. I'll be patient for now though and see how the tires break in.

grane

Most summer tires turn into hockey pucks below that temp. Proper tires and compounds are critical for performance and safety

saintz

If you want a car that won't spin the tires on sand or wet pavement, you need AWD and less than 400 lbs-ft torque. My wife's C300 spins the tires when it's wet. You have to be realistic about what type of traction you can get, especially with RWD and one of the highest torque production cars on the planet. The LSD may help, but it's not going to turn the car into AWD. If you want that, the new CL550 4matic bi-turbo is what you need.

JHouse

Don't mean to insult, but it seems like you just need to get used to the throttle. It's not like the car is uncontrollable.

saintz

Performance wise, the car is still very fast, you just can't gas it too hard, too fast. But I hear you, the blinking yellow triangle is a total wet blanket. The only thing that will fix that is AWD. That means either moving to another platform with better AWD support (Audi S, BMW 335xi, Nissan GT-R, Bentley Continental GT) or going for the Mercedes 550 4matic bi-turbo. I believe these cars will largely be the future. No blinking traction lights, just a boat ton of power, huge traction, and fuel economy to boot.

Every time I see that yellow triangle I miss my WRX. You didn't get wheelspin like that. It didn't even have traction control. And while it was quicker to about 30 mph (the point where the CL starts to hook up), it would get eaten alive after that.

JHouse

My bad. I bet you are experiencing the results of a fresh reset on your ECU.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...set-works.html

ch33sehead

Found the solution... turn ESP off. Apparently the "ESP off" button doesn't actually turn ESP off, it just turns "ASR" off. ASR is the system that cuts/retards ignition/fuel, and ESP brakes the individual spinning wheels. When I turn ESP off it still brakes individual wheels but no longer cuts ignition.

JHouse

If that's true, I may keep it off all the time.