az55

Hi Everyone, I could no longer resist trying out the little beast on the track. Many thanks to SLK55er for his informative posts and videos. That is what convinced me to go. I used his recommended tire pressures 40front/36rear and it worked really well. The car performed better than I expected.
NASA Pro Racing did a great job of putting the event on and I was really impressed with the emphasis on safety. Fast Fun!!

What a fantastic little car we have. Yes, it has some bad habits, but once you learn it's limits you can really terrorize and surprise some smug Porsche owners, among others. It is a hoot to see their surprise build as I reel them in. I have the 030 package and the brakes are brilliant, not to mention how well the suspension works. Now I feel the price is justified. I just wish the wheels were wider and lighter!
The late braking capabilities are almost scary. One driver who was following me was blown away at how late I was braking after doing 120+ in the front straightaway.(I actually think I could have gone even deeper with better tires)

Anyway, I'm HOOKED! The car garnered some well deserved respect from the doubters and made me look good. The chief driving instructor actually thanked me for bringing the car out. He said too few owners ever get to fully appreciate how much AMG puts in to that car.

If you have never tried it, you owe it to yourself to do it even if you are a total novice driver. They will provide an in-car instructor and put you in a group where you can be "comfortable" no matter how fast or slow you want to be. It will make you a better driver on the street too!

Now, the difficult decision. Do I keep tracking the little beast or do I buy a Track only car? Hmmmm. I wonder what other car would be best? Life is full of hard choices, don't you think?
Cheers from Arizona

dsb

Glad to hear another member enjoying their 55 on the track.

I believe the only way to truly experience this car it to take it to the track. I go about once a month and the car performs wonderfully. I get lots of compliments. It's pretty rare for any AMG to be on a track, especially a slk55. Rare sight so it draws a bit of attention.

I went just a few weeks ago. The last session was just after the award ceremony for the TT and other race groups. Many people were lined up along the straight. After I was done, I pulled into the pits. I got quite a few remarks. Got to say, makes you feel pretty damn good.

PS. If I had money to blow, I'd get an Ariel Atom for $50k. That would be gobs of fun on a track.

SLK55R

my input would be if you have the time and money to spend on a track only car ... then go buy one.

Otherwise if you can only go once in a while or can't afford to have a car do nothing but be driving on the track ... then keep doing what your currently doing.

I really want to take my little beast to the track ... but I just don't have the time.

az55

I appreciate the input. I had not considered the Ariel Atom, but I've read a little about it, and it's awesome as a track car. It's just a little more than I want to spend.
I'm fortunate that at this time in my life I can finally have TOYS! I still need to be reasonable, though. I was thinking of selling my 93 NSX and using the money for a ZO6. Those cars are in the 30's now and are "track ready". Trompazo and others have spoken highly of the Z06's track prowess. Next time I attend an HPDE event, I'll get opinions from other owners.
Cheers from Arizona

Easty

Keep driving the SLK if your impressed upfront the more you drive it on track the better it gets. I've done 14 trackweekends in the last year and the car is one hell of a package for an all rounded. regarding tyres get yoko ES100's I recenty gave in to the hype of the Mich PS2's and I was out on a solo track day yesterday and beleive me there there no better than the nearlly 1/2 price PS2's. As DSB said it's awesome to see someone else tracking the lil' AMG

az55

I enjoyed your videos. They were part of the reason I tried tracking the car.
BTW, how do stock brake pads hold up? Are there any upgraded pads for our car or should I just stick to stock. How often do you change?
Cheers.