jrcart

Let me know when you want to run my Black Series with that 500 hp tt of yours...If I only had a dollar for every time I heard P-car this P-car that...I have had my car at two seperate Porsche Club track events (Road America & Autobahn) and ALL of them got a good look at my tail lights, even the modded ones, 996 & 997 GT2's, GT3's and tt, did not matter it was the same story lap after lap. After each session groups of them would stroll over and just stare and shake their heads in amazement.

AMG Dictator

More CLK Black series owners are taking their cars to the track than you think. This is a car that I don't think people should buy if they are not going to take it to the track at some point.

Should it get a carbonroof trunk and hood, sure.... I can think of another 20 things they could have put on it.

I think you need to adjust your driving style. You can't drive the Black like you drive a Porsche. If you do you will wear out brakes and tires at an alarming rate but you can get past this. I know I have.

The CLK Black can be driven just as fast or faster than a GT3 in the right hands.

Jim Brady

Seanlee,
Well I'm glad your not the product planner at AMG! The car has value because it was engineered, a point I think you've overlooked. Try taking any production car and sending it to a race car builder to triangulate the chassis and seam weld the frame. Then engineer a suspension system that can do double duty and at the end of the day drives like a mercedes. What do you think that costs? Last track day we had four Black series out and the porsche tuner sponsor had two street GT3's! Mercedes didn't sell this as a cup car they knew their target market and it was a lot of former porsche owners.

Based on the sounds of your track days its' like your getting aero slip at 165. That's not lack of mechical grip its aero and weight has little to do with it. Car does need more rear down force over 100 mph. Most of the Blacks that lower the front reak havoc with over steer. IF your burning up the rears the cars set up wrong. I'm going though two sets of fronts to one set of rear tires. I find with the right set up it doesn't loose anything through a 30 minute seession.

Jimmy

jenk12m

the BS would've been killer with a CF roof. i think mercedes didnt want to copy the M models with their carbon roofs with the M6/M3

DFW01E55

For the sake of debate, we're talking about a 5 lb difference. They didn't put a 2 level glass vista roof in the CLK BS, which weighs 85lbs vs the standard 15!

jenk12m

as far as looks goes, i think the CF roof would've been killer. it does serve a dual purpose as well with lowering the center of gravity

seanlee768

1 kingsegg prototype testing with derek bell
2. drifitng my gt3 in california speedway until tire poped
3. ae86 time attack

seanlee768

1. my bs
2. D1 at irwindale invited as a demo driver

seanlee768

someone actually ask me for my driving experience, due to the fact that i rated the bs. i think the most famous part i did in the past are among drifitng. i was pulled from the pro drifting scene in 04 due to my current job require me not to involve in any type of motorsport, but at least i get paid to buy the toys.

i was certify as formula d driver and also a US d1 driver at same time along with rhys, ken gushi, andy yin, daijiro, casper, taka and hiro etc etc. recent years, i only have been act as part time test drivers for various cars that are imported into the US prior to going on sale in the US, such as the konigsegg and spyker and lambos bentley and porsche. however i am not up here to brag about how good that i can push the car nor how good or bad in comparing to some of you. i am too old for that. i simply drove a lot of cars and i know a lot of people that can help me in term of setting up the cars correctly people such as frank at JRZ etc. some of you shared your set ups with me which is very helpful for me. i will try to play with it a little. agian enjoy some of the pics. if you guys got something to say please feel free to post here instead of pm me. thanks. if you have issue and wanna prove yourself, please feel free to meet me at any of the cart track in cali and i will be more than glad to enjoy a few round of carting and a nice cold beer afterwards with you. meantime take care and wish you all have a nice holiday.

ps this is what i do the to ferrari people
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=218409

sean

seanlee768

jimmy
can you share some of your set up with me ? ride height front and rear? tire type and pressure ? track temp on that day and the air temp ? sway bar setting front and rear ? rebound and damping setting ? also what track did you do it on ? also what is your camber toe and caster on the car ??

thank you for providing the info to me. i can then pull up some old data of the track that you are running on. also did you corner weight the car and also did you do any mods to the cars performance at all ?

i know i am asking a lot and i am sorry about it. i just cant seems to get this car dial in correctly. you mentioned about the lift from the back. my friend at bbi actually made a working diffuser on their black series.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/ph...67&id=30509059

i will test out their car to see if lift can be reduced. i used the car during a small part of gumball run it felt quite soild at 150+ on the straight line but at 165+ the car become very nervious. i am also wondering whether or not the evosports front lip will help reduce air go under the belly of the car. betim at BBI can fill you guys in on the diffuser they made.

http://www.bbiautosport.com/

talk to them, they are fun to chat with. bunch of crazy wizard kids.

sean

sean

jrcart

By your above comment I would assume their rear diffuser needs some work, sounds like an aero balance issue. I have a front splitter and much larger than stock rear lip spoiler on my car, I have run it up to 206mph and had it at 190-200mph countless times, my car never feels " very nervous" above 165...or even at 200. I recently had my car air born at close to 200 becuase of a pavement transition that obviously becomes a ramp in the upper triple digits, even then then my car did not feel nervous...I felt very nervous, but the car handled the situation perfectly.

AMGTestDriverNJ

No defintive answer?! Come on, I want to know too! That garage is unbelieveable, reading this thread was great stuff! Give up the goods man, your garage looks like those inspiration posters they sell at college!!! Your picture is currently MY inspiration at law school as I've made it my desktop background! If you don't want to tell us that is obviously your business, but alteast a few more high quality pictures of the garage I believe are in order to inspire the rest of to strive for greatness. I'm still drooling here! Thanks!

seanlee768

thanks for the tips.

sean

SL2003driver

LMAO. The answer is sex, drugs, rock and roll. Law school???? Your headed for a life of strife not actualization.

AMGTestDriverNJ

Thanks for the vote of confidence haha. I'm sure I'll be just fine though!

SL2003driver

Just one suggestion. Study some Zen at the same time, just for balance

Real success is a Tao view of life and a large trust fund.

Jim Brady

I run 44ft/40r hot with nitrogen. Thats on a 65F day sunny with track temp 85f+.

I'll give you the general starting point but I'm not giving my secret receipe so JRCart will use it to go even faster.

I have slightly stiffer springs H&R so my set up won't really mean much to you. If the axis of the front axel is lower than the rear differential you're too low in front and the car will get power over steer, which is ok if you want to drift the car. HINT: If your car scrapes on most drive ways your too low. If your tail happy on hard braking, you need to click 1-2 on the front compression. If at 165 on a banked oval and your rear end is sliding, mechanicaly your springs are at infinity from compression or your shock travel has hit it's bump settings. So loosen the shocks and stiffen the springs. If you can't do that do like porsche, put a big f**king wing on it.
OR go to Jae Lee in San Diego and have him spend a day setting up your car.


What I'm saying is at 165 on a banked track you need aero help.

Jimmy

AMGTestDriverNJ

Yea, trust me I've realized!! It is tough to keep your head on straight in this type of environment. Real reality check. Lots of people lose it here on a daily haha

jrcart

If you are relying on one single "secret recipe" I already know I'm faster than you Set up on this car is night and day from track to track and day to day, ride height can stay the same for the most part, but tire pressures, compression and rebound need be adjusted according to track, I have found that their are some pretty major differences in set-up required even on tracks that present themselves as similar on the surface reired some heavy fine tuning to make it stick....Jim, I have some new toys being built by Penske, remote resevoirs will be under the hood and in the trunk, no more having to remove wheels or jacking up the car to make adjustments Look out!

Carl Lassiter

Jim, is a CF roof in your BS's future bud?

jrcart

Nope, but a CF ram-air hood is.

Jim Brady

Jim,
I like a confident guy...like all the Gt3 drivers that get their *** handed to them. Don't worry this isn't a one trick pony, my receipe has a lot of ingredients in it. I thought Penske's were only for open wheel cars with there adjustments being in very small incriments, hope your not cutting off the fenders.
Agree every track has a different set up requirement.
Jimmy

DFW01E55

I'll be interested to hear if you think it ends up aiding performance or not.

jrcart

Fenders will be intact...better check again, Penske will make anything you ask (pay)for. It's going to be a better system than anything currently available for our cars, Ohlins will do the same thing but at a higher cost and a longer lead-time.

It looks like you are going to get your chance to run me, I think I am attending the Willow day January 15th. Chances are you will put a whoopin on me, I have never run Willow, and unless it is a no-brainer track, track experience will most likely prevail. If you would be so kind as to dial back to about 80% for a few laps and let me shadow you I'm sure it would shorten my leaqrning curve significantly. Now on the other hand, if you want to head out to Road America, Mid-Ohio or Daytona I'd be more than happy to show you the fast way around any of those tracks

Jim Brady

Jim,
That's fantastic, you will love Willow...if the weather is good and it usually is. I'm sure you'll be up to the task but go easy on an old man. I'm anxious to see what the performance difference is with a capable driver. Will you have the Penske's in by then?
Jimmy