sax maniac

Ok, in the last couple of days I have encountered two other brilliant silver CLK55's in my area. Anyone on the board? Both on Preston Rd....1st was southbound on Thursday evening. Then tonight (Sat) I watched one race an F-Body of some sort north On Preston. I was unfortunately in my other car....so if you noticed the white Grand Cherokee running along behind you that was me.

So....is this anyone here? Hmmm? If so we need to hook up for some high-dollar photography. Imagine 3 silver 55's lined up.....purrrrdy.

-=>Sean

davidb

I'm in Addison and was on Preston on Thursday about 6:30, but I was going north. Guess that would make 4 silver CLK 55's for a pic.

-David

BroadSt Bully

Sax, how is that Grand Cherokee.
Thinking about a third ride.

bodyart27

I'm at George Bush Frwy and the Tollway... so when are we all getting together for a pic?

bodyart27@aol.com

13.7 @ 107 mph

Improviz

I live close to Preston, and am frequently on that road. I did race some guy in a heavily modded Camaro SS on Saturday night, twice, and alas, I simply could not get traction off the line (I damn near got sideways on the first run, there was so much spin), while he pulled off two great launches & got me by a few lengths both times. That thing had some serious mods, though: I've had no trouble running dead even with a few six-speed C5's, and he was definitely faster than they were... And hey, what do they do, coat the roads with oil up there in Frisco?

Seriously, it wasn't just Frisco...I tried a few GTECH runs that night, and with traction control on, it was cutting power severely, so the best I could do was a 5.4; with the traction control off, I managed a 5.02 despite severe spin and wheel hop. If I'd managed a bit more traction, it probably would have been 4.7 or better.

Yeah, we should have a GTG sometime. Sounds like there are several of us!

5439cc

Seriously, it wasn't just Frisco...I tried a few GTECH runs that night, and with traction control on, it was cutting power severely, so the best I could do was a 5.4; with the traction control off, I managed a 5.02 despite severe spin and wheel hop. If I'd managed a bit more traction, it probably would have been 4.7 or better.


I have been trying various start methods, after too many dam attempts I believe it's safe to say there's no way to get close to the 4.9 sec MB is announcing, There simple is too much torque to the back rubber - I use a APM (Auto Performance Monitor) which measures pressure from a internal chipset that calc time/distance - it's pretty close .003 error - anyway I measure my runs at least three times a week (nice truck area behind the corp building) and the best time I could manage is 5.01. So in my humble opinion there's way to get close to your 4.7 Has anyone truly gotten close to the magical number of 4.9 - timeslip or monitor slip would be accepted as evidence...

Improviz

Umm, I didn't say I'd *done* it, only that imo, with more traction, it's possible, which seems to agree with what you're saying: the problem is that off the line, there's not enough traction. It would definitely have to have some wider tires to do it, or stickier pavement...as you said, the torque just overpowers the stock rubber...I think if someone threw some wider tires on there, or a set of those semi-slicks, a 4.7 is absolutely within the realm of possibility. I can promise you that I was losing at least 3/10 with the amount of spin and hop I was getting.

Btw, weren't you the one who was going to race the M5's at E-town? How did that go?

5439cc

The Englishtown Raceway Park Event Is On Oct 4, 2002 - I am still practicing my starts, I want to make a good impression for the sake of all us - AMG lovers - I will post pictures and videos of the event. Again If anyone has any good advise to 1/4 magic - I'm all ears :p Oct 4, 2002

Improviz

You and me both! I was so frustrated against that SS...he had big, fat tires and was launching with hardly any spin, and I was spinning like crazy...cost me the race! Oh, well, I've beaten up on several of those things (stock, they're simply no match for a CLK55, but this guy was definitely modded), and ya can't win 'em all! Still, it'd be nice if the traction control was a bit less agressive in dialing back the torque.

You should do well against the M5's, though, based upon my experiences with them and M3's, especially if you can nail consistent 5.0's. M5's are also difficult to get out of the hole without excessive spin, which should help. Let us know how you do, and good luck!

bodyart27

well when I had my back to back 13.7s @ 107 at Ennis TX that was with traction control on - pedal to the floor and hold it - squirm / squirt have traction control kick in and off and zoooommm!

I was running 2.4-2.6 60' times.... so a nice 2.0-2.2 would have put me (I think) in the 13.4 range....

I was cheating a little though - I had the K&Ns dropped in... which had me on the dyno like 390lb/ft

anybody going to Ennis soon? let me know - I have a friend with an E55 that is dying to see what his car will do

Improviz

Damn, you ran 13.7@107 with the traction control *on*?? I was getting about 0.4 second faster 0-60 times with it off than with it on, so yeah, a 13.3-13.4 sounds plausible, and frankly, if the track is halfway sticky, I'd expect even better times! Hmmm...exactly where is Ennis? I might be up for checking it out. Does it have pretty long lines, or can one get several runs in without waiting for ten hours?

Chappy

Well, now you are talking! I've been thinking about a ROAD TRIP for a while now, and a blast from Georgia to Texas sounds like fun, even if it has a 'Smokey and The Bandit' ring to it!

I tripped across a post the other day about a GTG near Dallas by a group from Mercedesshop (mostly diesels), but I think a bunch of 500E/E500 guys are planning on showing up too. We could 'raise the notch' with some AMG power as well. I believe the date is November 17th at a state park (can't recall which one). I haven't committed yet cause my schedule is still filling in, but I am definitely interested.

Any thoughts to see if we may be able to 'piggy back' on their meeting? Any others from the East up for a 'Bonzai' run?

Chappy

Improviz

Yeah, that'd be fun! Do you know where specifically they're going, or for that matter, more details in general?

Chappy

look here for details...


http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...threadid=46473


The organizer e-mailed be back "All MB's are welcome. The more, the merrier."

Hope this helps!

Chappy

sax maniac

Wow, guess I need to check the forum more often.

IMproviz, from where I was sitting it looked like you DEFINATELY got a better launch on the 2nd race (from Lebanon by the 7-Eleven). I was really pissed I wasn't in my car or on my bike.

Strange thing.....on Wednesday afternoon I was headed home ont he tollway and saw ANOTHER brilliant silver CLK55. Older gentleman this time. I waved (was in the car this time) but he igrnored me. Damn Mercedes owning snobs! er, wait.....

I think group pic/meet would be sweet! Any particular day of the week better for you guys? I'm unemployed/looking right now so I'm free alot. (any of you hiring?!?!)

Improviz

Well, on both races, I spun pretty hard off the line...I did get a better launch on the second run than on the first, but that guy nailed excellent launches both times, with far less spin than I got (it helps that those things have 275's stock! ). Still, he had that thing modded to where it was really fast; I've had no trouble with the other SS's/WS6 Trans Am's I've played with, although from what I understand it's pretty cheap and easy to get 'em into the 12's. But even as quick as he was, I think that if I'd managed to get a bit less spin, I could've taken him! He wasn't pulling on me once I got hooked up, grr...(**** perfectionist here! :-) )

Yeah, we should do a group GTG. Any day is usually good for me...I'll be around this weekend..

Unfortunately, we've got a hiring freeze on...what do you do, btw?

bodyart27

Hell, that's right outside of Dallas - as long as the weather is nice why don't we bring some AMG muscle to the party?

http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt...tle=&poi=&ds=n

<map above>

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...threadid=46473

I called the Texas Motorplex this morning (ennis tx) - next open street car event is Friday night October 25 - Gates Open at 7pm and run till midnight. Ennis TX is about 40 minutes south of Dallas. What do you think?

Improviz

Sounds good to me! I'd like to see what this thing will do...I'm betting a 13.3 or below, based upon what I've run, so I'd definitely like to see how accurate my guess-o-meter is.

5439cc

Improviz
I have no doubt you would be able to perform a 13.3 - practice various starts - I think what works best for me - is the following method:

Depress Traction Control Off
Hold The Brake Pedal And Press The Throttle To 2.5rpm
Release Brake And Slowly Press Throttle To Firewall So You Don't Promote Wheel Spin - Once You Have Momentum Hit It All The Way - With This Method I Was Able To Get My Best Times
Hopefully It's A Cool Day. Good Luck Go ///AMG

Improviz

Cool, I'll give it a try...thanks, and stay tuned!

Lincoln

Last month, middle aged white guy (plano area)...really needs to learn how to drive. Almost hit 3 cars trying to merge back into stopped traffic from a 100mph plus run on the shoulder...is that idiot here??? If you are, you need to a) learn to drive, b) take it to the track, you are not safe on the streets!!!

Improviz

100+ mph on the SHOULDER??? In heavy traffic?? Damn, that guy's insane! There are crazies in every car crowd, I guess...sad.