Who said the E55 can't handle?
09-14-2003, 10:23 AM
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Porcelain Bus
Who said the E55 can't handle?
Yesterday I had a thoroughly exhilarating time throwing my E55 around the 3.7 mile roed course at Sebring. The was quite the array of vehicles (45) that were there-half were pure race cars, the other half street cars. The list included 2 Porsche GT3 Cup cars, 2 new Panoz racers, 2 Ferrari 360 Challenge cars, 7 vipers including 1 ACR and 1 new Trans AM racing version, Johnny Benson's former road racing Valvoline Grand Prix, several Vettes including a Lingenfelter Stage II (550+ hp, 500+ rear wheel hp, 550+ torque) and a C5R, 2 Porsche Twin turbos, a couple of Acura NSX's, and a mixed bag of other vehicles. The was only one other MB and that was an 2002 SLK32.
The E55 didn't handle that well in the morning session but I was still able to keep up with the non-race Porsches pretty well. Then I realized I was running the Airmatic suspension in comfort mode. The car did much better on Sport 2 and after the tires heated up I was able to slide the car through the apexes pretty well. The car accelerates hard off the turns and I was able to hit 135 on the back stretch virtually every lap and 120-125 on the other two stretches. I was running faster laps and passing all the stock Vipers and the Porsche turbos could not pull away from me. I blew by every other street car including NSX's, BMW M3's (surprisingly no M5's there), a supercharged Mustang Cobra, and others, except the Z06 Vette but it had racing wheels and tires on.
The engine and drivetrain performed flawlessly and driving the 90 minutes back home was a blast too. The only problem was the brakes. They stopped the car extremely well with no fade, but electonic brakes will not exhibit fade. They will work perfectly until they overheat and go out putting the driver in a very dangerous situation. Fortunately a bright red warning comes over the midle of the display saying "Brakes Overheated!!! Drive Carefully." This light always came on after about 6 or 7 laps after which I did another lap and came in. The guys at Renntech had warned me not to stay out much longer once I saw the warning. The smell of brake pad was pretty strong every time I stopped. After about 30-40 minutes I was able to go back out on the track.
The car was somewhat of a chore to push to the limits. I only had all four wheels off the track once for which I was black-flagged and told what a beautiful car I had and what a pity it would be if it was damaged by overaggressive driving. I found that sawing the steering wheel while accelerating hard through the softer turns allowed me to keep control and the ESP didn't zap the power in a notoceable way. The factory Continental tires are mediocre at best and the Porsche guys didn't care fro the Pirelli PZero Assymetricals either.
Things to do next time I go to the track:
light weight wheels and race tires (appearance not important)
high temp brake fluid
high performance brake pads that generate less heat
Does anyone have any suggestions for these items? Unfortunately I don't think any of the performance pad manufacturers have an application for the 2003 E55 yet.
I wholeheartedly suggest that any E55 owner take their car to the track if they have the opportunity. The risks are minimal however the chance of doing some type of damage is real. Tape up the headlights and front end to avoid damage from flying debris and drive like hell. I love my wife dearly and she's pretty good in the sack, but a full day on the track is better than sex (even with a supermodel) any day of the week. I may have some dissenters about this last statement, but don't tell me I'm wrong until you had your e55 out there.
Sorry, no good pis of my car driving as I was there alone and the person I asked to do me a favor of shootong my car as I came down the front stretch repeatedly shot empty track or my back lights.
The E55 didn't handle that well in the morning session but I was still able to keep up with the non-race Porsches pretty well. Then I realized I was running the Airmatic suspension in comfort mode. The car did much better on Sport 2 and after the tires heated up I was able to slide the car through the apexes pretty well. The car accelerates hard off the turns and I was able to hit 135 on the back stretch virtually every lap and 120-125 on the other two stretches. I was running faster laps and passing all the stock Vipers and the Porsche turbos could not pull away from me. I blew by every other street car including NSX's, BMW M3's (surprisingly no M5's there), a supercharged Mustang Cobra, and others, except the Z06 Vette but it had racing wheels and tires on.
The engine and drivetrain performed flawlessly and driving the 90 minutes back home was a blast too. The only problem was the brakes. They stopped the car extremely well with no fade, but electonic brakes will not exhibit fade. They will work perfectly until they overheat and go out putting the driver in a very dangerous situation. Fortunately a bright red warning comes over the midle of the display saying "Brakes Overheated!!! Drive Carefully." This light always came on after about 6 or 7 laps after which I did another lap and came in. The guys at Renntech had warned me not to stay out much longer once I saw the warning. The smell of brake pad was pretty strong every time I stopped. After about 30-40 minutes I was able to go back out on the track.
The car was somewhat of a chore to push to the limits. I only had all four wheels off the track once for which I was black-flagged and told what a beautiful car I had and what a pity it would be if it was damaged by overaggressive driving. I found that sawing the steering wheel while accelerating hard through the softer turns allowed me to keep control and the ESP didn't zap the power in a notoceable way. The factory Continental tires are mediocre at best and the Porsche guys didn't care fro the Pirelli PZero Assymetricals either.
Things to do next time I go to the track:
light weight wheels and race tires (appearance not important)
high temp brake fluid
high performance brake pads that generate less heat
Does anyone have any suggestions for these items? Unfortunately I don't think any of the performance pad manufacturers have an application for the 2003 E55 yet.
I wholeheartedly suggest that any E55 owner take their car to the track if they have the opportunity. The risks are minimal however the chance of doing some type of damage is real. Tape up the headlights and front end to avoid damage from flying debris and drive like hell. I love my wife dearly and she's pretty good in the sack, but a full day on the track is better than sex (even with a supermodel) any day of the week. I may have some dissenters about this last statement, but don't tell me I'm wrong until you had your e55 out there.
Sorry, no good pis of my car driving as I was there alone and the person I asked to do me a favor of shootong my car as I came down the front stretch repeatedly shot empty track or my back lights.
Last edited by Dr Chill; 09-14-2003 at 09:48 PM.
09-14-2003, 10:30 AM
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2001 BMW M3
Great story, I really enjoyed it. I've heard a couple other members say that a wheel/tire change makes a HUGE difference. Im planning of getting some lightweight wheels and then throwing some slightly wider than stock S-03s or Pilot Sport 2s on. Anyway, glad to hear someone has taken their E55 to track!
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09-14-2003, 08:12 PM
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Chill, thank you so much for such a well written and forthright drivers seat appraisal of your fantastic day at the track in your E55!! I could smell the rubber!! 
09-14-2003, 08:35 PM
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Sounds like alot of fun! I am trying to get some MB owners here in S. Cal. to do the same thing. There is a group that I have gone with up to the Willow Springs track with my BMW a couple of times, and want to get my MB on the track. The cost is really inexpensive ($125) for a full day at the track. If anyone is interested in SoCal take a look at the web site, http://www.opentrackracing.com/
the next events are in October and then December. The fee covers track time, lunch, tshirt and instruction. Even though I only have the E500, I can't see how it makes sense to have a car like this, much less an E55, and NOT take it out to the track!!
the next events are in October and then December. The fee covers track time, lunch, tshirt and instruction. Even though I only have the E500, I can't see how it makes sense to have a car like this, much less an E55, and NOT take it out to the track!!
09-15-2003, 05:58 AM
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Great write-up!
Check out Motul 600...its high temp and silicon based so it won't screw up the paint like regular brake fluid.
Stainless steel brake lines might help too but I don't know if you would feel a difference with the electronic braking.
Stainless steel brake lines might help too but I don't know if you would feel a difference with the electronic braking.
09-15-2003, 03:03 PM
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Glad to hear that there are actually a few MBs that get out onto the track -- they're a rare sight.
I'm surprised that you got onto the track at all without high temperature brake fluid, however. I highly recommend switching over to a top-quality DOT 4 fluid. I use ATE Super Blue which is relatively cheap and readily available from a number of places. If you want to switch to a silicone-based DOT fluid, be very careful -- the fluids are NOT designed to mix at all. It will gel in the lines and destroy your seals -- a very, very expensive repair, as you can probably imagine. You must flush out the whole system with alcohol first. Castrol SRF is probably the king of the DOT 5 fluids right now, with a remarkably high 500+ degree wet boiling point. The bad news is that it costs about $70/liter. Compare that with just $10/liter for ATE Super Blue. The benefits to the silicone brake fluid are substantially higher resistance to fading, longer time between changes, and safe for paint. Frequent fluid changes are a must; most tracks don't let you get on there with DOT 3/4 fluid that's older than 6 months, less if you track frequently.
What you really need rather than exotic brake fluid and new brake pads is a brake cooling system. I'd be really surprised if there's a kit available for your car, since I don't think there are really any for Mercedes Benzes at all in general, but I'm sure you can fabricate one that gets most of the job done. Order up some backing plates, flexible hosing, and a good duct. Any costs that you put into it will pay for itself, as you can double the life of your pads and rotors with a good setup.
I'm surprised that you got onto the track at all without high temperature brake fluid, however. I highly recommend switching over to a top-quality DOT 4 fluid. I use ATE Super Blue which is relatively cheap and readily available from a number of places. If you want to switch to a silicone-based DOT fluid, be very careful -- the fluids are NOT designed to mix at all. It will gel in the lines and destroy your seals -- a very, very expensive repair, as you can probably imagine. You must flush out the whole system with alcohol first. Castrol SRF is probably the king of the DOT 5 fluids right now, with a remarkably high 500+ degree wet boiling point. The bad news is that it costs about $70/liter. Compare that with just $10/liter for ATE Super Blue. The benefits to the silicone brake fluid are substantially higher resistance to fading, longer time between changes, and safe for paint. Frequent fluid changes are a must; most tracks don't let you get on there with DOT 3/4 fluid that's older than 6 months, less if you track frequently.
What you really need rather than exotic brake fluid and new brake pads is a brake cooling system. I'd be really surprised if there's a kit available for your car, since I don't think there are really any for Mercedes Benzes at all in general, but I'm sure you can fabricate one that gets most of the job done. Order up some backing plates, flexible hosing, and a good duct. Any costs that you put into it will pay for itself, as you can double the life of your pads and rotors with a good setup.
