RustbucketRacer

So me and my brother are taking our 2000 & 2002 E55's for a little grudge match to the Mojave Mile Sunday September 30th. Both cars are completely stock minus rear cats and resonators. Lowest mile per hour buys dinner. Is anyone else going? I'll take pics, for anyone interested. Any predictions??? It's a standing mile... I'll keep y'all posted.

Jim Brady

I've done the Mojave Mile many times and it is a very well run event. It's a great way to unleash the top speed in a safe enviorment as well. There is usually a heavy Ford GT turn out and they usually have the top times. I have run my CLK63 black series and hit 162 on a very cold day (39 F) with head winds.

Mojave is at elevation of about 2500ft so NA vehicles will lose about 8% of thier power. You don't need a drag race start and in fact they discourage it.

But be prepared to be disappointed as most first timers are as it's more than just mashing the gas. I'd say if you break into the 140's you would be doing well. More importantly have a great time as you'll meet some great people at the mile.

Strigoi

I'd consider taking a 3 day weekend to check it out, but I'm going to my friend's bachelor party on the 29th. That'd mean leaving here at 3am to get down there mid-morning.

I'll be down in Mojave (Jawbone Canyon) for some camping the first weekend of Nov though. I can't wait, it'll be my first vacation in 3 years.

RustbucketRacer

So follow up as promised. Car ran 150.7 MPH.
All I did was remove air filters, and tape the front a bit. Not bad for a 146,000 mile grocery getter. Full tank of Arco's finest, and baby seat in the back. Also the weather during this run was:
93 degrees Fahrenheit
5200 ft DA. Corrected.*
30.12 barometric*
I can't begin to tell you how elated I am to have achieved 150.
Oh and my brother ran a best of 149.4 MPH. So dinner is on him.

MB_Fahrer

Very cool! That sounds like a lot of fun. Great cars these E55's. They hold up fairly well it seems. I'm surprised that the engines hold up as well as they do. I would figure they'd lose a bit of power as they age, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Same with the transmissions.

Jim Brady

Very good times. Outstanding to break into the 150s.

RustbucketRacer

One thing to note. I ran early in the first group. It was still quite cool in the morning. First run was 149.5 MPH. My brother ran twice, we had lunch, and the day got very hot. Every car in the field was beginning to slow down as the day went on. Especially the turbo cars. I removed the air filters for one run. Only the filters, not the housing. And was the only car in the field to have sped up! The car just needed to breathe I suppose. As the announcer called my speed as I passed, my brother said everyone suddenly turned to see me go by. Pretty funny.
I'm going to try and remove the speed limiter on my car and return in April for The Mojave Magnum. Where they run a standing mile and a half. These cars seem perfectly geared for the standing mile as I was 4.5 miles away from the limiter. What's a E55 run de-limited? I will hopefully find out.

RustbucketRacer

The best cars ever! In my biased humble opinion. Want to know a cool thing about our cars? As I was going through Tech and Safery for the car at the event. The event coordinator came over and said the W210 E55 is constructed in a manner that is considered to the safety standards of their events (Mojave Mile, Pony Express, Silver State) to already incorporate a "roll bar" from the factory. This is a safety feature necessary for speeds passed 150 MPH. So all we need is a cross bar behind the seats, and a 5 point seat harness and with correct tires we are clear to run in the 170 MPH index. Pretty cool stuff!
Also, just for fun. I run faster than Porsche Carrera S, and a 2001 N/A mustang cobra with bolt ons. And Slightly (2 mph) slower than a 1st gen Viper.

RustbucketRacer

I'm trying to figure out how to upload pics from my phone. I'll try post them soon.

MBFLO

damn after seeing those numbers and comparisons to other rides you named ,makes me feel glad I kept the car when at one point I almost let it go .. wish I could of been there or partake in any type of these events with mine also even though I doubt I woulda broke 150 still seems like good times

roguewrester

Awesome. I want to take my 1999 out and run it.

RustbucketRacer

OFFICIAL RESULTS:
http://www.mojavemile.com/images/pdf/MM6_results.pdf

Strigoi

It would be fun, but I'd be worried about a serious tow bill if something went wrong with the car.

roguewrester

Very true. Not to mention the bill to get it fixed.

Wile E. Coyote

Yeah, I laughed out loud when I read your top speed comparisons! It's frickin' amazing that a 10 year old, 4-door, luxury sedan posts top speeds higher than late model coupes built specifically for racing! And to think I bought mine on a whim after perusing Craigslist one afternoon! I had no idea that I was purchasing an automotive legend! Thor was certainly watching over me on the day I bought my Hammer! HAMMER GOOD!

Wile E. Coyote

SleepersRock

How does one violate the speed policy this event? I saw a few overs on the PDF, but that seems kind of ironic for this event.

RustbucketRacer

Because of safety. Cars over 170 require a roll bar and harness. There was a Hennesey GTR that had to let off because he was safety tech'd for 170. He was going too fast for not having proper safety equipment.

Wile E. Coyote

Yeah, as you work up though the speed brackets, each one has increasingly more rigid safety requirements and for very good reason. So, if you're qualifying for your C Class license as a rookie and you blow through the traps at 150+ MPH, I doubt that you'll even retain your rookie status. There's probably no quicker way to become persona non grata at the track than to know the rules and then blatantly disregard them! I certainly plan to heed them! I'm getting ready to buy my SA2010 certified helmet and Nomex balaclava! Balaclava necessary due to my rather long fur. ; )

Wile E. Coyote

Jim Brady

There is a duel certifcation process, one for the car and one for the driver.

The car is tech'd and certified to a certain speed depending on safety equipment.
The driver is also assigned a speed level based upon experience and prior speed. They allow a 5 mph breakout.

Wile E. Coyote

When they said "cross bar", were they referring to a bar specifically used to help mount the 5 point racing harness? If they were, it might be a real hassle to install. For starters, no one makes a harness bar specifically for the W210 Mercedes chassis. There are several universal, adjustable (maybe a safety issue) style harness bars on the market. However, the seat belt attachment point at the top in the Mercedes is on an adjustable slide (maybe a safety issue) that doesn't appear easy to access (maybe an ergonomic issue). If anyone has some insights into a harness bar installation in the W210 chassis, please respond! I want to know because I'm going to have to install one sooner or later!
Thanks,
Wile E. Coyote

SleepersRock

So in this event as a new (to the event) driver you would be not be in violation of any rules in a E55 if you hit 150? If so, that's pretty awesome.

It would suck if you were limited to a lower speed as new driver (say 125 for ex) because that pretty easy to do on just about any freeway.

Wile E. Coyote

That's correct. Your first run will be as a Rookie and you cannot exceed 150 MPH (with a +5 MPH "grace" overage). That does seem pretty generous since you're qualifying to run just an additional 20 MPH higher. However, I plan to take it easy and not exceed about 125 MPH when I qualify on my "shake down" run as a Rookie. I surely don't want to "scratch" and eliminate myself on a run that simply qualifies me to receive a Class C license and later do the same thing for an official speed. (What a total drag it would be to end up disqualified because you flipped your NOS switch instead of your Cooling Mist trigger when you hit 4th gear!)

Hammer down,
Wile E. Coyote

JamE55

What's the condition of the road surface? Is it cement of asphalt? Smooth or somewhat bumpy?

Also as a rookie you cannot go past 150mph. What happens after that run? Can you exceed your 150mph and just go all out? Sorry for the questions but i'm not familiar with this event.

Wile E. Coyote

As to the condition of the track (it's a runway), RustbucketRacer can give you all the definitive answers since he's the Race Meister on this thread. He's been there, done that. I haven't run yet; I'm only familiar with the rule book. After your run as a rookie, you receive your Class C racers license which allows you to reach 170 MPH if your car is certified by MKM tech inspection as an A1 Class vehicle. If you're seriously into racing in this event, go to mojavemile.com and download the rule book. It's clearly written and an absolute must to read!
Wile E. Coyote

RustbucketRacer

The road is both. It starts asphalt then concrete. It's pretty smooth. There are some asphalt cracks, and a little bump where the asphalt meets the concrete. Not a biggie in the car, but I saw some bikes wiggle a bit. As I was 'rookie' my first time out, I had to not exceed 150 by more than 5 MPH. Regardless of what my car was Tech'd for 200 MPH. After that initial run, I can go as fast as my car is Tech'd to go. According to safety features(roll bar or cage, fire suit, neck collar, and tire speed rating)etc..
For reference our W210's (with appropriate tires) are safety spec'd for up to 170. Not to exceed 170. Stock.
That's why I'm getting a bar and back brace installed, so I could run the Mojave Magnum and in 2013 the Silver State Classic. Also considering the Chihuahua Express as a Rally Express or full race. Not sure yet, might be scheduling conflicts. Here's the race link- http://www.chihuahuaexpress.com/invitation2013.asp

Side note: I've been asked by others why I don't just race a corvette. My answer is simply that I love this car, and everyone else is doing it in a Vette. Too easy. And these events are great for our cars since they are glorified touring events.