SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: ECU and pulley upgrade?
If you guys want to go faster....you would be far better off 'investing' the $2-3K in a high performance driver's school. You will find the results far more rewarding that the power gains and then you will find exploiting the power that you have available (which is HUGE) unbelievably rewarding.
I have outrun some seriously fast cars at the track and on mountain roads with a pretty stock SL55. I'm not trying to say that I'm something special....but there is nothing to replace great education and lots of practice!
A noble sentiment and sage advice (which I've heard before on several forums), however a lot of us are drag racers at heart. To us it's not about how far you can push your car to the limit on a windy mountain road, rather the rush that we feel when you get that perfect launch off the line. In that sense it's that tangible seat of the pants improvement that many of us seek and achieve through upgrades.
Drag racing is OK, and the rush that goes along with brute torque.....but how much skill does it take to press the loud pedal and hold on. Not much. I've done 200+ in the SL...accellerated to 300kph in 30 sec....while very cool and quite the rush...it's pretty ho hum. Do it once and you've done it 1000 times.
My brother was into drag racing and for the longest time. It was the fear of going off and not having the proper skills that kept him from doing road course stuff...but once he got the education and started to practice....he got it!!
However, if you really try to learn the right braking points along with how to enter and apex a corner, along with the proper line and how to balance the car just right between under and oversteer....it really is quite rewarding. Especially, when our 'cruisers' destroy, Porsches, Vettes, Ferraris, etc along with the egos of their owners!! One of my favorite things to do is taking a corner as fast as I can....and realizing that I could have braked another 30 feet later and gone through that corner 15 mph quicker and then taking another shot at it.
I guess it all comes down to preferences. If you want to go fast in a straight line...so be it. I just think that all this power is better put to use on a twisty road or the track. If you just go straight, you are missing 3/4 of the performance envelope of these cars. Every corner is different. Every entry and exit presents its own challenges......All good fun! Besides...the speeding ticket is much lower for 70 in a 25mph corner...than one for 200!! Have fun and be safe!!
Last edited by IngenereAMG; Jan 13, 2005 at 10:30 AM.
I can't wait until April to put the chip in; I'll be sure to let you know how the car runs.
And BenzoAMGpower, I would really like to see your car in person. The CF hood and all other mods you've done look awesome! Keep up the great work!
Thanx for the compliments dude... I frequented Orlando quite often in 2004, went out and lived my own kill stories racing ppl from the Fuel **** hangout. Look me up if your ever down in Miami dude, or ill PM u next time im getting ready to come up to Orlando.
My brother was into drag racing and for the longest time. It was the fear of going off and not having the proper skills that kept him from doing road course stuff...but once he got the education and started to practice....he got it!!
However, if you really try to learn the right braking points along with how to enter and apex a corner, along with the proper line and how to balance the car just right between under and oversteer....it really is quite rewarding. Especially, when our 'cruisers' destroy, Porsches, Vettes, Ferraris, etc along with the egos of their owners!! One of my favorite things to do is taking a corner as fast as I can....and realizing that I could have braked another 30 feet later and gone through that corner 15 mph quicker and then taking another shot at it.
I guess it all comes down to preferences. If you want to go fast in a straight line...so be it. I just think that all this power is better put to use on a twisty road or the track. If you just go straight, you are missing 3/4 of the performance envelope of these cars. Every corner is different. Every entry and exit presents its own challenges......All good fun! Besides...the speeding ticket is much lower for 70 in a 25mph corner...than one for 200!! Have fun and be safe!!
That's just it. Sure I like going to track days and honing my cornering skills doing laps like many others do, however I get a huge kick out of the performance of the different cars I drive in their off the line performance on nearly a daily basis. I don't need top speed either, that does'nt do it for me. I'd much rather see how swiftly I can get to 60kmh from a stop than trying to hit 250kmh and get my license torn up. I didn't build a 700hp Cobra to go fast around corners (mind you I did and still am equipping it with a damn good suspension). I don't need anything like 700hp for going through corners fast, but damn it feels good on the straight.
Indeed it's different strokes for different folks. Worth remembering before making broad statements about the need for engine tuning
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Last edited by OzSL55; Jan 13, 2005 at 06:45 PM.
Indeed it's different strokes for different folks. Worth remembering before making broad statements about the need for engine tuning
.I wasn't trying to put anyone down. Perhaps it's just my age showing.....before ECU's and fuel injection and emmissions, performance cars were lucky to have 200hp (I remember my old 308 had 205hp and was considered fast...except that a good running RX7 would kick the snot out of it on a straight). Now, all these guys are going for more than 500 hp and looking for more!
When I go to the track I see so many guys with all this hp and no idea how to control it. They would be much better off climbing the performance ladder. My first 'performance car' was a Fiat X 1/9....it had 80hp. I set the chassis up like a kart and on a tight road course it was brilliant. The 'grunt' out of the corners was less than brilliant...but it was huge fun. As the years went on....the power in my cars went up as my experience and skills grew. The Indycar provides the most thrills....in the corners as well as accelleration.........0-100 ~3.5 seconds! 150~8. Frankly, everything feels pretty slow after that! AND...don't forget 3+g's in the corners!
It's kind of like these kids that can go out and buy a superbike...and they have no real experience...and they kill themselves. They would be better off starting out with scooters and aquireing the skills to handle the bike. I think that just because you can afford 500hp...doesn't mean that you can handle hit.
My point is not to offend, but I think that developing a feel for the power as well as gaining experience and skill will heighten the experience and allow the driver to exploit and enjoy his car more.
Let me know when you're down here, and we'll go Benz up the roads!
So can you have the top up and the roll bar in the upright position? This would make the most sense if you ended up on the roof. Although, I'm sure you could run top down and have the roll bar up. It is able to be manually raised isn't it?
Cheers-
When I go to the track I see so many guys with all this hp and no idea how to control it. They would be much better off climbing the performance ladder. My first 'performance car' was a Fiat X 1/9....it had 80hp. I set the chassis up like a kart and on a tight road course it was brilliant. The 'grunt' out of the corners was less than brilliant...but it was huge fun. As the years went on....the power in my cars went up as my experience and skills grew. The Indycar provides the most thrills....in the corners as well as accelleration.........0-100 ~3.5 seconds! 150~8. Frankly, everything feels pretty slow after that! AND...don't forget 3+g's in the corners!
It's kind of like these kids that can go out and buy a superbike...and they have no real experience...and they kill themselves. They would be better off starting out with scooters and aquireing the skills to handle the bike. I think that just because you can afford 500hp...doesn't mean that you can handle hit.
My point is not to offend, but I think that developing a feel for the power as well as gaining experience and skill will heighten the experience and allow the driver to exploit and enjoy his car more.
I strongly agree with you that it's way too easy to just buy power these days, which neither teaches you respect for it or how to use it correctly.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
So can you have the top up and the roll bar in the upright position? This would make the most sense if you ended up on the roof. Although, I'm sure you could run top down and have the roll bar up. It is able to be manually raised isn't it?
Cheers-



